Bethesda Lead Dev Says Starfield Is The “Hardest” And The “Best” Game The Studio Has Made

Starfield has been a solid contender for the most average game of the year — and that’s not just me speaking — but that’s certainly not what Bethesda’s design lead Emil Pagliarulo has in mind. According to the developer who spoke to Games Radar in an interview, this is where the studio has peaked in terms of pulling off a technical marvel, pushing out a product that’s right up there with the likes of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises. 

I think in a lot of ways, Starfield is the hardest thing Bethesda has ever done. We pushed ourselves to make something totally different. To just jam into an Xbox the biggest, richest space simulation RPG anyone could imagine. That we pulled it off makes Starfield something of a technical marvel. It’s also, in a lot of ways, the best game we’ve ever made. But for us, most importantly, Starfield has its own unique personality, and now sits right next to Fallout and Elder Scrolls.” 

I obviously have zero doubts about Starfield being Bethesda’s toughest project to nail down as of this moment, but that “best” part? I don’t find myself sold on that front. 

I’m not sure who to put the blame on here, honestly. Are we wrong on our part for keeping over-the-top expectations for Starfield? Did Bethesda forego its major RPG-making principles of diverse gameplay and unpredictability when it came to this project? A safe bet would be to point fingers at both cases here.

Fans Are Super Concerned About The Next Elder Scrolls Game 

As the news finds itself circulating on Reddit, fans express great concern for Bethesda’s upcoming — though years away — project, The Elder Scrolls 6. That one isn’t coming out until 2027 speculatively, so it’s certainly possible that things evolve for the better by that time.

Starfield’s story hasn’t been as monumental as its scale so far. The game’s player count plummeted by 97% five months after launch, not to mention its monotonous, repetitive gameplay that’s prevented users from coming back to the space-faring RPG.  

eXputer reviewed Starfield, rating it 3.5/5.0, with author Asad Ahmed remarking, 

Starfield aims high and delivers an expansive galaxy ripe for exploration, but it stumbles in its execution.”