It's seldom easy to hear that one's most anticipated video game got delayed, and when Starfield was pushed back to 2023, many people were left wondering just what happened during its development – Xbox's Phil Spencer finally weighed in with an answer. Ever since Starfield's announcement in 2018, Bethesda fans have been intensely curious about what this brand-new intellectual property would look like, and how it would compare to the company's other franchises. At its heart, Starfield is to sci-fi what Fallout is to post-apocalyptic fiction, and the developers have used the phrase "nasapunk" to describe Starfield's overall tone.
Before it got delayed, Starfield was supposed to launch on the day of Skyrim's 11th Anniversary, a passing of the torch between Bethesda's most successful title and the first major title of a new era under Microsoft. The current release date for the game is undisclosed, but it is expected to release before the end of Microsoft's fiscal year in 2023 – with the majority of fans speculating May as the most likely month.
In an interview with The Verge, Phil Spencer was asked about the decision to delay Starfield and Redfall, which would have been likely hits, and how postponing those titles came about in the first place. Spencer's answer was that it didn't truly feel like a decision in the first place because Microsoft and Bethesda had invested too much into Starfield over the past few years to launch the game in an unfinished state. When one looks back at a recent major launch like Cyberpunk 2077, it is easy to understand why Spencer's decision was a no-brainer.
Phil Spencer went on to say that it was especially important to him that the first major releases from ZeniMax under Microsoft were given the time and resources those projects needed, as he believes any delays will eventually pay for themselves on the virtue of releasing a better product that fosters more enjoyment from its players. Focusing on Starfield in specific, Spencer described his discussions with Todd Howard as openly honest from the get-go, whether they're about the game's production challenges or potential risks. He argues that development teams work much better if they feel the release date is in their control and that keeping track of their schedule is an ongoing thing, where there are no sudden surprises about a project failing to meet a deadline.
Though Starfield's marketing has slowed down a bit since its delay, Bethesda's official footage from the game has a lot for players to be excited about. Companions, factions, open world, character creation, and ship customization coming to Starfield all feel on a completely new level compared to past Bethesda releases, and it's obvious that Todd Howard and his team have set an ambitious vision for the game. Despite its launch coming several months later than planned, it will no doubt end up the smarter play in the long run.
Starfield releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: The Verge