Todd Howard’s Reasoning Behind Making Starfield So Different Than Skyrim, Fallout

Since its launch, Starfield has faced backlash and mixed reactions from the community. The reason for this discontent was straightforward, it was developed by Todd Howard’s Bethesda. Players expected the game to offer an open world that feels both familiar and innovative at the same time. However, players found themselves in a completely different experience than expected.

While the design wasn’t flawed, it was far from the familiar Bethesda experience. Howard addressed this in an interview, explaining his desire for each title. Gradually, players have begun to accept the change, appreciating the vastness of the world and realizing that this game is a departure from the studio’s typical open-world games. With the upcoming DLC Shattered Space, the community’s excitement for Starfield is back.

A Shift in World Design with Starfield

Todd Howard is known for his creativity and ability to build expansive open-world games, so when Starfield was announced, players were excited to see his take on the science fiction world. However, while the game was truly ambitious in its scope and world design, players didn’t appreciate its procedurally generated world and vast spaces.

The main reason behind this discontent was the lack of handcrafted charm that is the bread and butter of Bethesda titles like Skyrim and Fallout. This different approach led to major disappointment in the community, as players found the game’s world less engaging than the richly detailed environments they had come to love.

Despite all these criticisms, Howard believed in his vision for a sci-fi game. He argued that Starfield needed to break away from the traditional Bethesda formula to create a truly unique experience. In an interview, he said:

Knowing that content is going to be different […] that’s some of the trade-offs we’ll make to do what we think makes a science fiction game like this […] and each of the franchises should kind of be its own thing.

This statement perfectly showcased his goal with the game: to push past the boundaries and explore new concepts. Even if this means embracing a different kind of exploration and world design that will align with the themes of space travel and discovery.

As time went on, players slowly realized and began to adapt to the game’s distinct open-world design. Many are now enjoying the vastness of its universe and the unique exploration it offers. As players are diving deeper into the game’s world, they realize that this game is not just a typical Bethesda experience but a fresh take on sci-fi gaming.

Fans Finally Starting to Embrace the Change

Even though Starfield initially met with great skepticism, the game’s unique design and approach to exploration have gradually won players over. This slow but definite turnaround shows that Howard’s vision for the game was correct, and with this, the game has forged its own distinct identity, setting it apart from Bethesda’s iconic franchises.

As players are delving deeper into the vast universe of the game, that Howard and his team have created, many are beginning to enjoy and appreciate the innovative aspects of the game and how it represents a new direction not only for the studio but also for sci-fi gaming.

With great excitement building for future content, especially for the highly anticipated DLC Shattered Space, set to release on September 30th, players are recognizing the potential of this ambitious title as this upcoming expansion is promising to expand the universe even more, offering fresh experiences and adventures.

In the end, as players prepare themselves for the epic journey in the DLC, the future is looking bright for a franchise that was once dismissed by the whole community for being too unfamiliar and empty.

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