Highlights
- Starfield is Bethesda's first original IP in over 25 years and was highly anticipated due to its unique NASA-punk futuristic adventure.
- While reactions to Starfield were mixed, Bethesda shouldn't be deterred from trying new ideas in the future to keep evolving.
- The studio continues to support Starfield with updates and DLC, showing a commitment to polishing the game for player satisfaction. Even if these additions do not redeem the game in the eyes of fans, Bethesda should continue to innovate and try new things.
Bethesda Game Studios released its latest title, Starfield, last September, and it was a big deal for a number of reasons. Starfield had been long awaited by many players who were familiar with the developer's previous popular main series, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Not only was it highly anticipated for this reason, but Starfield also marked the first game Bethesda produced after being brought under Microsoft's banner in 2021. As such, this provided a larger boost to its visibility via launching as a day one inclusion for Xbox Game Pass.
One of the other notable details about Starfield is that it was the first original IP from BGS in over 20 years upon announcement. At launch though, reactions to Starfield were fairly mixed. Some fans enjoyed its NASA-punk-infused futuristic adventure, while others noted that BGS' continued use of its established design philosophy and narrative elements seemed dated and stilted, especially compared to other contemporaries and the general evolution of RPGs through the previous few generations. However, the fact that Starfield wasn't as fully embraced as it might have been expected to be should not necessarily indicate an ill-omen that discourages ​​​Bethesda from trying out other new visions.
Starfield currently sits at a "generally positive" 83 critic score and a 6.9 user score on Metacritic, with the latter placing it in the "mixed or average" review category.
How The Elder Scrolls 6's Formula Should Change After Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios' approach to RPG design is on full display in Starfield, and the next Elder Scrolls should shake up this formula.
Starfield's Middling Reception Shouldn't Deter Bethesda from Trying New Ideas Again
Starfield Was Bethesda's First Original IP in Over 25 Years
Bethesda built its reputation and catalog largely on the back of its Elder Scrolls series, starting with The Elder Scrolls: Arena, which was released 30 years ago, and set much of the style, lore, and tone of its epic fantasy world. As the series went on, subsequent entries Morrowind and Oblivion served to establish the franchise and studio as one of the frontrunners of immersive open-world RPGs, becoming classics of the genre. After acquiring the rights to the revered Fallout franchise in 2007, the developer garnered many new fans with its more modern take on the post-apocalyptic RPG series at the time with Fallout 3.
After FO3, 2011's Elder Scrolls title, Skyrim, was a massive success, and is likely the studio's most well-known and regarded game. Two more Fallout games followed, one the next mainline numbered entry, and another a live-service MMO-like, which both had their share of supporters and detractors. Starfield was a departure from these two pillars of the studio's IP, and therefore was a bit more of a risk versus working within its firmly familiar properties.
Bethesda Should Still be Willing to Take More Risks Like Starfield in the Future
Starfield certainly had its share of some technical and other issues that contributed to its less than outstanding reception, although it was noted that a number of these were present in previous titles. Since release, Bethesda has continued to introduce patches and updates, as well as Starfield's Shattered Space DLC that's set to arrive sometime later this year. These are promising signs that show that the studio is committed to supporting Starfield and polishing it to better align with player requests in the interest of long-term sustainability.
Bethesda's next stated project, The Elder Scrolls 6, has long been in development, as well as the next Fallout title that will assumingly eventually follow. As such, it may be a while before BGS is either able or willing to commit to another completely new property. However, if it desires to, then the pattern and approach it took for Starfield could be applied again, and the rougher spots it experienced shouldn't be hurdles that entirely prevent it from considering creating a fresh property and using its expertise to further advance its standing while experimenting, improving, and iterating on ideas and aspects that already work well within the studio's structure.
Starfield
Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, Starfield is a sci-fi action role-playing game where players interact with multiple factions, engage in combat, customize their main character and ship, as well as explore a universe that features over 100 systems and 1,000 planets.
