When did Starfield’s development start?

❘ Published: 2023-09-05T16:00:34

Bethesda

Starfield is one of the biggest games Bethesda have ever made. However, this makes many people wonder, how long was the game in development. Here’s everything you need to know about Starfield’s lengthy development cycle.

Starfield has finally arrived, and the game’s enormous size and exploration opportunities has fans extremely excited about it. However, many have wondered about the game’s development and the dedication of the Bethesda staff in making this title a reality.

As the biggest game Bethesda ever created, Starfield surely involved a combined effort of several years from the entire Bethesda team. So, how long did it take to make Starfield a reality?

How long was Starfield in development?

Starfield had been in development for a long time.

Starfield was in development for 8 years, since 2015, before being released in 2023. Todd Howard, executive producer of Bethesda Game Studios has previously mentioned that the game is “a culmination of 25 years of work.” However, he was likely talking about the team’s entire experience through the years rather than the actual development.

As mentioned earlier, with the sheer size of Starfield’s world in account, it is evident that the game was in development for years. Although it was not exactly in development for 25 years, it was quite a long ago when its journey began.

The world came to know about Starfield during E3 2018 when it was revealed for the first time ever. However, it was being produced for a fair amount of time even before that. Starfield is Bethesda’s biggest venture to date. Although it was first trademarked on September 13, 2013, the development of the game was started back in November 2015, as confirmed by Todd Howard himself, after the release of Fallout 4.

By 2018, Starfield was in full production and ready to be unveiled to the audience. After its grand unveiling at E3 2018, many expected that the game would be released soon. In E3 2021, the game received a formal release date of November 11, 2022.

Why was Starfield delayed?

Five years ago on this day, Todd announced Starfield to the world.
by in Starfield

However, in May 2022, the developers announced that Starfield’s release would be postponed to September 6, 2023, as there were still some final touches that were left to be made in the game. The devs spent the additional time ironing out bugs.

“We have poured ourselves into this game, and even I’m surprised how much we can pour,” Tom Howard said while announcing the game’s delay back in 2022. However, it was clear that the game was not ready when he said, “There’s so much we still have to show you.” Finally, the wait is over.

From 2015 to 2023, Starfield had been in development for a long time. After 8 years of relentless hard work and dedication, the game is finally released worldwide for the fans to enjoy.