All eyes are onStarfieldas the game inches closer to launch after a lengthy development cycle. There’s a lot riding on it, as it comes afterMicrosoft’s monumental $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda’s parent company, ZeniMax Media. The Xbox exclusive will play a huge role in determining if the investment was worth it.
We’ve known aboutStarfieldfor many years, and Bethesda has been working on it for even longer. When looking at the game’s development history, we find a lengthy story featuring a few failed starts and an enduring dream of exploring the stars.
Todd Howard and his sci-fi dream
Bethesda Game Studio’s head, Todd Howard, has been thinking of a sci-fi game since as far back as the 90s.A few times, the studio has found itself in the position to make the sci-fi game Howard has been dreaming of, but fate would always throw a wrench in things. In aninterview with the Washington Post, Howard reveals that the studio had the rights to the 70s tabletop sci-fi RPGTravellerin 1994, though “that quickly went away” with nothing to show for it. That same year, the studio released a sci-fi game calledDelta V,which received a lukewarm reception.
Delta Visn’t the last time Bethesda dabbled in sci-fi. In 1996, the studio had plans to releasea space combat game calledThe 10th Planetin collaboration with Centropolis Entertainment. It tells a dystopian story where aliens invade our solar system with dastardly plots of taking over Earth.Marketing material from the timereveals that the game had potential, but after several delays, it was eventually canceled. A few years later, Bethesda gained the rights toStar Trek, but as Howard explains in his Washington Post interview, his idea for aStar TrekRPG never came to fruition.
Starfield is born
In 2013, Bethesda trademarked the nameStarfield.Research for the game has been extensive, and according to Howard, the studio has created a timeline detailing what happens every decade. Developers looked to NASA for inspiration for the game’s aesthetic,and in a podcast, Howard reveals he has visited SpaceX, as well as the National Air and Space Museum.Bethesda’s hadStarfieldin active developmentsince it was done withFallout 4, which launched in 2015, and by 2018, the game was in a playable state.
Starfield is revealed
We got our first peek atStarfieldduring 2018’s E3 conference, whereBethesda showcased a short teaser for the game. Coming in at just over a minute long, it features an orchestral soundtrack and does little more than reveal the game’s name. At 2021’s E3, we’d get another look atStarfieldwith a narrated trailer showcasing a spacecraft interior and a takeoff.
Even after the major unveiling, Starfield’s development has been anything but straightforward. It was originally planned as a multiplatform release, butaccording to Bethesda’s Pete Hines, this changed after Microsoft acquired ZeniMax Media.
There have also been several delays to contend with. It was originally slated for a June 09, 2025 release. This would have been an appropriate date, as it also marksSkyrim‘s eleventh anniversary. Unfortunately, thegame was pushed back to 2023, then it wasdelayed again to September 2023, and there fortunately seems to be no signs of any further delays ahead.
So, how long wasStarfieldin development? Well, it depends on what you mean.With active development starting in 2015, the most straightforward answer is about 8 years, maybe a decade if you stretch it back to when the game’s name was first trademarked.What’s for certain is that Howard has been thinking about a sci-fi game since at least the 90s, and over two decades later, the dream is finally about to be realized.
