Former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith has shared his ideas on the divisive Starfield, claiming that if it had been launched by one other studio, “it might have been obtained in another way.”
In an interview with FRVR, the previous Starfield methods designer admitted that the sci-fi RPG is “not on the identical degree” as Bethesda’s beloved Elder Scrolls and Fallout collection, however insisted it is nonetheless a “nice sport.”
“I feel it is a good sport,” stated Nesmith, who left Bethesda a few 12 months earlier than Starfield was launched. “I do not assume it is on the identical degree as the opposite two, like Fallout or Skyrim or The Elder Scrolls. However I feel it is a good sport. I labored on it. I am pleased with the work I did. I am pleased with the work that the folks I do know labored on it. I feel they made a fantastic sport.”
“When the studio that introduced you Skyrim and Fallout makes an area sport,” there are particular “expectations” that weren’t met, Nesmith stated. “If the identical sport had been launched as an alternative of Bethesda, it might have been obtained in another way,” Nesmith argued.
Starfield launched in September 2023 as Bethesda’s first all-new IP in 25 years, nevertheless it did not obtain as a lot acclaim because the studio’s earlier video games within the Fallout and ThelderScrolls franchises, and the Shattered House growth, launched a 12 months later in September 2024, obtained a “principally detrimental” consumer evaluation ranking on Steam.
Starfield went on to garner 15 million gamers, however whether or not Bethesda would draw back from the sport to deal with different franchises has been an ongoing theme since its launch. In June 2024, Bethesda insisted it stays dedicated to supporting Starfieldand confirmed that at the least one different story growth will observe Shattered House. and in an interview YouTube Channel MrMattyPlaysBethesda Sport Studios’ Todd Howard stated the developer goals to launch annual story expansions “hopefully for a really very long time.”
Clearly, that is not taking place. It was reported in August that Starfield’s second growth and long-awaited PlayStation 5 port is about to reach in 2026following the poor reception to Shattered House.
So what went incorrect? Nesmith pointed to Starfield’s reliance on procedural era as an issue, versus the shortage of real-time house journey, calling it “inherently boring.”
“However when the planet begins to really feel so samey and also you begin not feeling enthusiastic about it, that is the place it falls aside for me,” he continued. “I used to be additionally disillusioned that the one critical enemies you fought have been people… There are loads of cool alien creatures, however they’re just like the wolves in Skyrim. They’re simply there, they do not contribute. There isn’t any number of critical enemies to create a narrative.”
Bethesda has confirmed plans to enhance gameplay within the Starfield universe to “make a visit to Starfield much more worthwhile.” Information mining snippets of code means that builders are making a extra streamlined house journey expertise. Primarily based on this datamining, you might be able to journey between planets inside the similar star system, however you will not be capable to fly all the best way between methods, or fly instantly from a planet’s floor into orbit like in No Man’s Sky.
In a brand new video speaking about his profession, veteran Bethesda developer Tim Lamb confirmed that the studio is engaged on Starfield’s house gameplay and that new DLC tales are nonetheless coming in some unspecified time in the future.
βSo far as Starfield goes, Iβm actually wanting ahead to having the gamers see what every workforce has been engaged on,β he stated. βNow we have some nice issues coming, together with free updates, options, and new DLC tales that gamers have been asking for.
“I am unable to go into all the small print but, however I can inform you that a few of our workforce is specializing in house gameplay to create space journey extra rewarding. We’re additionally including some new sport methods and different little enjoyable issues. We have additionally bought some actually fascinating stuff coming from verified creators. There’s some enjoyable stuff too.
“I would wish to say thanks. We actually admire the help and enthusiasm. We will not wait to get it into the gamers’ arms.”
Final month, Bethesda teased new content material star subject β at the least that is what followers thought after recognizing a hidden message in a social media video launched to rejoice the sport’s second anniversary.
Wesley is videogameaddicted’s Director of Information. Discover me on Twitter @wyp100. Wesley might be reached at wesley_yinpoole@videogameaddicted.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.