Starfield is a roleplaying game set amongst the stars, where players can explore with unparalleled freedom as they embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery. After five years of anticipation, fans were excited for launch. But to achieve Starfield's ambitious sales goals, we needed to tap into a broader audience beyond core gamers. We were tasked with distilling the sprawling open space epic into its simplest form to resonate with the widest audience possible, while still thrilling the core fans ahead of launch.

Like every child throughout human history, a young girl looks up at the night sky and wonders what’s up there. When a chance encounter brings her face-to-face with a heroic explorer, her wild imagination envisions the incredible adventures waiting for her in space, all accompanied by a stunning orchestral rendition of Sir Elton John’s iconic Rocket Man.

With Starfield, Bethesda Game Studios sought to inspire the next generation of explorers, dreamers, and creators. To bring that sense of adventure and optimism to a global audience, we created a launch film that captured the universal human desire to discover answers among the splendors of space. The launch film brought to life a breathtaking journey through the stars, capturing the game’s expansive scope and exploratory spirit.

We set out to push the limits of cinema-quality production in a commercial shoot. The talented VFX team created almost everything except the hero talent digitally. We did this by creating a variety of CGI locations and characters, executing some established in-world elements, exploring concepts for some others that were ideas that existed but hadn’t been finished yet.

We set out with meticulous attention to detail, aiming to create a seamless world of practical and CG effects, bringing the Starfield world to life with accuracy and authenticity. Ship interiors, spacesuits, helmets, and equipment were 3D printed from game models. Once built, everything underwent a scenic aging process to add a “lived-in” quality. Every physical element was scrutinized to ensure all the details stayed true to the game.

The film was the centerpiece of Starfield’s launch campaign, which helped propel Starfield to become the biggest launch in Bethesda's history, setting a record for the most new Xbox Game Pass subscriptions in a single day, and driving Xbox’s largest Q1 revenue ever.

But beyond the numbers, Starfield tapped into something deeper—a yearning for hope, for connection, for a brighter tomorrow.

In an uncertain world, our unapologetically optimistic vision of the future resonated with over 13 million players worldwide, turning Starfield from just a game into a beacon toward new horizons and endless adventures.