Starfield it’s a huge game, but some are complaining that some of the planets of the more than a thousand explorables appear empty. Bethesda, however, explained that this is something intentional, because in space not all planets can seem like amusement parks.
Question of verisimilitude
Starfield tries to be realistic in its depiction of the planets
The topic was touched upon by Bethesda managing director Ashley Cheng, who underlined how Bethesda has tried to balance fun with verisimilitude. So, not all planets “are Disney World” Cheng said in an interview with the New York Times.
Another of the explanations given for the emptiness of some planets is that they serve to keep expectations at bay, emphasizing theimmensity of space versus the smallness of the player: “The point of the immensity of space is that it’s supposed to make you feel small. It’s supposed to feel overwhelming. Everyone worries that empty planets are boring, but when astronauts went to the Moon, there wasn’t ‘It was nothing. They definitely weren’t bored.’
In short, Bethesda seems to have added planets without activities specifically to make space exploration more realistic, moving it away from the stereotypes seen in other games. The objective seems to be to make people perceive the immensity of the cosmos and the distances that separate the celestial bodies, as well as the emptiness of human life in comparison to everything. Of course, the game is also full of planets that offer tons of activities, so we can consider this a thoughtful, almost expressive choice that many simply didn’t understand.
For the rest, we remind you that Starfield is currently available in early access on PC and Xbox Series The game will be unlocked for everyone starting September 6, 2023.
