One thing that makesStarfieldexciting is its potential to reimagine a classic aspect of sci-fi. Tons of creators have written stories about humanity exploring outer space, but for Bethesda, it’s a relatively fresh genre. Bethesda has a lot of famous franchises, including sci-fi adventures likeFallout,but it doesn’t usually emphasize space travel in its games. That means that, although Bethesda has plenty of competitors in the genre of intergalactic adventure, it’ll bring another unique perspective to the genre that should makeStarfieldgreat. The concept of exploring space always remains enticing, so there’s no harm in Bethesda throwing its hat in the ring.
In terms of competition forStarfield,there’s plenty of potential rival games in development, fromStar Warsgames to Obsidian Entertainment’sThe Outer Worlds 2.Another game that could be impacted byStarfieldisBeyond Good and Evil 2,the long-awaited sequel to the acclaimed 2003 game. AlthoughBeyond Good and Evil 2famously incorporates plenty of spacefaring themes, it might struggle to compete withStarfieldonce Bethesda releases the game.Beyond Good and Evil2’s slow progressmeansStarfieldhas a huge upper hand, andBeyond Good and Evilmight struggle to keep up with Bethesda’s game.
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Starfield’s Voyage Into Space
Bethesda has managed to keepStarfieldinformation under wraps pretty well, even though fans have known about it for years thanks to its teaser at E3 2018. Now thatStarfieldgot a full trailer at E3 2021, it’s starting to open up about the game. It’s clear that space travel is an important part of the game; the protagonist is a member of a space exploration organization called Constellation. Game director Todd Howard, famed for his work on many of Bethesda’s biggest franchises, has alreadycomparedStarfieldtoThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.That should give fans a sense of the liberty they’ll have in exploring the depths of space, interacting with fellow explorers and uncovering the universe’s mystery at their own pace. The ‘NASA punk’ aesthetic at the heart ofStarfieldseems to suggest that fans will never be far from trusty spacefaring vessels.
Starfield’s emphasis on traveling between planets sounds great. It’s a premise that games likeNo Man’s Skyhave proven can go a long way, so it’s good to see Bethesda take a crack at it. Ubisoft should be on high alert based on what Todd Howard and Bethesda have said aboutStarfieldso far. Ubisoft’sBeyond Good and Evil 2is supposed to largely involve exploring planets too, playing into the first game’s alien conspiracy. If Ubisoft wants to makeBeyond Good and Evil’s space travel count, it needs to stand up toStarfield,which could be a tall order. Influential as Ubisoft may be,Beyond Good and Evil 2’s decade of developmentdoesn’t inspire confidence that it can suddenly step up its game to matchStarfield,even thoughStarfieldisn’t out yet. It also doesn’t help thatStarfieldwill probably beatBeyond Good and Evil 2to the punch.
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Beyond Good and Evil 2 is Running Behind
One of the most important parts of the newStarfieldtrailer is the release date reveal. AlthoughBethesda has talked about the game very littlesince teasing it, it already knows when it expects to be done withStarfield.There’s about a year and a half to go before the game releases, but it’s great that Bethesda fans can already mark their calendars and look forward to the release. There’s plenty of time left for Bethesda to expand the game and get it polished for release, so ideally it won’t need a delay between now and November 2022.
TheStarfieldrelease date is emblematic of Bethesda’s sudden good communication about the game. Todd Howard may not have shared a ton of specifics when discussingStarfield,but between his willingness to chat about it and the release date announcement, fans should be optimistic thatStarfieldreveals will get scattered throughout next year, slowly revealing specifics. Bethesda is confident inStarfieldand ready to talk openly about it, but the same can’t be said for Ubisoft andBeyond Good and Evil 2.
The clearest thing that Ubisoft has said aboutBeyond Good and Evil 2recently is that the game is still in development. Fans might appreciate the reassurance, but without any further details about how development is going, it’s hard to believe anything aboutBeyond Good and Evil 2.In spite of all of its years of development,Ubisoft isn’t ready to discuss a release window, even one as far away as 2023 or 2024. At this point, it’s hard to say ifBeyond Good and Evil 2’s gameplay is still anything like how it was originally described. Ubisoft’s opaqueness regardingBeyond Good and Evil 2doesn’t inspire much hope that it’ll ever get finished.
Everything’s Coming Up Starfield
At this point,Starfieldseems like it summarily beats outBeyond Good and Evil 2in many fundamental ways. Bethesda seems ready to start revealing the world ofStarfieldand its exciting space travel opportunities, while Ubisoft continues to keepBeyond Good and Evil 2behind closed doors. Between these two spacefaring adventures,Starfieldis more poised to succeed than its rival. Odds are fans of this genre will be flocking toStarfieldwhile Ubisoft is still trying togetBeyond Good and Evil 2outof development. The latter game will struggle even more with a major competitor on the market.
If Ubisoft says it’s still working onBeyond Good and Evil 2,then maybe there’s hope. At the same time, it wouldn’t be surprising it Ubisoft gives up the ghost ifStarfieldis a big hit. Ubisoft has plenty of other games that might be worth prioritizing instead of one meant to compete with Bethesda’s next big IP.Starfield’s trailer and Bethesda’s confidencesurrounding the game suggest there’s great things on the way. It’d be a shame ifBeyond Good and Evil 2finally got shut down, but ifStarfieldprospers at least sci-fi fans got a good trade out of it.
Starfieldreleases on June 14, 2025 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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