Starfield, the upcoming role-playing title from Bethesda, and Redfall, a shooter being published by the studio and developed by Arkane Studios, have both received delays as their original launch windows approach. The first two major game releases since Bethesda Softworks was acquired by Microsoft in 2020, the publisher has announced it needs additional development time to deliver on the promises of both titles.
This announcement takes both Starfield and Redfall from prospective release windows at the end of 2022 to the first half of 2023.
“The teams at Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Bethesda Game Studios (Starfield) have incredible ambitions for their games,” read Bethesda’s statement on Twitter. “We want to ensure that you receive the best, most polished versions of them.”
Starfield is the first new IP from Bethesda in decades, taking a genre and space that the developers have traditionally lent to Fallout and The Elder Scrolls titles and using their experience within it to tell a new story. With the next Elder Scrolls game still a long way out, Bethesda will be aiming for Starfield to make a significant impact upon release and a delay for additional polish will be important to do that.
“We want to thank everyone for their excitement for Redfall and Starfield. That energy is a huge part of what inspires us every day and drives our own excitement for what we are creating.” The statement wraps up by promising players that initial deep dives into the gameplay of both titles will be coming soon.
“Redfall is our most ambitious game yet,” added Arkane Studios following the announcement of the delays. “The team needs more time to bring the game to life.” Redfall was initially pitched for a release date within September of this year.
With the joint Xbox and Bethesda conference going live on June 12 to bring the latest announcements, premieres, and gameplay previews for the publishers’ upcoming releases, there is still the chance that the teased first looks at both Redfall and Starfield could be lined up for the stream.
