Bethesda Game Studios hasn't unveiled all the details on its upcoming RPG Starfield but has shown enough to let curious fans begin filling in a timeline of the game's sci-fi setting. Starfield takes place roughly 300 years from now in an area 50 light-years from Earth's Solar System, referred to as the Settled Systems. The player character is a member of Constellation, the last group of explorers determined to discover the mysteries of the Milky Way galaxy.
In 2310, twenty years before the start of Starfield's narrative, the United Colonies and Freestar Collective clashed in what is known as the Colony War. While the war is over, these two main factions maintain a tense relationship at best. It is unknown when exactly these organizations were established but as the largest known groups in the galaxy, they are probably some of the oldest.
New Atlantis is the capital city of the United Colonies. Its spaceport alone is enormous and flashy, and it's populated with people of all races and ethnicities. It appears to be an ideal futuristic city: an interstellar melting pot. They boast the most powerful military and the strongest political pull in the galaxy. Judging from its sheer scope, it's likely that New Atlantis was one of the first cities founded in Starfield's universe.
Bethesda's Starfield Showcases A Galaxy After The Colony War
Akila is the capital of the Freestar Collective, which represents the cooperation of three different star systems. This city is located on a rather dangerous planet, as it is walled off to protect residents from alien predators: Ashta, a type of creature between a velociraptor and a wolf that sounds both formidable and awesome. Taking into consideration Akila's more scrappy appearance, it doesn't seem to have the same technological advancements or resources as their rival, the United Colonies. It seems as though this Starfield faction was founded after New Atlantis, perhaps by those unsatisfied by the U.C., who hold personal freedom and individuality in the highest regard.
Starfield begins in 2330, about two decades after the Colony War, with the player becoming a new member of Constellation. This organization doesn't appear to be connected to any specific faction, as it is more concerned with studying the secrets of the Milky Way. It's difficult to say when exactly it was founded, but it's likely that its roots date back to whenever humanity first reached the Settled Systems.
Humankind doesn't appear to have gone beyond the Milky Way galaxy in Starfield's solar system; for context, the Milky Way has a diameter of at least a hundred thousand light-years, far beyond the 50 light-years that have been explored. Constellation's journey to the stars is still relatively close to home, so fans can assume that humans are still taking their first steps into space. There is still so much to discover, and Bethesda promises that Starfield will offer players a journey filled with awe and wonder.