In 2013, Bethesda was just two years removed from its smash hit The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, and many were hotly anticipating what would be next for the studio. Eventually, Bethesda revealed its next project as Fallout 4, but prior to that reveal, a mysterious trademark was discovered. The trademark was for something called Starfield, but it would be many years later before Bethesda fans learned more about the project.
Three years after fans discovered the initial Starfield trademark, Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media renewed it, but still stopped short of providing any kind of explanation. Rumors started spreading online about Starfield, which was said to be a sci-fi space exploration game in the vein of Bethesda's Elder Scrolls and Fallout games, but it wasn't until E3 2018 when fans finally got confirmation.
Bethesda officially announced Starfield at E3 2018 with a brief teaser trailer, confirming it be the studio's next big budget RPG on the scale of Skyrim and the like. Bethesda still didn't reveal all that much about Starfield, and in fact, marketing for the game remained mostly quiet until 2021. Following Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, and therefore Bethesda, a new Starfield trailer was shown that confirmed the game's general aesthetic, concept, Xbox console exclusivity, and release date.
These past few months have seen Bethesda ramp up its Starfield promotion that much more, highlighting various details about the game, sharing concept art for its planets, and introducing fans to the companion VASCO. A full-blown gameplay deep dive still has yet to be shown at the time of this writing, but the wait to see more of Starfield in action is nearly at an end. The game is expected to be a big part of the upcoming Bethesda and Xbox showcase event on Sunday, June 12 at 10am PT, so anyone interested should be sure to tune in.
It's been nearly a decade since the Starfield trademark was first discovered, but the game is finally in sight. Next month, Bethesda fans looking forward to Starfield will likely get their first proper look at the game, and then later this year, they'll be able to play it for themselves. Bethesda is confident that there will be no Starfield release date delays, and assuming that confidence isn't misplaced, fans can look forward to playing the game on November 11, 2022.
Not only will fans be able to purchase Starfield outright, but they can also check out the game through the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, meaning that it has an incredibly low cost of entry for Bethesda enthusiasts.
Starfield launches November 11 for PC and Xbox Series X.