Bethesda Admits: “Starfield Exploration Did Not Meet Our Intentions”

Starfield has a generous offering of over 1000 planets to explore, but critics argue that the vast majority of these are deserted. Some suggest that Bethesda should have spent more time creating detailed, handcrafted locations instead of focusing on sheer quantity. In a recent interview with MinnMax, Bruce Nesmith, a former Bethesda employee who contributed to the game, discussed this challenge.

"Game Director Todd Howard arbitrarily chose 100 solar systems for the game," Nesmith explained. "As the project evolved, we found most of the main action happened within two dozen systems, leaving the rest predominantly open space. Despite this, we recognized our players' love for vast, open-world games and decided to accommodate their preferences."

While gamers love expansive worlds, the downside can often be making the world feel empty— an issue many open-world games have faced. It was one of the reasons Ubisoft decided to condense the world in Assassin's Creed Mirage. Nesmith admits striking this balance is difficult, and compromises are often made during development.

He stated, "Some of the exploration elements may not have turned out as intended due to other design decisions. Every game studio is acutely aware of these trade-offs and the potential player grievances they might cause. However, difficult choices must be made."