Bethesda is auctioning a Starfield design date with Todd Howard

We don't know much about Starfield, Bethesda's in-the-works sci-fi RPG. It's been in development for years but a release date isn't in sight: All Bethesda has said at this point is that it involves space travel and will release sometime before The Elder Scrolls 6, which is also very dim and distant on the horizon.

Despite the mystery around it, Bethesda Softworks is offering one fan a chance to design a character for the game. The job is part of a prize package Bethesda has put up for the Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic Evening of Wishes auction that also includes a brand-new Xbox Series X console and 16 games from Bethesda series including Doom, Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Dishonored, and The Evil Within.

We're delighted to provide the opportunity to design a character for Starfield to one lucky winner - as well as an Xbox Series X and a bunch games. https://ift.tt/2NC2FTj auction is live now and benefits @WishMidAtlantic so they can continue granting Wishes❤️ pic.twitter.com/zg7SKtzuM8February 23, 2021

"Everyone loves creating their own version of the hero of their games, but very few players get to actually BECOME a character within a game itself," the prize listing states. "The winner of this package will work with the award-winning team at Bethesda Game Studios, including executive producer Todd Howard, to create a character for their highly anticipated upcoming game, Starfield!"

It's not clear exactly how this is all going to work, although I suspect it's more of a conceptual gig rather than granular, low-level design. More intriguing than the mechanics of the job, though, is the possibility that the winner is going to be exposed to actual information about Starfield—it would be handy to know a little bit about the game if you're going to help build a character for it, after all. 

Or maybe we all are: If you assume that any details are bound to leak once they're shared (and let's honest, it's a fair assumption), why not put it all out there before the winner gets to work?

The prize listing says Bethesda will schedule time to create the character within three months of the auction, which will take place on February 28. That means you've still got the better part of a week to make your bid, but you'll need to dig deep if you want a shot: The current bid is $4,200 and it goes up in $200 increments.