Had Starfield and Redfall not been delayed to next year – and provided they don't turn out to be garbage – 2022 would have probably been one of the greatest years in the video game industry. Microsoft's space Skyrim and vampire hunting simulator would have been competing with the likes of Elden Ring and God of War Ragnarok to top everybody's GOTY list. However, they did get delayed to next year, but no specific date has been announced.
While we may not know the exact dates, we now know for sure that Starfield will only launch after Redfall. The news came directly from the head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, on the Friends Per Second podcast. He mentioned that Microsoft will be 'looking down the calendar' to Starfield after Redfall launches (thanks, PCGN).
Booty also went on to speak about Todd Howard, and what he expects from Starfield. “Having had the chance over the last year and a half or so to spend more time with Todd Howard and see how he works and see what he brings to game design, I’m confident that he’s not gonna sit still on what was built before.”
“It’s not [Howard’s] approach to come in and reskin something right? So there’s going to be an awful lot of things that move forward with this game, just from my view […] the thing that excites me first is the visual style.”
At the time of the delay, a statement by Microsoft said, "We've made the decision to delay the launches of Redfall and Starfield to the first half of 2023. The teams at Arkane Austin (Redfall) and Bethesda Game Studios (Starfield) have incredible ambitions for their games, and we want to ensure that you receive the best, most polished versions of them.
We want to thank everyone for their excitement for Redfall and Starfield. That energy is a huge part of what inspires all of us every day and drives our own excitement for what we are creating. We can't wait to share our first deep dive into the gameplay for both Redfall and Starfield soon. Thank you for your support."