Xbox Head Phil Spencer Responds to Starfield Delay

Xbox head Phil Spencer has released a new message today in response to Bethesda announcing the delay of Starfield. Originally planned to launch on November 11th, Bethesda revealed this morning that it would be pushing back the long-awaited RPG to an undetermined date in early 2023. In addition, Arkane’s new project, Redfall, would also be shifted to this same window. The move is one that led to many Xbox fans feeling greatly upset, which prompted Spencer to respond to the move.

In a message posted on Twitter, Spencer acknowledged that it wasn’t an easy decision to push both Starfield and Redfall to 2023. While he said that he felt it was the right move for the development teams involved, Spencer made clear that this move puts Xbox somewhat on the hot seat. As such, the company will look to better meet the expectations that fans have in the future. 

“These decisions are hard on teams making the games and our fans. While I fully support giving teams time to release these great games when they are ready, we hear the feedback,” Spencer stated. “Delivering quality and consistency is expected, we will continue to work to better meet those expectations.”

Likely the biggest thing that Spencer addressed in his statement is that “consistency” has been a problem with Xbox. While the publisher has released some fantastic games in recent years (Forza Horizon 5, Psychonauts 2, etc.) it hasn’t done so at a steady rate. Despite having so many exclusives in the pipeline, too, 2022 is starting to look pretty thing for Xbox with it comes to first-party titles. Although the company could always have some surprises up its sleeve, it’s clear that Xbox needs to begin releasing highly-anticipated projects in a more timely fashion. 

How do you feel about the upcoming slate of first-party releases that Xbox has in 2022 without Starfield and Redfall? And what do you think of this statement from the head honcho at Xbox? Let me know either down in the comments or hit me up over on Twitter at @MooreMan12.