Bethesda Has A Disappointing Starfield Update
Houston, we have a problem. While Microsoft promised so much in terms of overtaking the competition in 2023, a shaky Activision Blizzard deal and worries that its biggest game could be delayed has its critics thinking otherwise.
While Sony Ponies and Xbots continue to go to war, the big thing the blue camp always had in its favour was the number of PlayStation exclusives. God of War, Marvel's Spider-Man, and The Last of Us are just a few, whereas Xbox always fell back on, "Yeah, well, we've got Halo."
Click to enlargeThe massive purchase of ZeniMax Media in 2021 was supposed to turn the tide, especially with Microsoft now holding the keys to Bethesda's catalogue.
Fallout and The Elder Scrolls are the big ones, with Starfield supposed to be a new IP. The key takeaway here is "supposed to be."
Where Is Our Starfield Showcase?
Considering Bethesda's Starfield is meant to be the new jewel in the Xbox crown - and give us something to play for the next decade - it's currently on a collision course with comets of rumoured delays and missing showcases.
Starfield skipped the recent Bethesda x Microsoft event that finally gave a Redfall release date, however, we were promised a whole showcase for the sci-fi explorer at a later date.
Similar to what Sony did with God of War and Hogwarts Legacy, there was actual excitement Starfield would get its own time to shine.
Click to enlargeAs reported by PCGamesN, a Bethesda dev has since dampened out hopes of the Starfield showcase. Considering the AAA game is supposed to release in the first half of 2023, we'd cool those jets for now.
Posting Bethesda's official Discord, Community Manager, VaultOfDaedalus warned, "We'll have more info to share on the showcase when it’s ready to be, still sorting stuff out. I know that's not the answer you want, but nothing specific is being withheld."
Has Starfield Been Delayed?
Click to enlargeThe site notes that VaultOfDaedalus' promise that "nothing specific is being withheld" could mean the team hasn't locked in a date for the Starfield showcase, but remember, we've been burned before. We're looking at you, Cyberpunk 2077.
There were recent whispers that Redfall and Starfield aren't in the "best of shape," and while that's pretty damning, at least the first has a proposed release date. It would always be a push to get two Bethesda titles out in such a short period.
As Redfall prepares to sink its teeth into a May 2 release date, can we still hope that two Bethesda goliaths will release in the first half of the year?
Starfield Could Follow In Hogwarts Legacy's Footsteps
Click to enlargeAs with all these things, the scandalous rumour mill is sure to go into overdrive that Starfield has been delayed... again. We saw this kind of tactic with Hogwarts Legacy, as repeated release date delays were preceded by cryptic promises of more information "soon" and smaller delays.
Hogwarts Legacy was originally supposed to release in 2021, before it bunny-hopped to 2023, and then 2023. Even now, we're still waiting for last-gen release (April 4) and Nintendo Switch port (July 25). Let's hope Starfield doesn't follow suit.
For now, Bethesda is downplaying the notion of another Starfield delay. The original release of November 11, 2022, is a distant memory, and there are only so many Todd Howard promises that "it'll be worth the wait" irate gamers will stand for.
