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Blockbuster Starfield trailer shows off ship combat, 1,000 explorable planets

During the Xbox and Bethesda showcase, Bethesda dropped a new gameplay trailer for Starfield.

Introduced by Todd Howard, Starfield’s player character lands on the mysterious moon named Kreet during the year 2330. The gameplay looks to be a mix of both third-person and first-perspective. The former is used when exploring or jetpacking across large vistas similar to that of No Man’s Sky while the latter is used during the shooting sections, or speaking with NPCs.

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Starfield: Official Gameplay Reveal

The Constellations are introduced as well — the last group of space explorers. The group’s headquarters are in the capital city of New Atlantis on the planet Jemison.

There’s robust character creation with players being able to customize almost every aspect of themselves. Additionally, players can choose a background that will provide them with three specific starting skills. The Diplomat, for example, gets Persuasion, Diplomacy, and Bargaining.

Players can also choose optional traits that come with unique advantages and disadvantages. One example is called “Raised Universal” where the player can get a big discount at the church store but will lose access to another storefront called the Enlightened store.

Outposts can be created for resource generation, and players can hire people they meet throughout the game to keep them running. Players can also create outposts for resource generation.

Spaceships can be built for combat. Battles appear to be in both third person and first person, where players can lock on to other enemy ships and shoot them down.

Over 100 systems. Over 1000 planets. All open for you to explore. pic.twitter.com/MZRXQGS1BI

— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) June 12, 2022

Lastly, Bethesda states that over 100 solar systems and 1,000 planets can be explored in Starfield. They range from inhabitable ones with heavy resources to goldilocks planets filled with life.

Starfield launches on PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.

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Xbox’s 2022 lineup feels as desolate as it did in 2017
xbox 2022 exclusives as dusk falls screen feature

The Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12 was Xbox's chance to prove to the gaming world that it had an incredible lineup of titles coming. And it does, just not anytime soon.

Redfall was previously slated to release this summer, with Starfield following on November 11. This would have given Xbox a much-needed slate of exclusive games in 2022, however, they were both delayed to 2023. Now that Microsoft’s showcase is over, Xbox’s first-party portfolio in 2022 feels like it could be a repeat of the company's showing in 2017: Barren compared to its competitors.
What is Xbox offering in 2022?
At the showcase, Xbox did announce As Dusk Falls' July 19 release date, confirmed that the 1.0 launch for Grounded is coming in September, and revealed Pentiment. Grounded and Pentiment both come from Obsidian Entertainment, so I’m looking forward to checking both of those games out when they release. Still, they aren’t the types of games that excite the mainstream masses hungry for blockbuster titles like Halo Infinite, God of War, or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

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Microsoft is building toward a spectacular 2023 for Xbox
A car rendered in beautiful detail in Forza Motorsport for Xbox Series X.

It's looking like 2023 could be an outstanding year for Xbox, even if that comes at the cost of 2022's lineup. During the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase on June 12, Microsoft only showed games it expects to launch within the next 12 months. Many of these games were from Xbox Game Studios, and with the exceptions of As Dusk Falls and Pentiment, they all are set to release in the first half of 2023. Many other Xbox Game Studios titles are confirmed and assumed to be slated for 2023, too.
Next year looks like it may be when Xbox's bold acquisitions and Xbox Game Pass-driven strategy finally starts to pay off massively. Microsoft just needs to follow through on its promises with consistency first. 
The games
The first six months of 2023 are shaping up to be fantastic for Xbox players. During the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Microsoft reiterated that Redfall and Starfield are still coming in the first half of next year. It then confirmed that Forza Motorsport will launch in spring 2023 and announced first-party strategy games Minecraft Legends and Ara: History Untold for the first half of 2023. Things aren't looking too shabby on the Xbox Game Pass front either, as games like Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Flintlock, Ark 2, Ereban: Shadow Legacy, Ravenlok, The Last Case of Benedict Fox, Cocoon, Persona 3 and 4, and more are all launching on the service on day one throughout the first half of 2023 from third-party partners. The Activision Blizzard acquisition may also be completed, so its games will also start coming to Xbox Game Pass.

While Microsoft was extremely quiet throughout the first half of 2022, that certainly won't be the case next year. We have a very clear picture of what early 2023 will look like for Xbox, and it's one of the most promising starts for its platforms ever. Microsoft also has the potential to continue that momentum throughout the rest of the year, with Avalanche Studios' Contraband already having a 2023 release date. We'd also love to see games like Hellblade II: Senua's Sacrifice and Perfect Dark make the cut for 2023 releases. If all of this pans out as expected, 2023 might be a standout year for Xbox as we finally start to see the fruits of its acquisitions, renewed Xbox Game Studios publishing, and lots of high-profile day one Xbox Game Pass games.
Unfortunately, it's hard to already give Microsoft too much credit for its 2023 Xbox lineup just yet because of one big problem Xbox Game Studios has faced: consistency. 
The exceptions
Despite the excitement about how awesome 2023 may be for Xbox, I also don't have complete faith that Xbox Game Studios will follow through with everything it's promising. Many Xbox Game Studios games have reportedly had development issues, and several games have been pushed back. Delays are why we're in the 2023 release situation with Redfall and Starfield in the first place! Of course, outside factors like the COVID-19 pandemic have likely had a negative impact on game development, but it's tough to trust that all of these games will land in their promised release windows when Xbox has repeatedly delayed heavy hitters like Halo Infinite and Starfield.
Games like Avowed and Hellblade II also don't have release windows, so those could easily slip into 2024 and make Xbox's fall 2023 lineup less impressive than we're anticipating. We also don't know if Microsoft can keep up that cadence of releases into 2024 and beyond.

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Hideo Kojima’s next game is coming to Xbox. Here’s what it might be
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During the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase, Hideo Kojima revealed that he has teamed up with Xbox for his next game.

The collaboration announcement was brief and didn't include much information, but Kojima stated that the game would be “completely new," describing it as an experience he has "always wanted to make.” Additionally, it appears that it will make use of Microsoft's cloud technology in some manner, though as with everything else regarding the reveal, we're unsure how that will look.

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