Bethesda's Starfield could release as soon as this year, according to insider and journalist Jeff Grubb. Though there's no confirmation and, given the state of the world, anything could change at any time, Microsoft and Bethesda are allegedly trying to prepare Starfield for a late-2021 release with a proper showcase likely slated for the summer. Starfield had already been rumored for a 2021 release, so this gives the speculation even more weight.
Starfield has been a bit of a mystery, as it is one of the only new RPG IPs from Bethesda Games Studios in decades; it forms a bit of a trio of IP with The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. No one really knows what Starfield is outside of its identity as a sci-fi space game, which will likely follow the formula put in place by Bethesda's other two RPGs. Beyond that, it's still a mystery. The game was revealed at E3 all the way back in 2018 and since then, fans have been waiting to learn more about it.
GamesBeat writer Jeff Grubb noted on a recent episode of the RDX Podcast (via Game Rant) that Starfield has about a 90% chance of showing up at a summer-related event with the plan of hitting a November 2021 release window, unless there's any sort of COVID-related delays or hurdles to overcome. Given that it's already been confirmed that Xbox is hosting an event with Bethesda this summer and there isn't too much on the immediate horizon for the company to show beyond GhostWire: Tokyo, which is a PS5 timed-exclusive, Starfield seems like a lock. Of course, there's also the recently announced Indiana Jones game, and potential unannounced projects, but those seem much further out.
The only major question that remains is whether Starfield will be an Xbox exclusive. There has been a lot of confusion on how Microsoft will actually handle exclusivity with Bethesda now that it has acquired the developer/publisher combo. Head of Xbox Phil Spencer previously confirmed that Xbox made the Bethesda deal to secure exclusives, but left some ambiguity about just what games will actually become exclusives. The biggest stipulation was that games that have prior contractual obligations will still be honored, such as Deathloop and GhostWire: Tokyo.
It's entirely possible that, given how few details are actually available, Starfield has some sort of marketing deal with Sony and has to release on PlayStation 5. Sony may have pushed for this when negotiating deals for the other two games, but it's really too soon to say. At least it won't be long before Bethesda makes it official, if rumors are true.
Source: RDX Podcast (via Game Rant)