(Photo: Bethesda/YouTube)

E3 2017 is rapidly approaching, and it seems like Fallout and Skyrim publisher Bethesda has some big things planned for the show. The publisher will once again be holding their own press conference, and they recently released a spiffy E3 invite, featuring art that strongly hints they’ll be bringing two new games to the show.

Invites have gone out for the Bethesda E3 Showcase. Stay tuned for your chance to win tickets to join us at Bethesdaland on Sunday, June 11. pic.twitter.com/0Nu0qt1qJr — Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) April 28, 2017

So, what could those two new games be? Well, according to new rumors making the rounds, one of the mystery titles may be Starfield, a new sci-fi RPG IP that Bethesda has been working on for years. This rumor comes from 4Chan (here’s a NeoGAF link for those who rightfully steer clear of 4Chan), so take it with a heaping helping of sodium, but it’s certainly intriguing.

Starfield, which has been in the works since shortly after Fallout 3’s launch, is said to be a first-person, open-world RPG in the classic Bethesda tradition. The game will have some sort of hub area, and multiple planets to explore, some of which will have a set design, while others will be procedurally generated. The game will have loose ties to both Fallout and Skyrim, with them all taking place in the same universe in vastly different time periods.

So, basically, Starfield sounds like Bethesda’s attempt to do Mass Effect. Considering the disastrous launch of Mass Effect: Andromeda, this would be the perfect time for Bethesda to finally swoop in with their own space exploration RPG. You know Bethesda likes to take the occasional jab at BioWare.

Oh, and for the skeptics out there, Starfield isn’t purely an invention of 4Chan. Bethesda originally trademarked the name Starfield back in 2013, and renewed the trademark just last year. Starfield is happening, it’s just a question of whether we’ll finally see it at E3.

Bethesda’s E3 2017 press conference happens one week from now on Sunday, June 11 at 9pm PT.