Some players may be deprived of Starfield upon release. Bethesda and Microsoft indeed seem to have made a choice regarding certain territories.
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom for the Nintendo Switch, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for the PS5 and Starfield on the Xbox Series… each manufacturer is preparing to launch a particularly anticipated game this year. The latest RPG from Bethesda will soon be the subject of a long presentation during the Summer Game Fest period. It should highlight the different mechanics of the game ahead of its launch on September 6, 2023. Perhaps he will finally be able to get rid of this damn title of “Skyrim in space” at that time? Who knows ? However, it would seem that not all players will be able to take advantage of this new license when it is released.
The Russians deprived of Starfield?
Starfield continues to be talked about. Hardly a week goes by without the next big Xbox Series exclusive making headlines. Lately, it was a possible controller in the colors of the particularly pretty game and information around the big conference that made people talk. Rumors are rife, but if the RPG finds itself once again in the columns of the specialized press, it is for a completely different reason. Bethesda could indeed abandon the marketing of one of the versions and deprive a whole fringe of players of the game.
As noted by several users of Reddit, since April 13, 2023 the developers have indeed removed Russian from the supported languages in Starfield. The translation of the subtitles and the game interface in this language was nevertheless still guaranteed on April 4. Microsoft may also cancel the marketing of its next big Xbox exclusive in Russia due to the tragic events of the war in Ukraine. The Redmond firm had already cut ties with the territory, as had many publishers including Sony, Ubisoft, Rockstar or Nintendo.
A decision that is debated within the community, some approving the position, others finding the process unfair to the players. Especially since as it has been pointed out, some people outside of Russia could have benefited from the translation, in particular Ukrainian players. At present, however, Bethesda has not communicated on the reasons behind this choice, which could just as well be financial.
