Over the past decade, video games have been getting larger in scope and requiring more time to complete which often prompt delays, with Starfield and Redfall serving as the latest casualties in being pushed from their original release windows. Starfield's release date was set for this November and was announced nearly a year ago, so it came as a shock to see that Bethesda's next big adventure fell victim to being delayed, especially when Bethesda has a solid track record of not pushing its games back. On the opposite side, Redfall's delay seemed likely as it was never set for an official date and was only announced for a summer 2022 release window, and with summer quickly approaching with no new gameplay trailers, betas, or dev diaries, a delay seemed inevitable.
While Bethesda has a good record of not delaying its games in the past, with Starfield's 2023 delay being its first major pushback in over a decade, it is notorious for shipping its games in buggy states, usually opting to have extensive post-launch bug patches to get its titles in better shape. Delays can occur for a multitude of reasons, though in this case given Bethesda's record, it seems likely that wanting to ship the game in good condition, especially after the disastrous launch of Fallout 76, is a high priority for the studio. However, in regards to Arkane studios and the release of Redfall, this delay could be the result of its previous title, Deathloop, also being pushed back from its original date, which could have shifted the launch window for Redfall.
When looking at video game delays within the industry, they seem to have been occurring more frequently than in prior years, with Bethesda's delay of Starfield and Redfall only being the most recent. Many of these industry delays can be attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, which shifted companies to start working from home and changed how businesses are run. While many studios have been back in the office for months now, some are still recovering and shifting gears back to the way it was, prompting more delays. Xbox typically has a huge slate of games that release every year, but with the delay of Starfield and Redfall, its catalog of major releases just shrunk significantly for the remainder of 2022.
What New Release Dates For Starfield & Redfall Could Mean
When video game studios announce a delay, the most common approach has been a written statement on the studio's social media stating the delay and the new projected release window. Bethesda and Xbox approached this no differently, already having experience from recently shutting down the Bethesda launcher, posting a statement last Thursday announcing that Starfield and Redfall would both be moved into 2023. What is different in this case is that both games were delayed at the same time, which is unusual and rare, though with a studio as large as Bethesda and Xbox, it makes more sense to approach it in this way. Announcing both delays simultaneously most likely attracted less disappointment from anticipated players because it was stated in one message instead of two, getting the news out of the way and allowing people to take it all in at once instead of being let down twice.
Video game delays have become a common occurrence in the past couple of years, which might be representative of a larger issue in the industry with announcing release dates that cannot be met. Another issue is games like Starfield lacking consistent marketing and gameplay trailers that make it less likely to be seen and circulated. Many video game companies have chosen to embrace delays rather than follow post-launch bug patch plans, something which Cyberpunk 2077 desperately struggled with, costing a huge amount of sales and a significant drop in players. Regardless, Starfield and Redfall now both have new release dates for some time in 2023, which hopefully will allow for more time to get them into a launch-ready state for players to enjoy for years to come.
