Starfield is no doubt one of the biggest video game releases of the year and had more than 10 million players just after a week of its launch making it the biggest launch ever for Bethesda. It is also reportedly the fifth fastest-selling game across Europe in 2023. However, since the game launched, it has been surrounded by mixed reviews.
There are several reasons for these mixed reactions, for example, players accused it of tiresome space travel with nothing much to explore as most of the planets are empty. The hype around Starfield has almost slowly faded and now, game director Todd Howard has stated his views on the longevity of the game.
Todd Howard On The Longevity of Starfield
Starfield director, Todd Howard, while speaking to the CEO of Insomniac Games, Ted Price in an interview on the AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook Podcast talked about the scale of games in today’s time and expressed his intentions for Starfield, including its lifespan. Howard stated that the game was designed, intentionally, to be played for a long time. He said,
“This is a game that’s intentionally made to be played for a long time. One of the things we’ve learned from our previous games, like Skyrim, like Fallout, is that people want to play them for a very long time.”
Todd Howard stated that after watching how players interacted with other RPG titles from Bethesda like Skyrim and Fallout, it was concluded that players look to play games for a long time. Howard also reflected on the fan-favorite New Game Plus system in Starfield that players have admired. He stated,
“How do we build it such that it is allowing that in a way that feels natural, and if people have played the game and finished the main quest, you can see that.”
Also Read: Starfield is Now the Worst Reviewed Bethesda Game EVER
Todd Howard was also asked how Bethesda achieved such a big feat of building a new IP in 25 years that too a sci-fi odyssey. Howard stated that it all starts with developers and technology as there is new hardware and developers find ways to use it in innovative ways so that it is appealing to the gamers, since games are now played for a long time, they create a sort of expectation.
Bethesda Has Already Planned Future Content in Starfield
Speaking in the same interview, Todd Howard also said that when players play a game for a long time, they compare it to other games and expect it to have the same longevity with updates over the years. Bethesda has already planned content for Starfield according to what they think players would want to see. Todd Howard said,
“People are going to ask, what does Starfield look like in three months, what does it look like in six months, a year, two years, three years, four years, five years? We’ve learned that that’s going to happen so let’s be ready for it, make the most of it, and embrace it.”
Bethesda has done well with its previous releases, in terms of post-launch content with DLCs, expanding the games and introducing new activities and locations for players.
What are your thoughts about Todd Howard’s take on the lifespan of Starfield? Let us know in the comments!
Source: YouTube
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