„Space in inherently boring.” Bethesda veteran talks about Starfield's biggest problem

Starfield is not The Elder Scrolls or Fallout, but a Bethesda veteran believes the title would have been received better if not for one problem.

We could argue whether the space RPG is a failure from a financial standpoint. However, Starfield is certainly not a major success for Bethesda Softworks, as evidenced by the "mixed" reviews on Steam. Although the game's development is still ongoing and the title is set to launch on another platform, nothing indicates that the game will become another Skyrim, despite the creators' ambitions.

Nevertheless, the game has its fans, and at least one former developer believes it's a "great game"—though not of the same caliber as Bethesda's previous major RPGs.

Boring space and unexciting planets

Bruce Nesmith has spoken about Starfield before, after leaving the studio in 2021. He previously mentioned the potential for possible sequels but also had some criticism for Bethesda (including in the context of his proposed content strategy).

In an interview with FRVR, he somewhat reiterated previous criticisms. According to Nesmith, it's not the lack of space voyages but the focus on procedurally generated content that is the main reason Starfield lacks the "magic" of Bethesda's previous games.

As an amateur astronomer, he believes that outer space is "boring" in and of itself. Thus, he views players' complaints about the absence of real-time space travel as a minor concern for Starfield.

Instead, Nesmith points out that procedurally generated planets aren't particularly exciting, much like the untapped potential of aliens as enemies:

Judging by the opinions on the Starfield subreddit, players agree with this view. Even with tons of options, running into the same lab or "interesting" spot over and over got boring fast and killed any excitement for exploring. Moreover, traveling too often involves loading screens or completely empty stretches of planets. Instead of the "route" known from Skyrim, with many attractions along the way, players too often just move from point A to point B.

Perhaps Bethesda will learn from these criticisms, and future adventures in the world of Starfield will offer more interesting exploration. For now, players are waiting for the yet-to-be-revealed second story expansion.

Starfield

September 6, 2023

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