Today, Bethesda announced that it has delay both Arkane Austin’s Redfall and Bethesda Game Studios’ much-anticipated Starfield. As for why, Bethesda kept it simple: both teams needed more time to make the match as good as possible. And while my initial reaction was sad – like many others, I was eager to check out both this year – I felt a little relieved.
No, I won’t mention Shigeru Miyamoto’s quote here, as I’m sure you’ve heard it many times (although it’s true!), but I will say that this delay means a lot. big for Bethesda. In fact, I think Bethesda’s Starfield delay is the key to its new generation’s success.
Let’s go back to 2011. Bethesda Game Studios released Skyrim, easily its most popular game and arguably its best role-playing game, on November 11, 2011. It got 9.5 out of 10 from us and it has received plenty of other similarly high scores, with several outlets giving the game 10 out of 10. Since then, it feels like BGS has pursued that success and is critically acclaimed. Depending on who you ask, BGS hasn’t found as big of a success as Skyrim since its release, which can be evidenced by the studio’s many Skyrim re-releases. However, many saw Starfield as its spiritual successor.
It’s the first new BGS game of its kind since Skyrim (and it’s a new IP), and like Skyrim, Starfield seems to revolve solely around exploring a vast new world and crafting its stories. your own in it. run through what is hopefully a great main campaign. Speaking of which, Starfield’s original release date was November 11, 2022. Skyrim hit stores on November 11, 2011, and apparently BGS has back that with its original release date. is November 11, 2022 (ie 11 years later) of Starfield.
Since the release of Skyrim, BGS has released the following:
None of that stacks up against Skryim in my opinion, to some I consider it a step backwards for the studio or at least a step over BGS that shouldn’t be taken (look at you, Fallout 76) . I don’t think I’m alone in my thinking either, and that’s why Starfield has always seemed like a bright spot for the studio. It’s not a good time for studio life – Xbox’s acquisition of Bethesda has secured that future — but it was a temporary moment for me in my excitement for this studio’s production. This studio still the movies?
To be sure, Skyrim was the epitome of open-world space, and to some extent it still is today. But since its release, dozens of studios have launched their own open-world RPGs, helping BGS make money. There’s Guerilla Games’ Horizon series, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed series, Rockstar Game’s Red Dead Redemption II and, most recently, From Software’s Elden Ring. I’m not here to argue if any of these are better than Skyrim, but the open world RPG space looks a lot more diverse and different today than it did when Skyrim hit consoles and PCs in 2011. Basically, I wonder if Starfield, whatever it is, ends because we still don’t really have a clue to save. Some weird behind-the-scenes photoswill offer anything unique or exceptionally great that I have not found elsewhere in a genre that has exploded over the past decade.
All of this brings me to today’s tardiness and why I think it’s an important step towards the success of the new generation of BGS. Starfield couldn’t release anything less than the best of it. We’ve all seen what happened with Cyberpunk 2077. It should have been delayed – I suppose its last generation releases should probably be cancelledhonestly – but it’s not, and The results are loud and clear. The player is not satisfied and while The game is still selling well, it didn’t sell as much as we all predicted before its controversial and buggy release. The last thing Bethesda needs is their Cyberpunk 2077 situation with Starfield, especially given how high expectations are for this new sci-fi RPG, which Bethesda calls a Han Solo simulator.
That’s why this delay is so important, just as sad: it’s proof that BGS recognizes how important Starfield’s success is. You might ask, “But Wesley, hasn’t Cyberpunk 2077 been delayed multiple times?” Yes, but the Starfield delay makes a lot more sense, in my opinion, especially along with the Redfall delay.
First, Starfield is no longer releasing on the iconic release date. Second, and perhaps more importantly, with Starfield and Redfall delayed to the first half of 2023, Xbox will be overrated and depleted by 2022. Xbox will have any major first-party releases in the second half. Last year? Of course, there’s always time for something to be announced to fill that void, but as of today, the answer is nothing. The flaw in the Starfield size is a big deal for Xbox but Microsoft seems to have blessed the BGS to delay Starfield which means it matters a lot. Does it mean that Microsoft recognizes the importance of Starfield’s success, if not, why allow such a huge hole in the Xbox’s release schedule to open?
This delay means the studio could take the extra time needed to make sure Starfield is like the Xbox, and most importantly, what players want it to be: a successful first foray into the BGS generation. this new.
Do I have the money or do you think I got it all wrong? How important do you think Starfield is to Bethesda Game Studios? Let me know in the comments below!
