Starfield has dropped almost three centuries' worth of backstory to fill players in on the game's setting. Read on to learn what it's all about.
Starfield Drops Around 280 Years' Worth of Lore
Lore Expands Game’s Backstory Beyond the Colony War
Attention all die-hard Starfield fans! Prepare yourselves, because you’re in for a treat. The official Starfield website recently unveiled an extensive lore section that fills players in on over 280 years of human history leading up to 2330, when the game takes place.
While scrolling down the website, you'll come across a fresh section called "The Story So Far." Here you'll find details about humanity's voyage to the stars and the formation of the Settled Systems - the parts of outer space occupied by humans - starting in 2050.
Up until recently, players were only given knowledge about two powerful factions in the Settled Systems - the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective - who were locked in a brutal conflict known as the Colony War. This war came to an end just two decades before the start of the game, but the scars from the war left behind an uneasy peace where a new conflict could begin at any moment.
Lore Reveals Cosmos Haunted by War, Driven by Discovery
The new lore sheds some more backstory on the two major factions, as well as the "Constellation" faction players will eventually be a part of in the game proper. Humanity first reached Mars in 2050, followed by the establishment of settlements in space by 2100. By 2156, humanity had expanded its reach to Alpha Centauri, leading to the rise of the United Colonies (UC) three years later. New Atlantis, one of the major settlements in Starfield, was established and became the UC’s official capital.
In 2189, the Freestar Collective was formed by the Cheyenne and Volii systems. Cheyenne is home to Akila City, the Collective's capital and another major location in Starfield.
Tensions between the two factions would come to a head in 2196, after the United Colonies put a space station in the independent Narion system, sparking the Narion War. The conflict ended in 2216, giving rise to the term "Settled Systems." But the lingering tensions between the UC and the Freestar Collective would soon boil over again nearly a hundred years later, resulting in the Colony War.
Despite the doom and gloom, however, in 2275 a group is established to continue the exploration of space beyond the Settled Systems and answer the age-old question, "What is out there?" This is the Constellation group.
Read more of Starfield’s extensive backstory on its official website. The game is set for release on September 6, 2023 for the PC and Xbox Series X/S.
