The actor playing the Adoring Fan character in Starfield, who made a brief appearance during last week’s Starfield Direct, has been revealed to be Craig Sechler. Starfield Direct, Bethesda’s 45-minute demonstration of everything Starfield has to offer, immediately followed the Xbox Games Showcase.Starfield is Bethesda Game Studios' first original intellectual property in over 25 years and its first single-player release since Fallout 4 in 2015. Pitched as “Skyrim in space” by game director Todd Howard, who was also the director of The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Starfield is a first-person RPG. Players are tasked with finding pieces of an ancient relic while traversing thousands of planets, building custom spaceships, and assembling a crew. If fans watching the Starfield Direct had any doubts whether it contained a direct reference to the Adoring Fan from Oblivion, Jez Corden confirmed that the actor who originally voiced the character has returned to play Starfield’s version of the Adoring Fan. The tweet included a video showing actor Craig Sechler wearing a spiky bright blond wig as he watches the Adoring Fan’s scene as shown in the Direct. “By Azura, by Azura by Azura…I’m back,” says Sechler about a quarter of the way through the nearly 40-second video, thus confirming that he is indeed reprising his role as the odd yet beloved character.
Fans of The Elder Scrolls series might remember the Adoring Fan character from The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion. He was a Wood Elf who becomes a massive fan of the player's character after watching the player complete the Arena quest line wherein the player had to compete in a series of gladiatorial bouts. If the player accepts the Adoring Fan’s request to become a follower, the Adoring Fan will accompany the player on missions. That would be useful if only the Adoring Fan didn’t run away at the first sign of danger. The Adoring Fan has become something of a meme among Elder Scrolls fans, which is likely why he’s made his way into Starfield, though it’s likely not the exact same character as seen in Oblivion.
Game director Todd Howard claimed Starfield is “five or six” games in one in an interview immediately following the June 11th Direct. For as packed with features as Starfield currently seems to be, some fans were dismayed by the choice to have the game run at 30 FPS rather than something higher like 60 FPS for a smoother gaming experience.
Starfield is due for release on PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 6, 2023.