Starfield only arrived in 2023, but speculations about a sequel have already begun. While Bethesda itself has remained mum on the topic, a former dev didn’t. Read on to learn more about their comments and what we could expect from Starfield’s sequel.
Starfield 2 Will be “One Hell of a Game,” According to Ex-Bethesda DevFormer Bethesda Designer Believes that the Foundation has been Set for a Great Sequel to the Spacefaring RPG
Former Bethesda lead designer Bruce Nesmith recently made waves with his bold claim that Starfield 2, if it gets made, will be "one hell of a game." Nesmith, who has deep roots in Bethesda’s game development history, played a major role in shaping titles like Skyrim and Oblivion. Nesmith, who left the company in September 2021, suggested in a recent interview that the sequel to Starfield will not just build on its predecessor but potentially surpass it in meaningful ways, due to lessons learned and the foundational work already in place.
Nesmith told VideoGamer about the benefits that come with developing a sequel, referencing how Skyrim evolved from Oblivion, and Oblivion from Morrowind. In his view, the groundwork laid by Starfield’s initial release could make a sequel easier to develop. He noted that while Starfield was impressive, a lot of it was "starting from the ground up" with new systems and tech.
"I’m looking forward to Starfield 2. I think it’s going to be one hell of a game because it’s going to address a lot of the things people are saying," Nesmith said. "’We’re quite there. We’re missing a little bit.’ It will be able to take what’s in there right now and put in a lot of new stuff and fix a lot of those problems."
Nesmith then likened it to Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed, series that started with good but imperfect first entries and only became iconic with later sequels that expanded on and refined their ideas. "It takes, sadly, sometimes a second or third version of the game in order to really enrich everything," said Nesmith.
Starfield 2 Release Date Could be Years Away, a Decade Even
The first Starfield had mixed reviews, with critics divided over the game’s pacing and content density. However, Bethesda has shown they are committed to developing Starfield as a mainstay franchise alongside The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Bethesda’s Director Todd Howard himself even told YouTuber MrMattyPlays back in June that they plan on releasing annual story expansions for Starfield for "hopefully a very long time."
Howard explained that Bethesda wants to take its time in developing new games and managing existing franchises to better uphold the standards set by previous titles. "We just want to get it right and make sure that everything we’re doing in a franchise, whether it’s Elder Scrolls or Fallout or now Starfield, that those become meaningful moments for everybody who loves these franchises as much as we do," Howard said.
Bethesda is no stranger to long-development cycles. The Elder Scrolls VI entered pre-production in 2018, but was confirmed by Bethesda’s head of publishing, Pete Hines, to still be in its "early development stages." Howard then confirmed to IGN that Fallout 5 will be next in line once The Elder Scrolls VI releases. Given this, fans may need to exercise patience, as Bethesda's roadmap suggests these two titles will likely precede any further development on Starfield.
Inferring from Xbox's Phil Spencer's 2023 comment that The Elder Scrolls VI was "at least five years out," we can expect a 2026 release at the earliest. If Fallout 5 follows a similar development cycle, it's likely that we won't see a new Starfield game until the mid-2030.
For now, the idea of Starfield 2 remains speculative, but fans can take solace in the fact that Howard plans to not abandon Starfield. Starfield's DLC, Shattered Space, released on September 30, addressing some of the original game's issues. More DLC is planned for the coming years, as fans await the potential release of Starfield 2.
