Starfield only became “fun to play as late as last year,” explains Todd Howard in interview

After having initially been announced during the 2018 E3 event, most people were immediately sold on the idea of Starfield, a sprawling, interplanetary saga featuring thousands of planets and extraterrestrial personalities. Naturally, eager gamers looking to get their hands on the open space RPG immediately began pleading with developers for its release. Instead of an early launch, however, fans were greeted with a handful of delays – difficult production decisions that may have been for the best as game director Todd Howard has stated that the game only became enjoyable in the past year.

In an interview with British GQ, Howard admitted that Starfield “only clicked into feeling fun to play as late as last year,” so the constant launch window postponements were a necessary evil in avoiding another Fallout 76 fiasco. “I thought we would find the answers faster,” he said, after which he revealed that most of the delays had to do with improving “the game flow.” “We whittle away on these lumps of clay, and make them better. But there’s a magic to that.”

Even though the end product is finally in sight and a Starfield release date has now been provided, the lead-up to its long-awaited launch required the developers to put in a ton of blood, sweat, and tears to mould the game into what it is now. With Bethesda having had to start from scratch in creating all of the content within the game, statements from design director Emil Pagliarulo revealed that it was years before Starfield actually started taking shape. “When you’re making a lot of content and you can’t see the work on the screen, it’s really hard,” Howard added.

Fortunately, despite all of the obstacles, hardships, and minor mishaps the developers experienced, their labor of love is now shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of all-time. Now, all you have to do is remain patient for a little while longer until you can start exploring the Settled Systems in all its wonder for yourself. While you wait, though, check out our guides on the Starfield Freestar Collective faction, the Starfield Gagarin planet, the best laptop for Starfield and the Starfield Ryujin Industries in the meantime.

About the Author

Nico Vergara

Nico Vergara is a Trends Writer for VideoGamer.com. When not writing about or playing RPGs, he spends time playing basketball, watching the latest movies, and brooding about his favorite sports teams.

Starfield

• Platform(s): PC, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
• Genre(s): Adventure, RPG, Science Fiction, Space