Bethesda's Todd Howard Responds to Starfield Criticisms

Bethesda Game Studios executive producer Todd Howard addressed the criticisms of players left disappointed by Starfield. Since its release in 2023, the open-world sci-fi RPG has had trouble reaching the same level of universal acclaim as previous Bethesda titles, with longtime fans of the developer still divided on their opinions regarding their experience. While some enjoyed their playthrough of the title, other players found issues with several elements of Starfield's design and have not been shy of criticizing its developer for its perceived shortcomings.

At the time of writing, Starfield's Steam overall reviews are hovering at a «Mixed» rating of 61%, and its Xbox Games store page retains an average review score of 3.4/5 stars. Though the game is far from an outright critical or financial failure, scores indicated that Starfield players are nevertheless finding it difficult to fall in love with the IP in the same way fans did with Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls or Fallout series. The criticisms of Starfield focus on a variety of issues, but a sizable portion of negative reviews were directed at the game's setting. Users claimed the title lacked a strong creative vision and engaging narrative, with some further stating that it failed to innovate on Bethesda's established formula.

Now, over half a year after its release, Howard discussed the polarized reception for Starfield during an interview with Greg Miller at Kinda Funny Games. When asked how the studio responded to some of the negative reviews, the Bethesda executive first assured fans that developers were listening closely to their feedback. He stated that they understood why some fans were disappointed that Starfield didn't offer the same flavor of exploration as previous Bethesda games.

Howard additionally sympathized with players who were excited to land and explore Starfield's various planets but emphasized that the developers' vision for a sci-fi video game necessitated certain trade-offs. He further