Bethesda Game Studios is well known for creating massive open-world RPGs that absorb players into its universes for weeks, months, and sometimes years. The studio has released unparalleled role-playing experiences in the past two decades that have garnered enormous and dedicated audiences. All eyes are now set on this upcoming new title fromThe Elder ScrollsandFalloutstudio,Starfield.
The hotly anticipatedStarfieldis still pretty much shrouded in mystery, though few things have become crystal clear.Starfieldisn’t just a brand-new IP from Bethesda, it’s also a new beginning for this RPG giant that hopes to recover its lost momentum, guided by a new light.
RELATED:Fallout Composer is Working on Starfield
Starfield: A New Universe Full of Possibilities
Developing new IPs is a risky business, especially in the modern era whereAAA games cost millions of dollars to make. These AAA games usually take at least three to four years to develop and, depending on their success or failure, could make or break companies. As such, an abundance of AAA publishers tends to take a safer approach by investing in expanding their existing franchises rather than experimenting.
New AAA IPs from publishers still come out now and then, but they are less frequent than two generations ago. Rockstar Games has been cycling betweenRed Dead RedemptionandGrand Theft Autofor the last decade and would presumably continue to do so, given the popularity of both franchises. With the pricing of certain next-gen games increasing from $60 to $70, gamers are bound to be more skeptical about their purchases, which puts full-priced new AAA IPs that are not part of game subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass in a more risky position. This could be a reason why, despite enormous demand, Rockstar Games won’t make a game likeBully 2, which is unlikely to sell as well asGrand Theft Auto 6.
In the current state of affairs, seeing a new IP from a notable publisher is an exciting feat, which opens up endless surprising possibilities for both developers and gamers. Just like Rockstar Games, Bethesda Game Studios have focused on releasing onlyThe Elder ScrollsandFalloutgames consecutively for the last 15 years. However, withStarfield, BGS is all set to break its cycle of game releases.
Structurally,Starfieldcould beSkyrimin space, but an entirely different setting would fundamentally change how certain aspects of the game function. UnlikeThe Elder Scrolls,Starfieldtakes place in outer space, which certainly rules out traversing on a horseback. Instead, players will use their spaceships to travel from one planet to another. Similarly,Starfieldwill introduce new factions, locations, weapons, and lore, which will be fresh for both veteran Bethesda fans and newcomers.
Starfieldis uncharted territory for Bethesda Game Studios, whose past games are thematically miles apart from it. While it would primarily attract hardcore BGS fans, it would also appeal to the fans of the sci-fi genre who might not have delved into the fantastical world ofThe Elder Scrollsor the post-apocalyptical world of Fallout.StarfieldhasBlade Runnervibes, which is a pinnacle in the sci-fi genre of its own and could easily attract fans with the sheer possibility of exploring a thematically similar universe.
Starfieldhas been 25 years in the making and is being built on the brand-new creation engine 2, the next-gen variant of the infamous engine responsible for a plethora of buggy Bethesda releases that ultimately resulted inmemes fromThe Elder ScrollsandFalloutgames. Recent BGS titles are consistently mocked for their dated visuals and mechanics, and while BGS has yet to reveal extensive gameplay footage ofStarfield, fans can likely expect significant improvement in visual fidelity and performance.
RELATED:Will Starfield’s Xbox Exclusivity Gamble Pay Off?
Starfield: A New Beginning as an Xbox Exclusive
Ever since Microsoft acquired Bethesda for $7.5 billion, fans have been curious aboutStarfield’s exclusivity. At E3 2021, Microsoft finally cleared the air and confirmed thatStarfieldwould indeed be exclusive to the next-gen Xbox devices and PC. The news didn’t fare well with the PlayStation community and resulted inBethesda apologizing to the PS5 players. However, despite titles likeSkyrimandFallout 4being available on PlayStation consoles, BGS games have primarily been home to the Xbox and PC, andStarfieldis ending the multiplatform era of BGS games to go back to the studio’s roots.
Bethesda Game Studios has delivered some of its finest role-playing experiences exclusively to the Xbox systems in the past.Morrowindis undoubtedly one of thebest RPGs of all time, and set the foundation for future BGS titles. Similarly, the universally acclaimedOblivionwas an Xbox exclusive for a whole year before it came to the PS3. Furthermore, BGS titles tend to be relatively more optimized on Xbox consoles.Skyrimwas almost unplayable on PS3 at launch.
WithStarfield, Bethesda isn’t just going back to its Xbox roots, but also embracing what made those iconic RPGs -MorrowindandOblivion- so incredible. BothSkyrimandFallout 4toned down certain RPG mechanics from past games to be more accessible to newcomers. WithStarfield, Bethesda remains focused on reintroducing “hardcore” RPG elements that made games likeMorrowind,Oblivion, andFallout 3so iconic in the first place. As such, fans used to the overlying structure ofSkyrimandFallout 4might be in for a surprise.
Although exclusive,Starfieldwill be the first BGS title to launch directly onXbox Game Pass- Microsoft’s growing subscription service. It means thatStarfieldwill be available on day one to millions of players across the world who use Game Pass via the Xbox consoles, PC, or Xbox cloud gaming; the latter of which will allow players to accessStarfieldon their mobile devices.
A refocus on RPG mechanics, a brand-new universe developed on a modified game engine releasing on next-gen Xbox devices, and a growing subscription service putStarfieldin a unique position from pastBethesda games. These are just some ways in whichStarfieldis set to be the end of an era for Bethesda, while also being the beginning of another.
Starfieldlaunches June 01, 2025, on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
MORE:Starfield Needs to Be More Like Fallout 4 Than Skyrim in One Way
