Starfield Dev Shares Message With Fans Who Want a Bug-Free Launch

A completely bug-free launch is not feasible for the type of games that Bethesda wants to make, according to Starfield developer Bruce Nesmith. The industry veteran suggested as much as part of a recent interview, which also saw him share some other thoughts about the Bethesda fandom’s desire for bug-free day-one games.

Back in 2023, Microsoft official Matty Booty pledged that Starfield would have the “fewest bugs” of any Bethesda game to date. In terms of overall stability and game-breaking bugs, the sci-fi RPG managed to deliver on that promise, albeit not by orders of magnitude. Some vocal fans have hence still complained about Starfield being rough around the edges, arguing that the day-one version of the game should have been more polished.

Reflecting on this sentiment in a recent interview with VideoGamer, Starfield Systems Designer Bruce Nesmith called a bug-free release an “impossible” goal for any company, especially one striving to create the kind of complex, systems-driven RPGs that Bethesda is known for. “There is no game on the market that is bug free,” Nesmith said, explaining that as system complexity grows, the number of things that can go wrong rises accordingly. Moreover, fixing bugs is resource-intensive, and since no game will ever be free of issues, a decision to release it must be made eventually.

Starfield Dev Concedes That Bethesda Games ‘Could Have a Higher Degree of Polish’

Be that as it may, the industry veteran said he has no qualms about admitting that Bethesda’s games “could have a higher degree of polish.” As for the potential reasons why they don’t (yet), Nesmith said that fans in the past had a higher degree of bug tolerance for games that provided them with a greater degree of freedom. E.g., an NPC getting stuck in a wall for a while was a generally “acceptable” trade-off if there were “17 things you could do with that NPC, whereas [in] most games you’d be able to do two,” the developer said.

Nesmith also opined that bugs create inevitable challenges in managing expectations. If fans expect a bug-free experience and such a thing isn’t possible by design, then a developer needs to choose between complete transparency—like disclosing the list of bugs in advance—or just trying to quietly grapple with technical issues post-release while accepting blowback over a given game’s perceived lack of polish. Bethesda has so far preferred the latter option.

Nesmith has been fairly open about Bethesda’s development challenges since leaving the company in 2021 in order to become an urban fantasy novel author. In another recent interview, the industry veteran said that The Elder Scrolls 6 will have an “almost impossible” time meeting fan expectations, and not due to a lack of trying on Bethesda’s part. The long-awaited sixth mainline installment in the iconic RPG franchise is currently expected to release circa 2029.

Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.

Systems

Released

September 6, 2023

Engine

proprietary engine

ESRB

M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence

How Long To Beat

20 Hours

Steam Deck Compatibility

yes

X|S Optimized

Yes

File Size Xbox Series

101 GB (September 2023)

OpenCritic Rating

Mighty

Cross Save

no

Cross-Platform Play

no multiplayer

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