“Starfield,” the next big game from the makers of “Fallout” and “The Elder Scrolls” will be released on Nov. 11, 2022 for Xbox consoles and PC — and not for PlayStation, according to a new trailer.
Why it matters: “Starfield” is about as big as it gets in terms of upcoming blockbuster games and will likely be ace for Microsoft commercially.
- The science fiction role-playing game was first teased by development studio Bethesda in 2018 and has been greatly anticipated ever since.
- It served as Microsoft's first big announcement during itsE3 showcase Sunday.
Between the lines: Bethesda used to be a third-party publisher, meaning its games tended to be released for PC, PlayStation, and Xbox (plus on Nintendo platforms, at times).
- Microsoft purchased Bethesda for $7.5 billion last year, with the intent to use the company’s line-up to boost its growing all-you-can-play Game Pass subscription service.
- That led to speculation as to whether future Bethesda games would be exclusive to Xbox or at least, crucially, exclude PlayStation.
- Today’s trailer revealed “Starfield”'s exclusivity.
What they’re saying: “It’s a next-generation role-playing game where you’ll be who you want, go where you want, experience our stories and forge your own,” Bethesda lead game developer Todd Howard said in a behind-the-scenes video that was accidentally published early by the Washington Post.
- “More than that, 'Starfield' is about hope, our shared humanity and searching for the answers to life’s greatest mystery," he added.
What’s next: Somewhat vague teasers being what they are, we still don’t know much about what “Starfield” is and how it plays, but will no doubt find out more in the year and a half until it launches.