In a Twitter post published early on Thursday morning, May 12, Bethesda officially announced the delay of two of its most anticipated releases. The post doesn't specifically detail why either Arkane's Redfall and Bethesda's Starfield were pushed but does relay the need for additional polish and the need to ensure fans receive the "the best...versions of them."
The post reads:
"We've made the decision to delay the launches of Redfall and Starfield to the first half of 2023. The teams at Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Bethesda Game Studios (Starfield) have incredible ambitions for their games, and we want to ensure that you receive the best, most polished versions of them."
An update on Redfall and Starfield. pic.twitter.com/pqDtx26Uu6
— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 12, 2022
Bethesda's Twitter post goes on to thank fans and players alike for their "excitement for Redfall and Starfield." The team also notes that the first gameplay deep dives for both experiences are planned to debut "soon." The first real Starfield trailer debuted in June of last year, yet only showcased cinematics without any real gameplay. It currently sits at a whopping 16 million views, proof enough in the outward acclaim and anticipation for Bethesda's Starfield.
Related Article: Xbox New Console Leak: 'Xbox Keystone' Under Development? Not a Successor, Different from Series S, X
Co-op shooter Redfall, which is being developed by the highly talented Arkane Studios, makers of 2021's Deathloop, likewise saw an initial trailer back in June 2021 but received far less fanfare than its spacefaring counterpart. The game does seem to take a lot of liberties from Deathloop in both style and combat, but with no real gameplay, it's hard to tell accurately what the game's final product will look like.
While Bethesda didn't explain why both releases have been delayed, it's safe to assume that previous leaker Hevy008, who said space traveling in Starfield was a certainty, was also correct in their claims that the November 11th release date was optimistic at best. In their own words, Hevy008 says, "It's a sexy date tho and you only get one of those, beta this summer, that's when the picture will become truly clear."
The leaker cited "an overabundance of content," which isn't exactly caused for concern, but it does prove Starfield is in relatively good hands, especially if the delay is mainly due to polish. Still, both Redfall and Starfield's postponement puts a damper on Xbox exclusive content for the year. The green-hued box, which as of yet has all but Halo: Infinite as its main console driver, doesn't have much else to offer for the remainder of 2022.
Xbox Series X/S players have little else to look forward to, aside from the horror-fueled Scorn, set to debut in October aptly, Warhammer 40K: Darktide in September, and Stalker 2, slated for Dec. 8. Several TBA games also could be on the table to help save the loss of Starfield, like The Outer Worlds 2, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and Fable 4, but it's highly doubtful any of said games will make it to the Xbox before Starfield's new release date.
Bethesda also gave no official word in its post on Starfield's demo, which is slated for a summer debut, so hopefully, that still can be earmarked for highly anticipatory fans.
Read Also: 'Starfield' Will Allow Players To Join The 'Bad Guys' If They Want
