Summary
Bethesdais currently selling someStarfieldmerchandise that referencesThe 10th Planet, its long-lost sci-fi game. The peculiar piece of merch, spotted by one eagle-eyed fan, surfaced online almost 30 years afterBethesda canceledThe 10th Planet.
WhileStarfieldrepresents the studio’s first foray into sci-fi, its interest in the genre dates back to the ’90s. That’s whenBethesdawas developingThe 10th Planetin collaboration with Centropolis Entertainment, a German-American production company behind some of the biggest sci-fi Hollywood blockbusters ever made, includingStargateandIndependence Day.
Almost three decades after the game was canceled,Bethesda has now paid tribute toThe 10th Planetin the form of a sew patch. The unique piece of merch, first spotted by Reddit user Dejected_Cyberpsycho, can currently be found on theBethesda Gear Storeas part of the Starfield Explorer Patch Set. The accessory features a simple drawing of ten planets encircled by the name of the canceled game. The moniker itself is a reference to the hypothetical tenth planet—or Planet X—of the solar system that scientists have been seeking for centuries due to some peculiar orbital characteristics of Neptune and Uranus that they couldn’t otherwise explain.
Apart from this circular nylon reference to Bethesda’s canceled sci-fi game, the $18 set also includes The Livingstone Project, New Discoveries Expedition, and Astronaut Thumbs Up patches. According to the Internet Archive’s historical data, this bundle of merch isn’t a new addition to the Bethesda Gear Store. Instead, the patch set has been available for purchasesinceStarfielditself went up for pre-ordersback in June 2023. But its reference toThe 10th Planetseemingly went undiscovered by the fandom until now.
What Was The 10th Planet?
The 10th Planetwas pitched as a combination ofStar FoxandStar Wars: X-Wing, in that it was a space combat sim with hectic battles and a story campaign. The game was being developed using XnGine, a 3D game engine that Bethesda initially put together forThe Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall.The 10th Planetwas originally planned to be released in the same year asDaggerfall, 1996, before being pushed back to October 1997.
With that second release window fast approaching, Bethesda delayed the game yet again, this time to 1998. The studio finally canceled the project in the first half of 1998 without much fanfare. A quarter of a century later, Bethesda Executive Producer Todd Howard was quoted as saying thatThe 10th Planetnever left pre-production.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
