With this fall marking the second anniversary of Bethesda’s much-discussed Starfield, it’s worth pondering the IP’s ongoing potential. Bethesda has intimated that it plans to spin Starfield into a longer series, possibly with the intention of making it a third franchise pillar alongside Fallout and The Elder Scrolls.
It will definitely be interesting to see how this shakes out, as Starfield has enjoyed a very different sort of reputation than Bethesda’s other leading franchises. Indeed, the space-faring open-world epic has proven to be surprisingly contentious, surrounded by a cloud of disillusionment as many criticize its mechanics and spartan approach to world design. In short, there’s not as much fervor about the potential for a new Starfield game as there is about The Elder Scrolls 6 or Fallout 5. In fact, some would argue that Fallout is the superior alternative to Starfield, as it leverages sci-fi concepts in a more compelling, energetic open-world. Whether such a claim has merit is a subjective matter, but there’s a strong case to be made in the more recent IP’s favor: Starfield might have more potential for long-term growth than Fallout.
How Starfield Can Take from Fallout to Achieve Lift-Off
Starfield may not have yet reached the heights of the stratosphere in terms of reception, but it could follow a trail blazed by Fallout in one way.
The Starfield Franchise Has More Room To Grow than Fallout
Fallout Is On a Tighter Leash Than Starfield
While it’s easy to criticize Starfield’s somewhat toothless sci-fi worldbuilding in comparison to Fallout’s iconic lore, one pragmatic point is undeniable: Starfield’s premise is more receptive to expansion and reinterpretation. Not only is the world of Fallout restrained by geography, with the series’ story being unmistakably America-centric, but also by time.
The Fallout franchise is all about re-emerging onto a barren world that has been destroyed by nuclear warfare. Though perhaps even more transformative than the bombs themselves are the centuries succeeding them, during which the dregs of civilization began to rebuild and redefine culture, community, and day-to-day life. There is civilization in the Fallout universe, but it’s characterized by strife, scarcity, and, at many times, mortal danger.
Such a civilization has an expiration date. After so many generations of rebuilding, the residents of Fallout’s United States can either take the next step toward more advanced agriculture, industry, innovation, and comfort, or they can regress to a more barbaric culture, their desire to nurture their self determination overrun by the need to survive. Either way, this post-war civilization can’t remain the same indefinitely, and this means that the Fallout games can only go so far into the future before they become unrecognizable.
Starfield Has a Galaxy of Potential
Much has been said about Starfield’s absurdly large open-world, and not all of it has been good. True, having more than 1,000 procedurally generated planets to explore does make exploration feel trite and bland at times, but this ambition speaks to the broader growth potential of Starfield; the series isn’t limited to just one location or era.
While the comparatively restrained setting of Fallout necessarily limits the kinds of stories Bethesda can tell under the franchise umbrella, Starfield represents limitless potential. The first Starfield may have focused on the Starborn, but future games could hone in on other conflicts unique to the high sci-fi premise. For example, a Starfield sequel could center on a rebellion at a remote resource-gathering planet, or a scandal of corruption during the height of New Atlantis’ political power. Because the in-a-nutshell narrative framework of Starfield is so much broader than Fallout’s, it doesn’t need to be tethered to a particular locale or time period.
Like with many other parts of Starfield’s design, this strength could be best realized through a bit of creative restraint. Bethesda seemingly wanted to give players the definitive space RPG with the first Starfield, focusing on scale and freedom while neglecting other essential facets of the game’s design; if sequels could instead focus on story and gameplay, offering only a few curated, dense, and relevant planets for exploration, then the series could make the most of its broad-strokes setup.
Starfield
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
WHERE TO PLAY
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.
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- yes
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- File Size Xbox Series
- 101 GB (September 2023)
