Starfield Was in Development for 8 Years, New Game Plus Confirmed

It’s no secret that Starfield is a big game – see Bethesda senior VP Pete Hines’ testimony here – or that development has proceeded for a long time. However, in a new interview with GQ, director Todd Howard finally revealed that the space-faring RPG was in the works for eight years. For reference, Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption 2 also took as long to develop.

Regarding the amount of time it had, Howard said, “I thought we would find the answers faster. When you’re making a lot of content, and you can’t see the work on the screen, it’s really hard.” In the same interview, the publication confirmed New Game Plus for Starfield, but there are no details yet on what carries over.

Instead, the interview described it as a “unique and exciting twist” that will “incentivize continued and repeat play.” If you track the planets discovered and creatures surveyed, among other things, that would certainly be a start.

Starfield launches on September 6th for Xbox Series X/S and PC, though Premium Edition owners can start playing on September 1st. Even if you complete the base game, there will be lots of DLC of “varying sizes”, including the Shattered Space expansion. In the meantime, stay tuned for more updates and check out our feature for new details.