Starfield Direct and Xbox Games Showcase dates confirmed for later this summer

03 May 2023 , 14:06
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The Starfield Direct will give a close look on the game prior to its September release. (Image: Bethesda)
The Starfield Direct will give a close look on the game prior to its September release. (Image: Bethesda)

Microsoft has announced when players on Xbox can expect to learn more about Bethesda’s big Sci-Fi epic, Starfield, during this year’s summer games season.

In the wake of Redfall and its almost disastrous launch earlier this week, Xbox players are in need of some good news. Starfield is currently planned as the next big first-party exclusive for the platform with a release date of September 9, 2023, and now we finally know when we will get our next big deep-dive into the game.

As confirmed by a blog posted today over on the Xbox Wire, the previously announced Starfield Direct event will stream on June 11, 2023. The blog also confirmed that, similar to last year, Microsoft will again hold its own Xbox Games Showcase. Both events are set to happen on the exact same date, where one will follow immediately after the other.

Here’s the exact time when you can tune into the Xbox Games Showcase + Starfield Direct stream, broken down by time zone:

  • PT: June 11, 10am
  • ET: June 11, 1pm
  • BST: June 11, 6pm
  • AEST: June 12, 5am

It's also been confirmed that just like last year, the Xbox Games Showcase will be followed by another stream known as Xbox Games Showcase Extended, in which the studios and developers of the games shown will offer interviews and deeper thoughts on the games players would have just seen. While the Starfield Direct is somewhat of a known quantity in that it’s a guarantee we’ll get our closest look yet at Bethesda’s RPG, all eyes will be on the Xbox Games Showcase for a bevvy of exciting new AAA updates and announcements.

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Look to the stars

As someone who’s expectations for Starfield are a little bit tempered due to the release state of previous Bethesda RPGs like Fallout 76 and Fallout 4, which launched in a buggy mess, I’m eager to see what condition and state the ambitious space opera will be in. While it’s unlikely that Bethesda’s Todd Howard will highlight the game’s scrappier parts, a lot is riding on Starfield following the ill reception of Redfall, particularly the Xbox Series X|S version where it’s locked to just 30fps.

Surely Starfield, as Xbox’s next big AAA console exclusive, won’t be subject to the same framerate as Redfall? The game is unbelievably ambitious, with thousands of planets available to explore so say, so I have to imagine that some concessions will have been made. At least Redfall will have taken the brunt of player frustration. If framerate will be an issue for Starfield, the job for this dedicated Direct is to dish the details on the game’s more positive aspects to distract from it.

I’m far more excited by the prospect of getting new games announced during the Xbox Games Showcase, which will hopefully see the unveiling of the next Gears of War entry. Not only that… I want to see what Xbox’s collection of first-party studios have been working on all this time. The Initiative, Obsidian, Compulsion Games and others have all stayed silent for far too long, so hopefully we’ll have a better idea of what to expect from the Xbox Series X|S in 2024 following the stream.

Aaron Potter

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