The early Starfield impressions should make Bethesda happy

Tyler McVicker, a well-known gaming personality, was one of the first to share his thoughts from his initial playthrough, drawing equal parts praise and criticism. An impressive claim from McVicker is the bug-free experience in the first 15 or so hours. For those familiar with the notoriety of the in-house Creation Engine, Starfield seems to be a rare exception. Matt Booty's earlier statement about Starfield being Bethesda's "least buggy release" might not be just a marketing line, after all.

However, McVicker's revelation, where he claims Starfield holds the promise of an enriching and immersive experience, seems to toe the line of breaking NDA. Although he insists that he's contractually allowed to do what he's been doing, only Bethesda knows for sure - the soonest we'll find out is if McVicker no longer gets review copies in the future.

Lest we forget, Bethesda has a history of blacklisting high-profile journalists and outlets for thinking that they're above confidentiality clauses.

Moving on, the community is drawing parallels between Starfield and Bethesda's "other" legendary titles, including the likes of Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.

Of course, with rigorous NDAs in place, the comments come from passionate fans who can't just stop singing the game praises - even if they haven't had a chance to play it yet.

Others with review copies aren't as brazen as McVicker. Dantics, another YouTube commentator who's hailed as one of the more reliable authorities on Starfield, suggests that the game will get a "crazy amount" of coverage come September 1, implying that the review embargo will lift on or before then.

This is somewhat worrying, for the more pragmatic observer. As recently as three years ago, the gaming industry found itself flipped by the release of Cyberpunk 2077, as one of its most beloved developers, CD Projekt RED, loved for being a supporter of the no-DRM policy and for creating The Witcher series, one of the best-selling single-player RPG trilogies of all time, found out how quickly the pitchforks can come out. Initially anticipated as a game-changer, Cyberpunk 2077 stumbled upon reaching the finishing line of the development phase, disappointing gamers at launch and forcing CDPR to make internal changes - living up to expectations but in a completely opposite manner.

On the more positive side, Jeff Grubb's insinuations bring good tidings, as he implied a sense of a deja vu, a memory of the Elder Scrolls games where side quests, more often than not, overshadowed the main storyline of being the Dragonborn or the Hero of Kvatch.

The best case scenario is that Starfield offers a world so rich that the journey eclipses the destination - a game where a decision to literally go left moments after it starts takes you to a completely different journey from going straight, right, or wherever else.

Yet, for many gamers, come September 1, reviews might just be background noise. With controllers in hand and eyes on screens, they'll be too engrossed in Starfield's universe to pay heed. The thrill of discovery, the allure of space, and the richness of Bethesda's narrative are temptations too strong to resist. However, for others, every piece of information is a treasure, and they'll be voraciously consuming first impressions, reviews, and gameplay videos, feeding their insatiable hunger for Starfield content - at least until they can enjoy their sick days and whisk off into the cosmos, playing Starfield until the universe ends.

Bethesda finds itself in a unique but familiar position, with memories of past glories such as Skyrim and Fallout 4. Once again, its latest game's launch has become an event, a phenomenon, or even a revolution.

The only question now is, will Starfield join Bethesda's familiar best-selling titles in the annals of gaming history? Only time, and space, will tell.

For now though, Bethesda might want to celebrate everything that's being said about Starfield, even if they're bending what was supposed to be iron-clad agreements