Starfield is the first new IP from the creative team at Bethesda responsible for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises in quite some time. It’s safe to say that based on the sales numbers and positive reviews, although mixed, this will become a franchise too. It’s probably going to be a decade-plus before a numbered sequel comes out since Bethesda’s next big project will be The Elder Scrolls 6 though.
Starfield: Things to Do First
When it comes to things players can do in Starfield, the sky’s the limit, but here’s what to prioritize before embarking on the intergalactic journey.
That doesn’t mean Starfield fans will have to wait a decade to get more action in this new universe. Bethesda could partner up with other studios who also know a thing or two about space for some spinoffs. These are just a few ideas.
8 Amplitude Studios
Amplitude Studios is the indie developer that worked on the Endless Space series. These two games were a mixture of strategy games, RTS games, and roguelikes. Starfield’s ship-building mechanics could have been better with the amount of detail this series provided fans although they did come with a learning curve.
Amplitude Studios has their hands seemingly full with Endless Dungeon at the moment which is sort of like a spiritual sequel but with a more action-based concept. A collaboration with Microsoft on a Starfield spinoff could be the perfect thing for them to jump into next though.
7 Level-5
Level-5 is a Japanese company that has worked on a myriad of original and licensed-based titles like Dragon Quest. One of their original games was Rogue Galaxy on the PS2 and despite the name, it was not a roguelike. It was a space-fairing adventure with action gameplay and a cel-shaded art style.
It may be a bit outside the realm of possibility to get Level-5 onboard since they haven’t worked “in space” for about a decade. However, Microsoft is seemingly always trying to get more Japanese studios to work with the Xbox brand, so this is not the weirdest collaboration.
6 Monolith Soft
Microsoft, or at least Phil Spencer, seems pretty keen on buying Nintendo one day. That’s probably why Microsoft has been friendly with Nintendo regarding some of its properties like porting the Ori games to Switch.
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Starfield is never going to run on Switch, but Monolith Soft, the developers behind the Xeno franchise, could do a spinoff for the console. Before Xenoblade Chronicles, its predecessor Xenosaga was all about space albeit in a weirdly pseudo-religious fashion with mechs and aliens. Maybe it’s time Monolith Soft finally returns to space proper.
5 Obsidian Entertainment
Obsidian Entertainment made one of the best games based on another Bethesda RPG series, Fallout, via Fallout: New Vegas. Fans debate on whether that game or Fallout 3 is the superior title, but the point is Obsidian Entertainment did great work on the spinoff. They made another big splash with their original title, The Outer Worlds.
They even announced a sequel to it which only exists as a glorified teaser trailer at the moment. It doesn’t seem possible for them to jump into a Starfield spinoff because The Outer Worlds is also a space RPG, but stranger things have happened.
4 PlatinumGames
PlatinumGames co-developed a DS game with Nude Maker right when they were first starting in the late 2000s. It was called Infinite Space and it was a tactical RPG. The aesthetic of the characters mirrored that of many Japanese RPGs at the time like the Tales franchise. However, these characters did not fight battles personally and instead used their ships to do the talking.
This would be another way for Starfield to enter the tactical RPG genre but with a more Japanese flair instead of a Western one via Amplitude Studios. It may not directly be the sequel to Infinite Space that fans have been dying for but it could be close gameplay-wise.
3 Square Enix
This is going to be an odd pick, but the team at Square Enix responsible for Kingdom Hearts should jump into this one. In the majority of the series, players can fly a spaceship called a Gummi Ship in-between worlds. There are also shooter segments reminiscent of Star Fox and other 3D shooters of the 90s and early 2000s and they are quite fun.
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Players can even build their own ships by using blueprints based on classic Square Enix creations like Cactuars or go freehand. It’s kind of like building LEGO models and this more cartoon-like style could be good for younger audiences to get engaged with Starfield.
2 Striking Distance Studios
Striking Distance Studios was formed with the sole intent of creating a spiritual successor to Dead Space. A lot of this team left EA to make The Callisto Protocol and the similarities between the two games are staggering.
It’s unknown if Striking Distance Studios will ever make a sequel to The Callisto Protocol since reviews and sales were mixed. Perhaps the studio could stay afloat if they partnered with Bethesda and made a spinoff to Starfield. Perhaps this spinoff could explore a more horrific side to the alien creatures already present in the main game.
1 tri-Ace
tri-Ace is a studio within Square Enix primarily responsible for the Star Ocean series. Their next entry is going to be a remake of the second game using the HD-2D aesthetic made famous by Octopath Traveler.
As the name implies, Star Ocean is a series of action RPGs surrounding space explorers going to other planets and dealing with local conflicts. There isn’t a lot of space exploration in each game as there is typically one planet, but that could change. This could be another studio to give Starfield that anime/Japanese edge which could get others into the series.
Starfield was released on September 6, 2023, and is available on PC and Xbox Series X.