Ex-Starfield Dev Comments on the Game’s Loading Screens

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Summary

  • A former Starfield developer says that there weren’t as many loading screens when he was working on the title.
  • While no explanation was given, the loading screens likely help with performance.
  • In early December, Doom content was added to Starfield for free to celebrate the game’s 31st anniversary.

As a long-time Bethesda fan and space exploration enthusiast, I have to say that the recent revelation by former Starfield developer Nate Purkeypile has left me both intrigued and slightly disappointed. It’s fascinating to learn that the game could potentially have been smoother in terms of loading screens during his tenure. However, as someone who has spent countless hours navigating the vast open-world universe of Starfield, I can’t help but feel a bit let down by the addition of these immersion-breaking loading zones in the final version.

A previous employee from Bethesda Game Studios has shared his astonishment over the number of loading screens incorporated into the final stages of Starfield’s development. Given that frequent loading screens are often a contentious issue in gaming, it’s intriguing to learn that someone involved suggested the game might have been possible without them.

2023 saw the debut of Starfield, a game that stirred up quite a bit of controversy upon release. Though it garnered positive feedback, boasting an average critic score of 85 on OpenCritic, it was also heavily criticized by some segments of the gaming community. Critics primarily focused on two aspects: the game’s expansive yet shallow open-world setting, and its frequent, disruptive loading screens that interrupted immersion.

Nate Purkeypile, a former Starfield developer who worked on the game until 2021, shared with VideoGamer that during his time, Starfield had significantly fewer loading zones. Areas where this was noticeable were primarily the game’s cities, including Neon, a place Purkeypile spent a lot of time developing. Purkeypile mentioned that “Starfield could have done without those [loading zones]. Some of them weren’t there when I was working on it, so it came as a surprise to me that there were as many as there were.” Regrettably, Purkeypile didn’t provide reasons for the addition of these loading screens in the final version of the game. However, his comments suggest that it’s primarily about optimizing performance. The former Bethesda developer explained that the division of areas in Starfield is due to how Bethesda’s Creation Engine operates, and that restricting access to certain areas is mainly done to enhance performance.

Former Bethesda Dev Claims Starfield Did Not Have So Many Loading Screens During Development

As a gamer, I’d say: “I wish the game designers hadn’t included so many loading zones. Frankly, they weren’t there in my initial playthrough, and it took me by surprise how frequently they appeared.

Despite some players finding the frequent loading screens in Starfield to be irritating, Bethesda is persistently striving to enhance the game, more than a year following its release. In recent updates for Starfield , the game’s performance has been significantly improved, and numerous bugs have been addressed and fixed.

In addition, you’ll find an abundance of fresh content, particularly with the Creation Engine in mind. Just recently in December, the game Starfield introduced new content related to Doom at no extra cost. To celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Doom series, Starfield received a new quest inspired by Doom, titled “At Hell’s Gate.” Throughout this quest, players can collect several exclusive items, including a Super Shotgun, Crucible Blade, and the Doom Slayer Praetor Suit.

I’m eagerly anticipating that the forthcoming Elder Scrolls 6 won’t have as many loading screens as Starfield. Given that the Elder Scrolls 6 was unveiled in June 2018, it appears that we may still be a while away from its release, leaving gamers hopeful for some development news to quell their excitement.

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2024-12-17 21:43