Since the beginning, Starfield has had a roller coaster of a journey marked by ambitious goals, prerelease hype, and unforeseen delays. It’s fair to say the game hasn’t lived up to expectations, despite a constant effort from Bethesda to wow the fanbase. Even the game’s release was shrouded in controversy, with Todd Howard confirming they missed the mark.
When the game’s release was delayed multiple times, many fans had mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it highlighted that Bethesda is committed to not releasing an unfinished game. On the other hand, fans became skeptical about the release because multiple delays usually signal a “panic state.”
Todd Howard Reflects on Starfield’s Development Hurdles
Despite not fulfilling the expectations set by the game’s pre-release, no one can deny that the game looks and feels like a AAA title. It’s not surprising that such a massive game takes a lot of effort and time investment to develop.
According to Todd Howard, who had an interview with The Washington Post, this was one of the reasons the game was delayed multiple times.
“We had lots of buffer and we felt really good about it. As things moved on, we were off by a percentage, and a percentage when it comes to the scale of this game turns out to be a lot of time. We felt it was the right thing to do to give us the time we required.”
The director also highlighted how the work became very slow in the work-from-home environment during the pandemic. It’s also worth pointing out that the gaming studio was undergoing several technology overhauls, affecting their estimates regarding the release.
Clearly, the multiple delays reflected on the game as it was full of bugs on release. The game-breaking bugs made Starfield borderline unplayable, and Bethesda is still working actively to rectify these issues.
Starfield Almost Had a Crossover With Fallout
Apart from the delay in release, several other ideas for the game were ultimately shelved. One of these plans was a potential crossover with Bethesda’s other title, Fallout. However, this never came to fruition, mainly due to a lack of time and technological limitations.
Given that Fallout is one of the biggest titles, a crossover might have been good publicity for Starfield. Furthermore, the idea of merging a space exploration setting with a chaotic post-apocalyptic world sounds too appealing.
The saving grace is that a Creation Kit has been added to the game for modders to do their magic. Games like Skyrim and Fallout are still popular due to mod support, so we can expect the same for Starfield.
Were you disappointed by the continuous delays in the release? What are your thoughts on the potential crossover? Let us know in the comments below.
