Todd Howard has been making the rounds in the media regarding the upcoming mega-release Starfield, and while there is some uncertainty, he assures, “This type of game is still unique.”
Todd Howard has been all over the internet this week in preparation for Starfield‘s upcoming release on September 1. The new Bethesda space-faring RPG boasts “1,000 explorable planets” and is quite possibly Bethesda’s most ambitious open-world title to date. In an interview with GQ, Todd Howard revealed some of his uncertainties regarding the title’s massive launch next week, including his reservations about The Elder Scrolls VI‘s premature announcement.
Todd Howard said, “I don’t know. I probably would’ve announced it more casually” when asked if he regretted the way he announced Elder Scrolls VI, similar to how he announced Fallout 5 in an interview with IGN back in 2022. The huge announcement of Elder Scrolls VI could have taken some of the hype away from the launch of Starfield.
Game Designer Emil Pagliarulo, who oversees all writing and quest design, relishes, “I swear to God, I’ve never reflected so much while making a game” with a few details on quest design “Go too far down the emotional path, and it can get cringey. Go too far into the intellectual, and it becomes too pointy-headed” on becoming your own character in Starfield.
When asked about the exploration aspect of Starfield, Howard had reservations with “It’s not the same as dropping you in a world like Skyrim,” on whether die-hard Bethesda fans will like the new methods of adventuring. He immediately backpedalled and referred to the moment you step out of your ship exploring a new planet as the most empty and the most beautiful. He goes further by saying, “When you’re looking over the landscape and the star is setting. That’s all somewhat simulated. In this game, it just happens.”
Fan reaction on X (formerly Twitter) has been incredibly positive so far, with some praising the development delay of 12 months to sharpen visuals. User SynthPotato said, “As a PlayStation fan, Starfield is the first time ever for me that Xbox has an exclusive that’s made me look at my PS5 and wish that it was on it, and honestly, I couldn’t be happier for Xbox fans, you guys absolutely deserve this W!” and many other PS fans have echoed this sentiment.
Fans who did not own an Xbox Series X prior to Starfield have flocked to Amazon, as it is currently boasting a %1000 increase in sales this month, as well as over 9,000 purchases have been made on the console, likely to play this title. All-in-all Starfield seems to be shaping up as a huge win for Bethesda, even before it launches on September 1.
