Starfield will soon star in a Bethesda promotional video
Although the belief that Starfield is destined to see the light in 2021 winds in the maze of the web, nothing official has yet been seen of the ambitious space RPG of Bethesda. But something is about to move, at least according to the content creator known as Skullzi.Skullzi is an expert in the Bethesda world and has been following Starfield since he was still an indiscretion. He is appreciated by his followers for the research he carries out in the field of patents (he also did it for the PlayStation 5 before his official reveal) and last year he said he was sure of the veracity of the first, alleged shot of Starfield . Well, having made this necessary premise, let's get to the heart of the matter: according to Skullzi sources, Bethesda is preparing a great promotional video in which Starfield should play a leading role. The launch of the video should not be forthcoming, but expected in a couple of months: Bethesda, we recall, is engaged with Microsoft in the finalization of the acquisition agreement from 7.5 billion dollars, for which it is expected in early March. the green light from the European Commission. This information, Skullzi reiterates in another tweet, comes from sources inside the company: "You can call me an insider, I think, since I have internal sources," he writes in another tweet. He made this clarification after being verbally attacked and threatened with death by some users of the Gaming Leaks and Rumors subreddit.
We are clearly unable to verify his words, therefore we must necessarily invite you to take them with pliers. In any case, we wouldn't be surprised if a Starfiled trailer appeared at any moment, since development has been going on for many years and the time seems to be ripe.
New games of 2021 (and beyond) to get excited about
Season
Platform(s): PS5, PCRelease date: TBC
From sunset skies to the grassy fields, what we've seen of Season so far in the official trailer looks absolutely gorgeous. Following a young woman who leaves a secluded community to explore the world for the first time, you go on a road trip on your bicycle, drawing, photographing, documenting, and recording the life around you. Set to immersive you in a variety of different societies in its 'surreal version of the mid-twentieth century, where thousands of years have passed without any progress,' Season's atmospheric setting and focus on exploration adds to its appeal.
Fable 4
Platform(s): Xbox Series X/SRelease date: TBC
Forza developer Playground Games is making a hard pivot into RPG territory with the next iteration of Xbox's Fable series, which hasn't seen a mainline entry since 2010's Fable 3. Developed exclusively for Xbox Series X and S, Fable 4 will utilise the enhanced power of the next-generation hardware for a more magical escape into the fantasy of Albion. Just… don't expect to be speeding around its medieval towns in a Bugatti 64.
Dragon Age 4
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
The next major project from BioWare after the disastrous Anthem, Dragon Age 4 will continue the story left off by 2014's Dragon Age: Inquisition, positioning former companion Solas as the upcoming RPG's central antagonist. We know little else about the game beyond this, but you can expect plenty of tactical combat, NPC chatter, and - yes - dragon hunting. Hopefully the early months of 2021 will provide more details about when Dragon Age 4 is anticipated to drop.
Mass Effect
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
In addition to Dragon Age 4, BioWare has also confirmed its returning to the final frontier with a new entry in its long-running Mass Effect series. A brief teaser trailer released at the end of 2020 was all that was needed to get us excited, showing the return of a fan favourite character in Liara, who appears older and wiser than the last time we saw her, and is seemingly on the hunt for Commander Shephard's ship, the Normandy. What could it all mean? BioWare's staying quiet for now, but we're already preparing for launch.
Perfect Dark
Platform(s): Xbox Series X/SRelease date: TBC
We've long wondered what Microsoft's newly established first-party The Initiative has been up to for the last few years - turns out the answer was more exciting than any of us could have expected. Resurrecting Rare's cult classic franchise for the next-generation, Perfect Dark could be the next killer exclusive for Microsoft's Xbox family, though we're yet to see anything beyond the intriguing cinematic which debuted in 2020. Here's hoping the studio doesn't remain in the dark for much longer.
Sports StoryPlatform(s): Nintendo SwitchRelease date: TBC
Sidebar is back with another RPG about sports... but that's not all it's about. Just like Golf Story, Sports Story lets you get up to a variety of different shenanigans as well as a healthy dose of sports. You can explore dungeons, go fishing, and much more besides. Instead of just playing golf though, you can play all sorts of different sports such as tennis, hockey, football, and baseball. With lots of fun sporty antics and adventuring to be had, Sports Story looks like another entertaining pixelated delight.
Skull and Bones
Platform(s): PC, Xbox One, PS4Release date: TBC
Sea of Thieves isn't the only open-world pirate game out there - Ubisoft's Skull and Bones is also setting sail, with a much more realistic take on pirate battles on the high seas. Skull and Bones is basically Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag without the Assassins, as it's being developed by much of the same team behind Black Flag, and promises a sweeping solo campaign as you vie for control over the 18th-century waters in the Indian Ocean. But the real focus looks to be player-versus-player ship skirmishes online, where each player controls their very own warship in team-based fleet battles. There will also be supernatural elements amidst all the cannon-fire, like the colossal tentacles of a terrifying kraken lurking in the deep.
Eastward
Platform(s): PC, Nintendo SwitchRelease date: TBC
Wrapped up in a charming pixelated art style, Eastward's post-apocalyptic setting takes inspiration from 90s Japanese animation. In a world that's fallen to ruin, Pixpil Studios 'dual character RPG' sees you play as a digger called John who meets Sam, a mysterious girl John must guide. Together they navigate their way through decaying cities filled with danger on an 'emotional journey.' Along the way, you'll solve puzzles and encounter all manner of strange creatures and people who still remain in this dying world. The retro pixelated art style is very appealing, and with a lot of mystery surrounding the story and the setting of Eastward, it should make for an interesting release this year.
Everwild
Platform(s): Xbox One, PCRelease date: TBC
Everwild is a new IP from Rare exclusively for Xbox One that has already caught our attention thanks to its wonderful art style and enchanting world. We really don't know much about this new adventure yet, but the mystery surrounding it just makes it all the more tantalising. Set in a 'natural and magical world,' Everwild promises to take us on an unforgettable experience. From the trailer that debuted at X019, it's certainly shaping up to be one to keep an eye on. We can hardly wait to find out more about Everwild's world and the many creatures that appear to inhabit it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch, PCRelease date: TBC
Team Cherry is bringing us another Hollow Knight adventure with Silksong. This time we follow the journey of Princess Hornet - protector of the Hollownest - who's been captured and taken to a strange and distant world. With over 150 new foes and new moves to master, you'll get to explore new towns, complete quests, and try out new tools in this unfamiliar kingdom. The interconnected world Team Cherry has brought to life in its beautiful hand-crafted 2D style is filled with a variety of different vistas that all look absolutely gorgeous, and with so many new features and foes to encounter, Silksong is one jam-packed sequel to watch out for.
Indiana Jones
Platform(s): TBC (Assume next-gen and PC)Release date: TBC
Announced with a teenie teaser trailer, there's a new Indiana Jones game inbound from MachineGames, Bethesda, and Lucasfilm Games. From the clues hidden in the trailer, it looks like we're looking at an Indy story set in 1937, with our whip-touting hero exploring the standing stones and stone circles of Italy. That date puts it after Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Temple of Doom, and yet before The Last Crusade, which is interesting too. From the hints, it may even be that we're looking at the story involving a lost race of giant cyclops too.
Ubisoft's Star Wars game
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
Lucasfilm Games has announced that is working with Ubisoft's Massive Entertainment on an open-world Star Wars game. Now, apart from that, details are quite scarce - beyond that it'll run on Massive's own Snowdrop engine. We imagine it'll take plenty of DNA from Massive's The Division titles, so expect a game focused on photorealism with an action-adventure focus and added RPG elements when it does arrive. It's clearly in very stages of development though, so don't hold your breath for more info on this one any time soon.
Dying Light 2
Platform(s): PC, PS4, Xbox OneRelease date: TBC
No calendar is complete without a zombie game or two on the horizon, and Dying Light 2 has a good chance of being the only zombie game you'll need for the foreseeable future. Techland got off to fantastic start with the original Dying Light in 2015, and its sequel intends to healthily expand those parameters in every regard. With its reactive world, branching narrative, finessed combat, and radically upgraded visuals, Dying Light 2 is everything you could hope for in one, beautifully apocalyptic package, and then some. There's no release information as of yet, but our barbed wire baseball bats are already prepared and eager for zombie blood.
Bayonetta 3
Platform(s): SwitchRelease date: TBC
Thank you Nintendo: first you made Bayonetta 2 possible by bankrolling a Wii U sequel, and now you're giving Platinum fans more of their favourite bullet-blasting witch with Bayonetta 3 on the Switch (in addition to Switch ports of the first two games). All we have to go on so far is a brief cinematic teaser, but its implications are dire: Bayonetta is caught in a losing battle under a blood moon, deprived of her guns (and quite possibly her entire legs) by a mysterious enemy bathed in purple flames. Looks like your precision third-person action combat skills are about to be tested like never before.
Project 007
Platform(s): PS5, Xbox Series X, PCRelease date: TBC
In the works at IO Interactive, Project 007 (working title) is a James Bond origin story that's set to descend on consoles and PC at some point in the future. The game will feature an entirely original James Bond story, but not much is known about exactly what that will be yet. According to MGM's Robert Marick, IO was chosen because of their position as 'masters of crafting living, breathing worlds of immersive storytelling'.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
Platform(s): Xbox Series XRelease Date: TBC
The surprise reveal of the Xbox Series X at The Game Awards also came with this first look at a sequel to the affecting Hellblade. While the trailer doesn't give too much away (apart from the fact it's all in-engine) about what this sequel will entail, don't expect Senua's story to have got any lighter since we last saw her. The disconcerting chanting, flashes of foreboding bonfires, and a man seemingly buried in a rock hint at another harrowing journey that will hopefully make as much of an impact as the original.
Elden Ring
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
Originally announced during E3 2019, Elden Ring is the next FromSoftware offering from Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaka and Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. In what will be FromSoftware's biggest game to date, Elden Ring takes place in an open world filled with rich lore and a bloody history. Much of the story of the upcoming dark fantasy action RPG remains a mystery, but from an Xbox Wire interview with Miyazaka last year, we do know that the Elden Ring 'is the name given to a mysterious concept that defines the world itself,' and it has been shattered. The consequences of this will be one of the important themes of the game. Steeped in mystery, Elden Ring looks full of promise.
Metroid Prime 4
Platform(s): SwitchRelease date: TBC
You know a series is popular when a teaser showing literally nothing besides a numbered logo can garner 2 million views on YouTube. At E3 2017, Nintendo dropped a bombshell by confirming the existence of Metroid Prime 4 - only to later announce that Metroid Prime 4 has been delayed and rebooted as Nintendo passes it to original trilogy dev Retro Studios. It could be a while before we see this one, but it'll hopefully be worth the extra wait.
Diablo 4
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
Officially confirmed at BlizzCon 2019, Diablo 4 is set to take us to hell and back with what looks like a devilishly good sequel filled with dungeon crawling goodness. Set in the world of Sanctuary, you'll battle against The Burning Hells in an always online experience that will enable you to fight alongside other adventurers. So far we know of three classes you'll be able to choose from including Druid, Sorceress, and Barbarian. Oh, and remember Lilith from Diablo 2? Well, she's returning in the fourth instalment and from the sounds of it, she'll be causing some trouble for us as one of the game's main antagonists. Her return 'ushers in an age of darkness of misery,' so you better prepare yourselves.
Beyond Good & Evil 2
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
At long last, Michel Ancel and his team at Ubisoft have confirmed one of the most asked-for, anticipated sequels of our time. Beyond Good and Evil 2 is actually a prequel to Jade and Pey'j's journalistic escapades in the original game, taking on a much grander scale in a cyberpunk, Luc Besson-looking future full of high-tech ships and anthropomorphic animals. The lively crew of space pirates in BG&E2's cinematic reveal trailer are just some of many - you'll be starting from scratch with the hopes of one day reaching their level of professional thievery, visiting (and stealing from) the residents of multiple cities on myriad planets.
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
After years of prevaricating, party pooping, and a preposterous number of Skyrim re-releases, Bethesda came out at E3 2018 to finally confirm that The Elder Scrolls 6 is officially on the way, even releasing a short but exciting teaser trailer to prove it. That trailer in question doesn't reveal a whole lot, but suggests a number of potential settings for the long awaited sequel, from the long forgotten High Rock to the lost island of Yokuda. Sadly, this RPG is likely to stay in production for quite some time, but the more hopeful adventurers wouldn't be completely mad for expecting The Elder Scrolls 6 to release before the end of the decade. Fingers crossed.
Starfield
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
Bethesda's first new IP in 25 years, Starfield, is so wrapped up in mystique and profundity right now, that we're not even sure if it'll be releasing on this generation of console hardware. Here's what we do know: it's set an open world RPG set in space, and Bethesda has been working on it for years. Sorry, but that's about it for now, but at least the studio was kind enough to confirm its existence after so many whispers amongst the industry. Given Bethesda's pedigree, Starfield is now one of the most promising titles of the future, and I can't wait to play it, even if it might not launch until we get our hands on next-gen consoles.
Overwatch 2
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
Blizzard revealed that its cast of heroes would be returning in a new sequel during BlizzCon 2019. Yes, Overwatch 2 is happening, and this time it'll change up the game with more of a focus on the storytelling and lore of the Overwatch universe thanks to the addition of Story Missions. In these missions, players will be pitted against AI foes rather than other players. The sequel also includes Hero Missions, which was described as a 'deeply replayable co-op experience' by Overwatch 2's assistant game director Aaron Keller. Set in a variety of locations all over the world, Hero Missions will let players level up heroes and use different elements to modify abilities and power levels. With new characters and lots of additional content, it's already shaping up to be quite an exciting sequel.
Pathfinders: Wrath of the Righteous
Platform(s): TBCRelease date: TBC
Expect the second game set in the Pathfinder universe to lovingly honor the tabletop game upon which it's based, in the way that only developer OwlCat can. After the massive success of 2018's Pathfinder: Kingmaker, the team is bringing us a brand new story set in the beloved universe: enter a part of the world that was captured by demons nearly a hundred years ago, choose from more classes, cast more spells, and enjoy more verticality in the maps. Chris Avellone rejoins Kingmaker’s Creative Director Alexander Mishulin and Lead Writer Alexander Komzolov for the sequel, so expect richly dense characters, fleshed-out dialogue options, and some serious consequences for your in-game choices. Plus, Owlcat has listened to fan feedback, so the game will be about 40 hours shorter than the behemoth that was Kingmaker. We got a chance to preview the game, and we're certain it'll delight Kingmaker and anyone partial to a tabletop-inspired video game world.
Bright Memory: Infinite
Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series XRelease date: TBC
Take the parkour of Mirror's Edge but add a sprinkling of samurais, swords and big ass guns, and you have Bright Memory: Infinite - a fast-action game with touches of FPS, where getting dazzling combos is the ultimate aim. It's the year 2036 and you're in a futuristic city, playing as an agent for the Supernatural Science Research Organization (SRO). You've been sent out to discover what's happening with the strange sky phenomenon that's been happening, which seems to be connected to an archaic mystery and the discovery of two worlds. It's all rather beautiful, but also mysterious.
Scorn
Platform(s): Xbox Series X, PCRelease date: TBC
With an art style heavily influenced by Alien's H.R. Geiger, Scorn is a horror shooter with an obsession with everything boney, fleshy, and internal organ… y. Guns look like they're made from gristle and meaty offcuts, so it's certainly not for the squeamish. Figuring out exactly what's going on here is part of the appeal, or gross charm, of Scorn, as you'll be exploring, fighting and solving puzzles to understand the state of things. Prepare yourself.
Second Extinction
Platform(s): Xbox Series X, PCRelease date: TBC
Probably the closest thing we'll ever get to a new Dino Crisis, Second Extinction pits you and two other players against mutated dinosaurs that have overrun the planet. Somehow it's Jurassic Park but much, much worse and with more guns and blood. It's a PvE set up, as you'd expect, and you'll have a range of weapons, skills and abilities to use against the lizardy horse. Just try and stop yourself from humming the Jurassic Park theme tune as you mow those raptors down.
Take a look back at the year with our pick of the best games of 2020.