Bethesda Makes Big Promise About Starfield’s Release

Bethesda Game Studios — the makers of the The Elder Scrolls and Fallout — have a track record of shipping very buggy games. There’s a multitude of reasons why their games tend to be buggy including their ambition and the engine they use. As a result, many are expecting Starfield to be weighed down by bugs when it releases, and this may still happen, but Xbox is suggesting this won’t be a problem. According to head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, the game already, months out, has far fewer bugs than any previous Bethesda game shipped under its umbrella. 

“We have an awful lot of people internally playing Starfield, working with Todd and the team. I see bug counts, and just by the numbers if it shipped today, Starfield would already have the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game ever shipped. Which is nice, but again, the day-one experience will always differ,” said Booty. “The team has matured. They’ve got Fallouts and Skyrims and Elder Scrolls under their belt. When the acquisition closed, this game had a significantly earlier ship date, earlier than the date we had first set for Starfield. We sat down with Todd and the team and explained we wanted to give them the time. 

Xbox boss Phil Spencer echoed these claims while speaking about the game: “I think Matt said we have every QA person in our entire company playing Starfield right now,” said Spencer. “Looking at bug counts, looking at the quality of where we are. The nice thing about what we showed today, from my perspective, is that was the game. We’ve been playing the game for quite a while, and that’s the game.”

Of course, only time will tell Booty and Spencer are overselling the state of the game, but it sounds like Starfield could be the smoothest launch yet for Bethesda Game Studios. And this would be a very big deal, as I think more are expecting the game to have quite a few bugs at launch given its nature and the track record of the team behind it. To buck this expectation, and deliver on the content, which looks very promising, could spell a Game of the Year-type reception for the new RPG.

Starfield is set to release worldwide on September 6, 2023 via PC, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. Below, you can read more about the upcoming space-faring RPG and find more coverage for it here.

“In the year 2330, humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. You will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of space in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game. In Starfield the most important story is the one you tell with your character. Start your journey by customizing your appearance and deciding your Background and Traits. Will you be an experienced explorer, a charming diplomat, a stealthy cyber runner, or something else entirely? The choice is yours. Decide who you will be and what you will become.”

H/T, Giant Bomb via VGC.