Starfield for PS5: Everything you need to know

At E3 2018, Bethesda Game Studios finally unveiled the long-rumored Starfield, the company's first new IP in 25 years. This game is still shrouded in mystery and rumor but the concept of a Bethesda Game Studios title focused on space exploration and combat is thrilling and could promise to be one of the best PS5 games around.

There's no release window and the news that Microsoft is acquiring ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda Softworks, has thrown things into a bit of confusion. Right now, we're not sure if Starfield will even release on the PS5, though it certainly seems possible, given how long the game has been in development.

What is Starfield?

Starfield is a science-fiction role-playing game. The game will feature space exploration and space travel in some capacity and is Bethesda Game Studios' next mainline title. Beyond that, we don't know anything about it right now.

Is Starfield a single-player game?

Yes. Pete Hines, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Bethesda, has confirmed that the next game after Fallout 76 (which is Starfield) will be a traditional single-player RPG.

"It is a new IP, it's a single-player role-playing game that folks understand," he told The Telegraph.

Is Starfield coming to PS5?

We simply don't know. Microsoft is acquiring ZeniMax Media, meaning that Bethesda Softworks will join Xbox Game Studios as Xbox first-party. In the past, Microsoft has allowed companies it acquires to finish out any currently announced multiplatform projects before pivoting to developing Xbox and PC exclusive titles. With that said, Starfield has not yet been confirmed to release on the PS5. Hopefully, we'll get more information on this soon.

Is Starfield a next-gen game?

Yes. In interviews, Todd Howard, director and executive producer at Bethesda Game Studios, has said that Starfield was being developed with next-generation technology in mind with improvements that kind of new hardware can handle. Howard went on to later confirm that Starfield features the biggest map Bethesda has ever designed, with a completely new animation system.

When is the release date for Starfield?

There's simply no way to know when Starfield is going to release. In the past, Bethesda has oftentimes only started talking about a game in-depth a few months before release. It's still possible that Starfield releases later in 2021, though the global pandemic and its effects on game development also have to be considered.