It finally looks worse than last year: the Xbox Series X and S-Series could be deprived of any Microsoft Studios exclusivity this year. Bethesda has just confirmed on its Twitter account that the highly anticipated red fall and Starfield were now pushed back to the first half of 2023. The press release explains that “The teams at Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Bethesda Games (Starfield) have incredible ambitions for their games and want to ensure that you receive the most complete and perfect versions of them.” Starfield was originally slated for release on November 11 this year.
An update on Redfall and Starfield. pic.twitter.com/pqDtx26Uu6
— Bethesda (@bethesda) May 12, 2022
Even if this delay is justified (and remains preferable to a rushed title like Cyberpunk 2077), the pill is more than hard to swallow for owners of an Xbox Series, who can legitimately wonder if their console will host many AAA exclusives. this year (STALKER II has already been pushed back to the end of the year and we can fear the worst).
Last year, Microsoft Studios delivered a great armada of big titles, from Psychonauts 2 to Forza Horizon 5 via Halo Infinite or even Microsoft Flight Simulator. In 2022… nothing?
However, with more than twenty studios in its pocket, it is clear that the Microsoft Gaming division is still struggling so much to deliver headlines on a regular basis, a concern that could end up weighing heavily in the balance while opposite PlayStation studios align the big AAAs with a much more sustained frequency.
