Of all the exclusive games set to come to the Xbox Series X in the near future, there are few that many fans are more excited for than Bethesda's newest original IP, Starfield. The upcoming science-fiction game was first revealed by Bethesda during the developer's E3 press conference in 2018 and has been a hot topic among fans waiting to hear more about the highly-anticipated RPG. However, a recent update from Bethesda has confirmed that the game's widely publicized November release date has been pushed back once again with Starfield now set for the first half of 2023.Delays are nothing new for many of Bethesda's biggest titles and especially not for Starfield. Last year's E3 conference saw the developer confidently claiming Starfield would meet its newest set release date with the game planned for November 11 this year as a console exclusive for the Xbox Series X/ S, coincidentally marking the 11th anniversary of another massive Bethesda title, Skyrim. Now, however, a social media announcement made Thursday morning has confirmed the game will be delayed, with Head of Xbox Phil Spencer also giving his stance on the situation.In response to the official confirmation of Starfield's delay, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer gave his own stance on the unfortunate news of the game's delay. Spencer recognized the difficulty the team behind Starfield faces as a result of not being able to meet its expected release date while acknowledging that Xbox and Bethesda "hear the feedback" from fans upset by the delay. Spencer offers a reassurance that the delay of the game comes as a commitment from both companies to "meet the expectations" of their fans.
Starfield was not the only title unfortunately prolonged as Bethesda also announced the delay of the highly-anticipated open-world FPS Redfall within the same announcement. While the shooter from Deathloop developer Arkane Studios has not seen the same level of press as Starfield since its reveal during last year's E3, Redfall sees a significantly longer delay from its expected release date with the game previously set to launch this summer.
Though the delay of Starfield will likely disappoint many fans eager to get their hands on the newest franchise from Bethesda, the developer has been sharing plenty of tidbits about the game's design process throughout its developments. Xbox's "Into The Starfield" series released a video late last month discussing the audio design and music set to be featured in the game, while others have teased its character creation and base builder. While fans will have to wait a bit longer before they can dive into Starfield, its impending release will remain one of the most anticipated events in gaming.
Starfield will release in the first half of 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.