Starfield feels like a "Han Solo simulator" that aims to be "Skyrim in space"

Bethesda has said that upcoming blockbuster RPG, Starfield, will be "like Skyrim in space" and has described the game as a "Han Solo simulator".

Starfield’s first trailer and release date information was revealed during yesterday's Xbox and Bethesda conference at E3 2021, but since the showcase has finished we've learned a couple more delicious morsels of information about the game.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Bethesda managing director Ashely Cheng breadcrumbed a few intriguing bytes of information to players eager to learn more about the mysterious cosmic RPG.

"For me, Starfield is the Han Solo simulator. Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff," he told the site.

Everyone's favorite Bill-from-Pokemon-lookalike, Todd Howard added some more flavor in an interview with The Telegraph. He says the game feels like "NASA meets Indiana Jones meets the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" and goes on to describe the title – perhaps predictably – as "like Skyrim in space".

The story, set hundreds of years in the future, is about hope – and what humanity can do once it breaks free of the confines of earth.

"It's kind of like Skyrim in terms of the structure of the game, where you're going to be who you want to be, and then there's different factions that you can join, and really carve your own path."

Back at The Washington Post, Howard gave some more insight into how the project's tone and gameplay came about: "We struggled at first at finding Starfield's identity," he explains. "We knew the style of game we wanted. But there's so much science fiction, we didn’t have this existing franchise feel. We had to create that from scratch. What do the spaceships look like? What’s the tech level? What do people believe? What year is it really set in?"

Starfield was announced during Bethesda’s E3 2018 showcase, and this is the first proper look we've had at the game in three years.

Starfield will launch on November 11, 2022, and will come to Xbox and PC only.