Starfield is one of the most hyped games of the year, which is only natural when it comes to Bethesda's open-world sandbox releases. The developer's expansive and immersive worlds consume gaming communities for months on end. However, the marketing behind this upcoming sci-fi title has delayed much of that gratification.
Fans finally have a release date to look forward to for Starfield, but it came with a couple of caveats. While many are happy to know when the game comes out this September, the strategy used to market Starfield hasn't been conducive to building much hype thus far, which hopefully Bethesda learns from when it starts preparing for future releases such as The Elder Scrolls 6.
The History of Bethesda's Release Dates Present Caution for The Elder Scrolls 6
In the past, Bethesda has been sure to use the same relative time frame for its most popular titles. Fallout 4 released on November 10, 2015, and The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim on November 11, 2011. Starfield was originally meant to follow suit, having a release date set for November 11, 2022, perhaps to stick by a tradition that usually lead to the success of major releases. However, Starfield's newly announced release date is September 6, coming on a Wednesday. This may cause Bethesda problems for a variety of reasons.
For starters, Starfield's release date is close to Marvel's Spider-Man 2, which establishes serious competition that could result in possible losses for Starfield. Historically, video game releases also tend to perform best on Tuesdays. Not only is it a strategically sound weekday to release on in terms of marketing, but it gives the developer enough time to fix any major bugs before a weekend surge of players. This makes it all the more strange that Bethesda, a studio infamous for its buggy releases, would choose to hit shelves on Wednesday instead.
The multiple delays on Starfield can also hurt hype, but builds up another issue in terms of mounting expectations. Usually, delays mean that a game might require some fine-tuning in order to be considered ready for the public. Starfield's nearly year-long delay means many fans will expect a more polished product, and therefore be less forgiving if it comes out buggy. While it remains to be seen how that will play out at launch, The Elder Scrolls 6 shouldn't follow suit. Starfield is already shaping up to be one of if not the biggest release of the year, and the return of The Elder Scrolls franchise will likely be even bigger.
Starfield also puts the integrity of Bethesda in jeopardy. In last year's Xbox & Bethesda showcase, every title was said to have a release date honed in within 12 months of the event. Starfield's initial delay was still set to land in the first half of 2023, but that is no longer true today. Starfield's release date announcement video has an air of confidence that is comforting to see, but Bethesda should steer clear of a Cyberpunk 2077-esque series of delays that may result in a less-than stellar game brought down further by pre-release hype. Considering the popularity of its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls 6 will likely have one of the largest releases of the decade, so if Bethesda pulls the same tricks it has with Starfield so far, it may hurt the game's reception and sales.
Considering Bethesda's track record of successful single-player releases, Starfield likely has a bright future all the same. Despite its delays, many fans are still eager to explore Starfield's vast number of planets. But hopefully Bethesda will revise its strategy and have a smoother release schedule for The Elder Scrolls 6.
Starfield launches September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.