Starfield and Redfall are both slated for release in the first half of 2023, with Redfall supposedly aiming for a May debut. With that planned release a few months away, Xbox can hit its release window, simultaneously releasing Starfield within the year's first half as planned. With a lack of exclusive titles in 2022, it will be important to hit the release windows, and if Redfall ends up a hit it can set Xbox up for greatness in 2023.
The first new IP for Bethesda in 25 years, Starfield aims to be an expansive game, more significant than Skyrim, with exploration and player agency at its heart. While it will contain a central narrative, it will allow players to make the game what they want it to be. Redfall, developed by Arkane Studios Austin, is an open-world first-person shooter with both single-player and cooperative multiplayer modes, where legions of vampires have isolated the fictional town of Redfall, Massachusetts. Whether these two games satisfy or disappoint players will have a major impact on Xbox's image in 2023.
Redfall Targets an Early May Release Date
Rumors have been circulating that Redfall could be targeting early May as a release window, with Windows Central's sourcing even confirming the details. If development continues to go as planned, other sources claim that the first week of May would be the prime time to see the release of Redfall. Director Harvey Smith recently stated that Redfall is their effort to take stories Arkane does well and stretch their talents.
For those unfamiliar with the game, Redfall is an Xbox exclusive from the creators of Deathloop, Prey, and Dishonored. It takes the form of a story-driven RPG with an open-world setting in the quaint, fictional town of Redfall, Massachusetts. Listed as a first-person shooter, up to four friends can drop into Redfall through its co-op mode and help liberate the island town, which has been cut off from the outside world by vampires - the subjects of a science experiment gone wrong. Though this description is nothing like the one for Starfield, both games are in a similar position when it comes to their potential impact on the Xbox brand.
Setting Up Microsoft for Greatness or Disappointment
Despite many Xbox exclusives slated for 2022, such as Fable, Redfall, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, Perfect Dark, Avowed, Starfield, and The Elder Scrolls 6, many of the titles remain in the dark or failed to elicit much response. With Redfall and Starfield pushed to 2023, Xbox lacked big game titles for the year; while Halo Infinite does serve as a more significant title, its rough patches at release and ongoing live-service issues have been pointed out by critics.
Not only did 2022 lack exclusives for Xbox, but a lack of first-party AAA titles didn't do the platform any service, especially compared to Sony's flagship titles like Horizon Forbidden West and God of War Ragnarök. As of January 3, 2023, a Starfield support page confirmed the game's release in the first half of the year, something that had been questioned if Redfall was pushed back any further. Luckily, with the information about Redfall and its early May release, greatness seems possible for Xbox.
With confirmation coming for Redfall and Starfield to launch as expected in the first half of 2023 without further delays, this will guarantee a fantastic start for Xbox. This will be compounded if Redfall is well received by players and critics, and the same goes for Starfield, which had received some comparisons to No Man's Sky. With both titles looking promising as more gameplay and information is revealed, and seemingly keeping with their target release dates, Xbox appears to be leaning toward the side of success, but only time will tell for sure.
Starfield and Redfall are scheduled to release for PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.