Starfield’s development is generally understood to have started right after Bethesda finished Fallout 4, putting its early development around late 2015 to 2016, with full production ramping up a couple of years later.

When Did Starfield Start Development?

The Core Timeline

Most public comments and industry reporting line up around this rough sequence:

  • Concept and planning phase: Bethesda had the idea for Starfield many years earlier, but no concrete, active development is usually cited before the 2010s.
  • Early / pre-production work: Multiple interviews and community breakdowns say Bethesda began working on Starfield after Fallout 4, which released in late 2015, so early development is typically placed in late 2015–2016.
  • Pre-production by a smaller team: For several years, a relatively small team iterated on concepts, tools, and systems while much of Bethesda Game Studios was still focused on Fallout 4 DLC and Fallout 76.
  • Full production: Fans and commentators who track developer comments often place the true “full studio” production phase starting around 2018–2019 , once Fallout 76 was wrapped up.

In other words, when people ask “when did Starfield start development,” the most accurate short answer is: initial development began after Fallout 4 (circa 2015–2016), with full production ramping up a few years later.

What Developers and Industry Voices Have Said

A few key points from public discussions help pin the dates down more clearly:

  1. “After Fallout 4” claim
    • Several discussions summarizing interviews note that Bethesda themselves have said they started on Starfield after Fallout 4 , which puts the beginning of pre-production no earlier than late 2015.
  1. Lead character artist comment
    • A report highlighting Bethesda’s lead character artist indicates Starfield had been in development “since at least 2016,” reinforcing that early work was underway by then.
  1. Phil Spencer’s “early in production” remark
    • Xbox head Phil Spencer said Starfield was early in production when Microsoft acquired Bethesda (deal announced 2020, closed 2021), which implies full-scale production hadn’t been going on for many years yet.
 * Community breakdowns of that comment often argue that **full development** likely started around **2018–2019** , with the prior time being concept and pre-production.
  1. Fan timelines and dev-cycle norms
    • Fans referencing Bethesda’s typical 3–4 year full-production cycles estimate that Starfield’s proper, full development ran roughly from 2019 to its release window , with pre-production adding several earlier years.

Simple Takeaway (For Forums, SEO, and “Latest News” Angle)

If you’re writing a “Quick Scoop” or forum-style explainer around the keyword “when did Starfield start development” , you can summarize it like this:

Bethesda’s Starfield moved from idea to reality after Fallout 4 wrapped up, with early development starting around 2015–2016 and full production ramping up closer to 2018–2019.

You can also nod to the long gestation period with phrases like “years in the making” or “a project that simmered in pre-production for a long time before going full throttle in the late 2010s.”

TL;DR: Starfield’s development started in pre-production soon after Fallout 4 (around 2015–2016) , with full-scale development kicking in a few years later, roughly 2018–2019 , leading up to its eventual release.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.