Starfieldis the upcoming space-set RPG in development at Bethesda Game Studios. Not much is known about the new IP, though Todd Howard has commented that the game will make extensive use of procedural generation to create a large in-game world to explore, implying that the game will take place over several planets.
Starfieldis set to release beforeThe Elder Scrolls 6, and as a new IP is one of the developers' riskier outings in recent memory. It’s currently unknown what sort of NPCs will populateStarfield’s galaxy, what themes it will tackle, and which works have had the biggest influence on the game and its story. However, in the likely outcome thatStarfieldincludes several different alien races, Bethesda has a chance to break the genre’s mold with the design of those aliens to help distinguish itself from the competition.
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What We Know About Starfield So Far
Starfieldwill be the firstnew IP BethesdaGames Studios has worked on directly in decades, with the studio having relied on the hugely successfulElder ScrollsandFalloutfranchises for years. Little is known about the new game other than that it will be a space-faring RPG. Leaked images ofStarfieldappear to show a spaceship, a third-person perspective, and a UI which includes potential survival elements like oxygen and CO2 levels. However, none of the details seen in the leaks have been confirmed by Bethesda. Even if the leaks are real, the third-person perspective in the screenshot might not be the primary viewpoint of the game, and any other elements are still subject to change as development goes on.
What is known, however, is that years ago Bethesda purchased the rights to make aStar Trekgame which never came to fruition, the plans for which likely had an influence onStarfield. This makes it seem likely thatStarfieldwill include alien species. Adding to that possibility is the fact that Bethesda will likely need NPCs to fill outStarfield’s apparently large in-game world, a task which will be considerably more difficult without aliens. Despite the lack of aliens in the leaks, ifStarfield’s planets are just populated by human visitors the game’s galaxy could feel empty and unworthy of exploration.
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Humanoid Aliens
Starfield’s aliensshould not follow inStar Trek’s footsteps.Star Trekwas limited by the technology of its time, creating so many races of suspiciously humanoid aliens to accommodate the show’s makeup and costuming budget that the storytellers even had to come up with an in-universe reason that the Alpha Quadrant was so packed with life resembling Earth’s. AfterThe Original Series, however, humanoid aliens would continue to be a part of the franchise’s charm. Humanoid aliens and the idea that alien life would look broadly humanoid would then go on to influence the design of sci-fi series likeMass Effect, despite its aliens not being limited by the human actors portraying them in the same way the originalStar Trekaliens were.
Starfieldmay have a huge number ofsci-fi serieslikeStar Trek to look at as inspiration, but as a new IP Bethesda should take advantage of the greatly advanced technology available to the studio when making its aliens, and the freedom which comes from not needing human actors to portray them physically.Starfield’s aliens could vary drastically from humans, forcing players to confront totally new forms of life than the relatively comfortable humanoid forms present in much of the genre.Through this,Starfieldcould create a game world full of opportunities for exploration which also cause the player to ask real questions about the different ways life might manifest.
This would fit with other parts ofStarfield’s aesthetics as well. While not much is known about the game’s visual design beyond what appears to be true from theleakedStarfieldimages, it is known that developers toured SpaceX when looking for influences. This suggests that the game will attempt to present a far-flung but aesthetically realistic portrayal of space travel, a visual realism which, if applied to the game’s alien races, could help distinguish the game from many other entries in the sci-fi genre. This would be particularly true ifStarfield’s aliens aren’t portrayed as villainous, which is the usual role non-humanoid aliens likeMass Effect’s Reapers and Rachni have fulfilled.
Bethesda’s Competition
Creating a strikingly distinct aesthetic for Starfield could be particularly important for Bethesda considering BioWare’s recent double-down on theMass Effectfranchise. Between the new upcoming chapter in theMass Effectseries and the remasteredMass Effect: Legendary Edition, RPG fans who prefer the traditionalStar Trek-style of aliens will have plenty of places to go ifStarfielddoesn’t distinguish its design or encourage players to ask new questions about life and variety of ways it might be able to manifest.
However, creating non-humanoid aliens could also presentStarfieldwith a big challenge. Non-humanoid aliens would be a very difficult to convert into playable species ifStarfieldhas that as an element of its customization, whereas humanoid aliens would likely fit the mold far easier when it comes to things like armor design, perspective, and fitting into the game’s interior spaces. Playable alien races would be another way forStarfieldto differentiate itself from sci-fiRPGs likeMass Effect, though the success ofMass Effectalso shows that playable alien options aren’t necessary for strong sci-fi storytelling in video games.
In any case,Starfieldwill need to distinguish itself from previousBethesda RPGsand the sci-fi competition if it’s going to hit the ground running. If players are going to have a true incentive to explore the galaxy, Bethesda should populate it with alien species who sometimes look, communicate, and act drastically differently from humans. Only then will the new game feel like it’s exploring new territory, not just new space.
Starfieldis in development at Bethesda Game Studios and currently has no release date.
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