Starfield And Redfall Delayed To 2023, Gameplay Deep Dives Coming "Soon"

Two major Bethesda games, Starfield and Redfall, have been delayed to 2023. Starfield originally had a release date of November 11 for PC and Xbox Series X|S, while Redfall's launch date had yet to be announced but was slated for this summer.

Specific new release dates for either game have not been shared yet, but they're both set to launch during the first half of 2023, meaning by the end of next June. Gameplay deep dives for both games are expected "soon."

"The teams at Arkane Austin and Bethesda Game Studios have incredible ambitions for their games, and we want to insure that you receive the best, most polished versions of them," Bethesda said in a statement announcing the delays. A follow-up from Arkane and Harvey Smith described Redfall as the studio's "most ambitious game yet," adding, "The team needs more time to bring the game to life."

Starfield's slip to 2023 is the more surprising development of the two, as back in June, Bethesda's Todd Howard said that he was positive that the game would avoid being delayed. "We're confident in the date," Howard said at the time. "Otherwise, we wouldn't be announcing it."

Head of Xbox Phil Spencer also recently tweeted that he'd met with Bethesda, so it's possible that the decision to delay the game was discussed at the company this week.

Even without Starfield and Redfall being headline acts for Xbox in 2022, they're likely bound to have a big presence at the upcoming Xbox and Bethesda Summer Games Showcase on June 12. Gameplay for either title has yet to be revealed, so the joint Xbox and Bethesda event would be a great platform to show off what players will be doing in each title. As noted above, Bethesda teased that "our first deep dive into the gameplay for Redfall and Starfield" is coming "soon."

Not too much is known about Arkane's Redfall at this point in time, although leaked images did suggest that the game will resemble a fusion between Borderlands-style loot-shooter action and vampire hunting. Starfield, meanwhile, is the next open-world RPG from the team behind Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3 and 4. The two games being pushed out of 2023 suddenly leaves a gap in Xbox's first-party lineup, though it remains to be seen how or if that will be filled.