Bethesda's Starfield takes shape and Star Wars fans should pay attention

Following years of build-up and mere acknowledgment, yesterday we finally saw the first media associated with Bethesda's upcoming game Starfield. While we only got to glimpse a teaser trailer for the game, it did tell us when Starfield will release. Now, in a new interview, Bethesda is shedding a little more light on what Starfield will be when it arrives next year.

Sitting down for an interview with The Washington Post, Bethesda director Todd Howard described Starfield as "Skyrim in space." That might be something of a trope at this point – modern Fallout games have often been described as "The Elder Scrolls with guns" at various points in the past – but it's a concise, effective synopsis for Starfield nonetheless.

If you need a little more, then perhaps the description from Bethesda managing director Ashley Cheng will fit the bill. "For me, Starfield is the Han Solo simulator," Cheng told The Washington Post. "Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff." While the comparison to Star Wars is certain to get some ears to perk up, Howard and Cheng are purposefully vague here, probably because Starfield won't be here until November 2022.

In a new video published by Bethesda today, Todd Howard describes the game in a little more detail: "Starfield is our first new universe in over 25 years. It's a game we've dreamt of playing, and it's only now that we have the hardware, the technology, and the experience to push our creative boundaries even further. In it, we invite you to join Constellation – the last group of space explorers. It's a next-generation role-playing game where you'll be who you want, go where you want, experience our stories, and forge your own," Howard narrates.

The Washington Post interview reveals a few more details as well, with Howard saying that the game is set around 300 years in the future and noting that Starfield's lead artist, Istvan Pely, has described its art style as "NASA punk." We're also told that Bethesda has its own internal Wiki to keep track of all things Starfield, so if you're looking for a game with a lot of lore, it sounds like Starfield will have it. We'll let you know when more about Starfield is revealed on the way to its November 11th, 2022 release date, so stay tuned for more.