Xbox and Bethesda to attend Gamescom 2023, days before Starfield releases into early access

The player-character in Starfield looks upon a snowy mountain, with a distant planet and its rings visible in the sky
(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Xbox and Bethesda are returning to Gamescom this year, just days before Starfield releases in early access.

That comes from the organizer of the German event itself, who announced on Twitter that Xbox and Bethesda would be joining them on the show floor. 

That's your lot for now regarding details, though the pair has several big games coming out around Gamescom in late August. The big one is, to the great surprise of none, Starfield. Bethesda's long-awaited space RPG launches just two weeks after the show itself, with Starfield Early Access playable on September 1. 

Elsewhere, you've got Forza Motorsport, which releases on October 10 for Xbox Series X/S and PC. Here's hoping we get another peep at both to tide us over until then.

We last saw Starfield during a dedicated showcase in June, so not long ago. Alongside a slew of gameplay features and the confirmation of an expansion, we got the return of the Adoring Fan, which some are more fond of than others, to put it mildly. Overall, everyone loved what they saw, sending hype further into overdrive as we near the release date.

We didn't have long to wait for Starfield details of a different sort. Several Starfield details came to light as part of Microsoft's legal rumblings with the FTC over a deal to buy Activision Blizzard. Phil Spencer feared PlayStation might buy Bethesda to get Starfield exclusivity, so Xbox bought the fabled developer instead. Also, yes, the differing rules regarding exclusivity for Call of Duty and Starfield haven't gone unnoticed.

Gamescom kicks off on August 23 before wrapping up four days later.

Dragon Age's lead writer, David Gaider, has defended Starfield's lack of romance options.

Deputy News Editor

Iain joins the GamesRadar team as Deputy News Editor following stints at PCGamesN and PocketGamer.Biz, with some freelance for Kotaku UK, RockPaperShotgun, and VG24/7 thrown in for good measure. When not helping Ali run the news team, he can be found digging into communities for stories – the sillier the better. When he isn’t pillaging the depths of Final Fantasy 14 for a swanky new hat, you’ll find him amassing an army of Pokemon plushies.