The co-lead designer of Starfield is sharing his thoughts on the problems the game encountered.
Kurt Kuhlmann, once known for his work on the Elder Scrolls series for Bethesda, was also co-lead designer of Starfield. Now, he’s discussing some of the difficulties the team faced during the production and development of Starfield and comparing them to his work on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.
Kuhlmann Feels Starfield Failed to Come Together as a Cohesive Game
Speaking with PC Gamer, Kurt Kuhlmann explained that, when the game released, he felt it was a good game and suitable for release, but not a great one. He mentions that within Bethesda, some were surprised the game failed to win over players.
One advantage Starfield had was its smoother launch compared to Fallout 76, and Kuhlmann says that difference is why Bethesda gave it so much development time.
“When it came out, I thought it was a good game,” says Kuhlmann. “It was a releasable game, but it wasn’t the best.…
“We had tried to take this huge leap into this new genre with all these new systems and things … I don’t know that you should expect that if you jump into the space combat genre that you’re going to be better or as good as games that just do that, and have maybe been doing it for multiple iterations, right? Like, it was good enough. It wasn’t, like, embarrassing.”
Kurt Kuhlmann also recently discussed his decision to leave Bethesda and his vision for the sixth Elder Scrolls game. Those interested can read his comments on how Star Wars would have influenced the game’s direction at this link.
What are your thoughts on Starfield? What would you like to see next from Bethesda? Sound off in our official Discord server. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our weekly newsletter.
