Typically, a game reveals some story elements and gameplay ahead of a release date. That is not the case for Starfield, though. Fans already know that Starfield releases on November 11, but to date, the game has only had a few teasers and one vague cinematic trailer. At large, it may seem unusual, but it makes sense. Bethesda typically reveals a game over summer with a fall or holiday release, and this release date came out early to likely build hype around Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda.
Bethesda is confident it can meet Starfield’s release date, though, and luckily, fans know when they’ll learn more. It hasn’t been officially confirmed, but there’s no way it’s not at the upcoming Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase taking place on June 12. As to what is shown is questionable, but there are certainly some things fans would love to see.
Starfield Gameplay
First and foremost, while the trailer is likely to feature some cinematics, it really needs to showcase gameplay. Outside it being Bethesda’s first new IP in decades and it being a Sci-Fi RPG, gameplay is going to be what sells the game most. If it’s essentially Skyrim in space, that’s fine—fans should know that though.
Beyond the open-world elements, how guns, in-game abilities (some Starfield leaks suggest there will be an oxygen feature), and key features work is important. It should be noted that a former Bethesda employee commented on a few things about Starfield and mentioned flying spaceships. This is huge if true, and something Bethesda could show with just a few seconds/clips in any Starfield reveal.
Starfield Weapons, Abilities, and Classes
As aforementioned, Starfield’s weapon selection, armor, abilities, and all of that are important. It’s not likely to go too deep on this in a trailer, but new details could emerge after. At the very least, how all of this works is something Starfield players need to know relatively soon.
Perhaps more important is anything related to Starfield “classes.” It remains to be seen if Starfield features some traditional take on spacefaring classes, or if the game is like Skyrim in that skills and builds impact the “class.” Either definitely works, but if players can be a Han Solo, a Psionic warrior, an Alien Ranger, or some form of Space Cowboy, then that’ll help build hype. If players aren't able to play an alien in Starfield, which seems likely given all the concept art out there, then Bethesda needs to pack sure it punches in the sci-fi elements really well.
Starfield Story, Factions, and Character Creation
Starfield has somewhat detailed the biggest factions in the game, like the United Colonies, Freestar Collective, Constellation, and Ryujin Industries, but more information on these is always accepted. Starfield also features different origin stories based on a beginning faction, so detailing how these kickstart the game would be great to see. Whether it’s like Dragon Age: Origins and the beginning is an entirely unique story or if it’s like Cyberpunk 2077 where players have a slightly different beginning that quickly segues into main events is important to know.
Starfield has released a little less about its story, just that there’s an uneasy peace between the United Colonies and Freestar Collective, and that the game hinges on the exploration of the unknown. It’s promising, but concretely defining this a little more would go a long way.
Just like Starfield’s factions and story, its character creation sounds promising (the background, choice of pronouns, etc.), but nothing else is known. Players can spend hours in character creation, so at least showing off some options will get players a little more invested in the game. After all, they’ll likely be able to picture more of what their character will look like instead of just imagining a spacesuit.
Starfield Companions
Perhaps one of the key things about Starfield is its companions. Players want to know if it’ll be more like Skyrim and Fallout where there are quite a few characters, who mostly serve background roles. This seems the most likely, and it’s totally fine. Some believe that with Starfield’s origin stories, the companions could be something more akin to BioWare’s typical approach. Not only would this be interesting and new for Bethesda, but it would help personalize the Starfield journey.
Only one Starfield companion has been shown so far, Vasco, but it could still go either way. Vasco is described as a peaceful expeditionary robot and a heavy-industry machine capable of traversing rough terrain, carrying survival gear, and having a huge payload capacity. Should Vasco need it, the machine has defensive capabilities but is more of a lover and not a fighter. Vasco’s definitely interesting, but there’s little doubt fans want to know more about Starfield’s companions.
Starfield released November 11 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.