Former Bethesda Dev Reveals Why Starfield Lacked ‘Bethesda Magic’

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Summary

  • Some players saw Starfield being more shallow when compared to previous Bethesda games like Skyrim.
  • A former dev explained that the limited freedom in development may have led to the game’s perceived shortcomings.
  • Some aspects of Skyrim, like its werewolves and the entire city of Blackreach, came from devs’ passion projects they pursued on the side.

A developer who used to work at Bethesda shares that some players might have found Starfield underwhelming due to limited developmental freedom. Even though major studios like Bethesda are accustomed to both positive and negative feedback from gamers, thanks in part to their dedicated fanbase earned through a series of impressive releases, the latest release, Starfield, was met with some criticism for not living up to the creative flair found in previous projects. The former developer has shed light on why this might be the case.

Starfield marked Bethesda’s largest game release to date, attracting over six million players on its debut day. Critics initially lauded it for its captivating environments, engaging combat, and compelling narrative. However, as more players delved into the game, ratings began to decline slightly, with some fans suggesting that the game seemed somewhat shallow compared to earlier hits from the studio such as Skyrim.

In a talk at the Game Developers Conference, as shared by PC Gamer, Nate Purkeypile (formerly of Bethesda) shed light on why I found Starfield less captivating than expected. According to Purkeypile, as Bethesda grew in size, meetings became more frequent and developers’ creative freedom was gradually restricted. He mentioned that elements like the werewolves and Blackreach city from Skyrim emerged from side projects pursued out of passion by the developers themselves. Unfortunately, this kind of experimentation wasn’t an option for Starfield. However, it seems that not everyone shared this view, as God of War director David Jaffe praised Starfield for having one of the best narratives in modern gaming. This more restrictive development process could potentially explain why some found Starfield less impactful than others.

Ex-Bethesda Dev Claims Starfield Did Not Give Developers as Much Freedom as Skyrim

Purkeypile made it clear that his remarks concerning limited developer autonomy didn’t aim at criticizing the studio, but rather reflected the challenges that arise in large teams. He elaborated by saying it would be chaotic if 500 individuals defied usual workflows to explore their own concepts, but such risks could be tolerable within a team of only 100 members. Given Bethesda’s current size, they can no longer grant everyone unrestricted freedom while still delivering a polished game on schedule. This aligns with statements from another Starfield developer who mentioned that game development involves making difficult choices, which may create a gap between the developers and players.

Due to Bethesda’s growing corporate nature and excessive meetings, Purkeypile decided to leave the company, and it remains uncertain how this change might impact future games. The anticipation is high regarding upcoming titles like the next installments of Elder Scrolls and Fallout, as fans are eager to see if they can recreate the unique charm that characterized previous Bethesda projects. There have been whispers that the studio may unveil a sneak peek of Elder Scrolls 6 as early as July 2025; however, only time will tell for certain.

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2025-03-28 16:24