Update: Starfield is drawing inspiration from NASA — and that's super-exciting.
Starfield is shrouded in mystery as well as an abundance of rumors, since nothing about the upcoming game has been officially confirmed yet. Nonetheless, recent leaks suggest that Microsoft may announce a release date some time later this year.
One of the leaks in question revealed what looks like a concept art of Bethesda's upcoming sci-fi game and has a lot of fans debating over the design including spaceships, smartwatches, and more. There was also speculation surrounding the alleged ad purchase for the game listed for 2021, which also hints at a sooner release date.
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The leaked concept art was initially spotted on the Starfield Reddit page, though the post was deleted quickly afterwards. However, at that point users had already taken it to Twitter to share the images, which were then circulated all across the Internet.
The photographs show what appear to be sketches of multiple assets that are expected to be featured in the upcoming game, including designs of a watch, a spaceship and some sort of solar system. However, it is unclear whether this design leaked from a reliable insider source or if it was simply a mockup. Fans are already coming up with theories as to what the designs could mean for the game.
(Leaked) Starfield concept image leak reportly shared through Bethesda CDN according to a deleted reddit post 👀Source:https://t.co/8FM9rQao0O pic.twitter.com/opMQFNZdidMay 8, 2021
Microsoft buying ad time for Starfield
Prior to that, a rumor surrounding alleged ad purchases came afloat, after they were first mentioned by Sikamikanico, Spheshal Ed and Colt Eastwood during the Xbox Era podcast. Speshal Ed claimed that Microsoft has reportedly purchased ad time for Starfield to be circulated in 2021, speculating that the game's release might be some time soon.
This isn't the first time we've heard about a 2021 release date. We've seen reports that Bethesda has reportedly filed a new copyright reservation for Starfield, which appears to be dated for 2021.
Other than a short teaser for the game, Bethesda hasn't shared or confirmed anything since the initial announcement. However, there are plenty of other rumors surrounding the big release that are hard to ignore. But then again, the studio is known for not giving a lot of the details away prior to the official launch.
Starfield: An Xbox exclusive?
We've previously spotted rumors around Starfield being an Xbox exclusive and about it being included in the highly-praised Xbox Game Pass. Not so long ago, another podcast host Rand Al Thor shared the following:
"I've been told, by very reliable people, that Starfield [is] 100% an Xbox exclusive," the tipster said. "I'm really, really confident that Starfield is only releasing on Xbox when it does and I've been told as well that Microsoft is trying their hardest to get the game out for this holiday."
This doesn't come as a big surprise since Bethesda was recently acquired by Microsoft following the purchase of ZeniMax Media.
The leaker also speculated that the studio is apparently wrapping up the game already: "The game's basically finished. It's in, like, bug-squashing mode right now, QA stuff very much like Halo Infinite. It would be a big boon for Game Pass and Xbox if they could both launch Halo and Starfield this fall."
