Starfield: Highly Anticipated Game Could Have Lasting Impact on RPG Genre
Starfield is set to become one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, and potentially one of the biggest games of this generation. The bold ideas, vast size, expansive scale, and unique concept of the game have the potential to leave a lasting impression on the gaming industry as a whole, not just within the RPG genre. While it may seem like a lofty claim to make, everything we have seen thus far indicates that Starfield has the potential to deliver. However, there is always a lingering concern that the game may fall into the trap of over-promising, a comparison often made to Peter Molyneaux and his Fable series.
Peter Molyneaux, Lionhead, and the Fable series have become synonymous with game developers who may have over-promised on their ideas. However, with Bethesda’s acquisition by Microsoft and the additional development time granted to them, hopes are high that Starfield will not suffer the same fate.
Related: “These should be standard for all games!”: Bethesda Releases Starfield Shorts Adding to the Lore of the Universe
Starfield Should Already be Here
For any dedicated Starfield and Bethesda fan, it is widely known that the game was originally set to launch last year, leaving players eagerly awaiting its arrival. However, things didn’t go as planned, and after an additional year of development, it is expected that the final product will surpass what was envisioned for its initial release in 2022.
In a recent episode of the Giant Bomb podcast, Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, shared some important insights about Bethesda’s acquisition and their involvement in Starfield. He stated, “Truth be told, when the acquisition closed, this game had a significantly earlier ship date than where we’re actually launching it”.
Given the challenging circumstances under which Starfield is releasing, it comes as no surprise that Microsoft is going all out to ensure its success. From financial aid to recommending delays, it is clear that the platform is passionate about the project’s potential for profit. However, their involvement may go beyond mere financial interests. Microsoft has reportedly instructed Bethesda to take advantage of the delay to adopt a strategy similar to Nintendo’s approach with Tears of the Kingdom, focusing solely on eliminating any bugs in the game.
Removing bugs from a game the size of Starfield is an immense task. With reports of New Atlantis being the largest city ever created by Bethesda, a complex base and ship building mechanic, and over one thousand planets (with one hundred supporting lifeforms of various shapes and sizes), Starfield likely initially contained more bugs than a game has actionable events!
Related: Unfortunately Starfield Will be Unplayable for a lot of Players at Launch
In a June interview with the Giant Bomb podcast, Matt Booty, head of Microsoft Game Studios, commented on the Q&A testing of Starfield and the lack of bugs. He said, “We have an awful lot of people internally playing it. Working with Todd and the team, I see bug counts and just by the numbers, if it shipped today, this would have the fewest bugs that any game from Bethesda has ever shipped with.”
This statement is both impressive and ironic. Considering the size of Starfield and Bethesda’s reputation for bug-ridden games, it is a remarkable claim. Whether the additional development time granted by Microsoft has been utilized effectively and whether the claim regarding bug reduction is true remains to be seen. Despite these uncertainties, anticipation for the release of Starfield continues to grow with each passing day.
Related: “Microsoft needed few dollars”: Microsoft Wanted to Hurt Sony So Bad It Blocked Starfield Despite Data Predicting at Least 10 Million Unit Sales from PS5 Owners
Are you looking forward to playing Starfield? Would you have preferred it to be released last year as planned, or are you glad to wait for a potentially better end product? Let us know in the comments!
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