Weeks ahead of its launch, hard copies of Bethesda's Starfield have been spotted in the wild, even ahead of the early access period.
Starfield is scheduled to become available on September 6, and those that purchase the Starfield Premium Edition/Constellation Edition will enter into the Early Access program, enabling gamers to jump into the space-based fun on September 1. However, before either of these release dates, X users have spotted hard copies of Starfield in the wild a full week before the Early Access launch. The image comes from @Starfieldboy, who took to X to announce that hard copies of Starfield have been spotted, adding an image of what appears to be an Xbox Series X version of Bethesda's title.
With what seems to be hard copies of Starfield already being passed out to gamers, it's only a matter of time before leaks start to surface on the internet. However, leakers for Starfield will have a much harder time accessing the game than they typically would, as each hard copy contains a code and not a hard disk - at least for the Premium and Constellation Editions. Bethesda customer support confirmed that Standard Editions will feature a code.
As there are copies of Starfield circulating the wild weeks before the official launch, I would be cautious about spoilers. Leakers that obtain a hard disk of Starfield will likely be able to trawl through the titles' game files to reveal some key aspects of the game, ruining the mystery for gamers in various ways.