Starfield promises to be one of the biggest Xbox releases in recent memory. The project is being created by the Bethesda team, which recently became part of Microsoft, and the development of Starfield began long before Zenimax Media joined Xbox.
Bethesda executive Todd Howard, who is the main inspiration behind Starfield, wrote an internal letter to Xbox and Bethesda employees, which was published today by Windows Central. Below is the letter in its entirety.
From Todd Howard, Director of Starfield:
I knocked on Robert Altman’s door [один из основателей ZeniMax Media, умер в 2021 году]. – Do you have a few minutes?
“Certainly.”
It was early 2013, we were developing Fallout 4, and Skyrim was still a huge success. I came there to offer him the creation of our next game. This won’t be a continuation of our current games (he looked worried), but an epic space RPG and our first new IP in over 25 years (looks interesting). It will be about an in-depth study of your place in the Universe (slight grin). You’ll explore the galaxy in a way that’s only possible in video games. And it will be called Starfield (Smile).
“Sounds fantastic.”
Robert was the first to believe in us, no matter the situation. Our path to creating Starfield was long and winding, along the way we created other games (Fallout 4, Skyrim SE, Fallout Shelter, Skyrim VR, Fallout 76, Skyrim again…). The main development of the project took place from 2020 to 2023, and this was accompanied by huge changes in our lives. Global pandemic, Robert’s death and merger with Xbox.
It’s incredible to be at the moment when Starfield finally releases this week. The game only exists because everyone else believed in it too. We’ve had the support of everyone at ZeniMax for decades, and they’ve all done their best work. Special thanks to our teams who strived to create not just another release, but something that would capture the minds and inspire gamers around the world. And to our QA partners, who were faced with the difficult task of testing a game in which anything can (and will) happen. And thank you to Jamie Leder and our admin and HR teams who supported everyone through some of the most challenging years that each of us has faced.
And, of course, Phil Spencer. His support for every game and every player was unwavering and fierce. Joining Xbox brought us closer to many of the people we’ve worked with for over 20 years. I can’t think of a better place to make games, where the diversity of studios, creators, and games can thrive so much. This support came from the entire Xbox leadership team and across the publishing and development support teams. Special thanks to the wizards at ATG [Xbox Advanced Technology Group]whose spells helped make this our highest quality game yet.
The most important thing is the team I work with at Bethesda Game Studios. It is an incredible blessing to be surrounded by so many talented and inspiring people every day. Moments like this make you think. Some of us have been together for decades, some of us joined more recently, but we all have the same passion. I’m very proud of their continued commitment to creating something truly special.
Finally, a huge thank you to all of you in the Xbox and Bethesda family. Your enthusiasm and support meant a lot to us. Making this game was one of the most challenging and exciting experiences of our careers—a journey we will never forget. And as we come to the end of this chapter, we turn it over to you. You each get the game in early access and can start playing this Friday, September 1st, but since it’s the same time in the world, you can play on Thursday night (thanks, New Zealand!).
We hope you have the opportunity to play and that your journey is as rewarding as ours.
All the best, Todd
Let us remind you that Starfield will be released on September 6, and for owners of the premium version of the project, the game is scheduled for September 1.
