HomeNewsStarfield
Todd Howard hails Starfield as “our best performing game” and Starfield redditors as “gaming’s smartest fans"It’s been a “long and winding” journey since 2013
It’s been a “long and winding” journey since 2013
Image credit:Bethesda Game Studios
Image credit:Bethesda Game Studios
Today isStarfield early access release day, providing youbought the pricier editions, and senior Bethesda boffins are feeling appropriately festive, and probably also totally exhausted. Bethesda Game Studios director and executive producer Todd Howard has sent an email to staff thanking them for their efforts and ruminating a bit onStarfield’s “long and winding” development, which began with Howard chatting to ZeniMax Media’s now-passed co-founder Robert Altman in the wake ofSkyrim’s enormous success.
I knocked on Robert Altman’s door. “Got a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
It was early 2013, we were developing Fallout 4, and Skyrim was still enjoying enormous success. I was there to pitch him on our next game. It would not be a sequel to our current games, (he looked concerned), but a grand space RPG and our first new IP in over 25 years (looks curious). It would delve into creation and the search for our place in the universe (slight twinkle). You would explore the galaxy in ways only video games can do. And it would be called - Starfield. (Smile)
“Sounds fantastic.”
Robert would be the very first to believe in us, no matter the situation. Our path to creating Starfield would be a long and winding one where we made other games along the way (Fallout 4, Skyrim SE, Fallout Shelter, Skyrim VR, Fallout 76, Skyrim again…). The core development from 2020 to 2023 saw enormous changes in our lives. A global pandemic, Robert’s passing, and becoming part of Xbox.
And of course, there is Phil Spencer. His support of every game and every player has been unwavering and fierce. Joining Xbox brought us closer to so many we had worked with for over 20 years. I cannot imagine a better place to create games, where the diversity of studios, creators, and games are allowed to flourish. This support came from the entire Xbox leadership team and all areas of publishing and dev support. Special thanks to the magicians at ATG whose spells and incantations helped make this our best performing game.
Lastly, a huge thanks to all of you within the Xbox and Bethesda family. Your enthusiasm and encouragement have meant the world to us. Creating this game has been one of the most challenging and thrilling experiences of our careers - a journey we’ll never forget. And as we come to the end of this chapter, we pass it along to you. Each of you is receiving the game with Early Access, and can begin playing this Friday Sep 1st, but since it’s one global time you can actually play Thursday evening (Thanks New Zealand!).
We hope you get a chance to play, and that your journey is as rewarding as ours.
All our best,
Todd
Howard has also beenthanking members of the Starfield subreddit, whom he described as “gaming’s smartest fans”. I welcome debate on this subject - I feel like Zachtronics aficionadoes will always have the edge, though I do wish they’d stop sending me late-night DMs about it.
