Why Everyone Is Talking About Starfield Today

Rumors swirling around Bethesda's Starfield have been generating lots of discussion, with some even claiming that the game is imminent. While that doesn't appear to be true, we are preparing to hear more about Bethesda's sci-fi RPG sometime soon, possibly at E3. Here's what we know.

Conversation surrounding Starfield sparked earlier this week, when journalist Jeff Grubb indicated that, at least according to his sources and understanding, Starfield will be exclusive to PC and Xbox platforms. That would be a major coup for Microsoft, which purchased Bethesda and subsequently said that the studio will make Xbox-exclusive games.

That, combined with proximity to E3, began speculation that we would see the game at Microsoft and Bethesda's rumored combined press conference. Some even suggested this would be its big debut before ultimately releasing this fall, because the game is more-or-less already done. That's not the case, though, according to journalists from multiple outlets including Game Informer's Liana Ruppert and Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

Schreier went into more detail, pointing out that most of Bethesda Game Studios has been focused on Fallout 76 until recently. The Starfield team only started to expand in 2019, so it's not anywhere near complete enough for the release to be so imminent. He noted that he's heard a particular release date in 2022, but naturally, that could move. He also indicated that his understanding is that the 2022 date will be teased at E3.

All that puts to rest the idea that we'll be playing Starfield later this year, but that doesn't necessarily mean we won't see it at all. It very well may be part of the possible Microsoft-Bethesda E3 press conference, the first time both companies will combine their forces for a big public-facing games event. Executives from both companies previously got together following the acquisition for a fireside chat, but that didn't feature any new game trailers or announcements.

E3 2021 is an all-digital event this year, and GameSpot is partnering with the ESA to bring you updates from the show. That's on top of other virtual events taking place this summer, including Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest and our own GameSpot Play For All.