Rumor: Starfield Release Date Could Be This Year

Bethesda Game Studios' next game is Starfield, a sci-fi RPG set in space that has had very little revealed about it in an official capacity beyond a brief teaser trailer and its logo. While virtually nothing has been shown about Starfield so far, there are multiple industry insiders who seem relatively confident that the game is going to be released at some point later in 2021. Whether or not that's the case remains to be seen, but the rumors keep pointing in that direction.

The latest development regarding Starfield's release date comes from industry insider Shpeshal_Ed, who is known for accurately leaking Xbox-releated news in the past. In a recent Xbox Era podcast (as spotted by Pure Xbox), Shpeshal_Ed explained that they too believe that Starfield's release date will be sometime in 2021, basing their reasoning on Microsoft allegedly purchasing ad time for the game to air this year. Shpeshal_Ed pointed out the same was true for Halo Infinite in 2020, only for that game to get delayed, so it's still possible that Starfield will get pushed to next year.

Shpeshal_Ed is just the latest insider to suggest that Starfield's release date is in 2021. The general consensus seems to be that Bethesda is planning a reveal for the game not unlike how it handled Fallout 4's unveiling at E3 2015, where it offered a deep dive into the game and its mechanics then released it roughly five months later.

Assuming these rumors are correct, then it seems highly likely that Starfield will be featured at E3 2021. With Microsoft's acquisition of ZeniMax Media, it's unclear if Bethesda will still have its own dedicated E3 press conference or if its usual presentation will be wrapped up with Microsoft's showing. Whatever the case may be, chances seem pretty good that Starfield will be featured at E3 2021 in some capacity.

Whenever Starfield is given a proper showcase, it will be interesting to see which rumors about the game were true and which ones turned out to be false. A big rumor is that Starfield will be Xbox exclusive, which would make a lot of sense considering it's one of the first big Bethesda games releasing following the acquisition that wasn't already tied up in a PlayStation exclusivity deal.

Leaked Starfield images and concept art have suggested that the game will let players fly spaceships in some manner and that there will be a wristwatch UI, perhaps not unlike Fallout's Pip-Boy. Whatever the case may be, here's hoping a Starfield reveal happens sooner rather than later so fans can get some answers about the game's release date and whether or not it will be an Xbox exclusive.

Very little has been said in regards to upcoming Bethesda projects like Starfield, but hype for the game is considerable. So too are the risks, especially as new Bethesda games are infamous for their bugs. However, Starfield has its own set of unique challenges as a Bethesda product. There is mounting hype, significant technical overhauls, and a huge scale all at work. To say Starfield is riskier than most new IPs, as all are, is an understatement.