Starfield Is Unlikely to Receive a Sequel, Former Developer Says
Bethesda's former lead systems designer, Kurt Kuhlmann, said the sequel might be a chance to revisit the original ideas.
Former Bethesda lead systems designer Kurt Kuhlmann expressed doubts about the possibility of a Starfield sequel, saying he would be surprised if Bethesda decided to make one.
In an interview with FRVR, the developer shared his opinion on the possibility of a new Starfield game: "I would be very surprised [if there was a sequel]," the designer said. "I don't think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2." At the same time, Kuhlmann sees potential for a Starfield sequel to take the ideas behind the original game further, especially given the limitations Bethesda faced when developing the first title, as the game is not "fully coherent":
"It's, in a way, too bad, because I think with the lessons learned on Starfield, a Starfield 2 could have been much closer to the game that Todd [Howard] had [in mind]," he also said. "You can envision that game, you can imagine that game. That’s not quite what Starfield really is."
He points to the outpost system as one example and compares it to the settlement system in Fallout 4, which, in contrast, was thematically introduced to players, while in Starfield, the outpost system is not explained.
Starfield, released in 2023 and brought to PlayStation this April, has received mixed reviews at launch, with the discussion focusing on the RPG's approach to its main storyline and quest design. The game has the Shattered Space DLC, which follows the story of Va'Ruun culture and features a hand-crafted world, different from the base game's procedural content, and the Terran Armada story DLC, which expands the game's narrative across the Settled Systems.
Recently, Kurt Kuhlmann said that prioritizing the release of Starfield ahead of The Elder Scrolls 6 surprised developers.
With Bethesda now working on several projects related to its renowned franchises, including remasters of Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, a new Fallout game in collaboration with Obsidian, and The Elder Scrolls 6, there's no evidence the company is developing a Starfield 2.