Starfield has become one of the most anticipated games planned for release in 2023. The first new IP for Bethesda Game Studios in 25 years, director and executive producer Todd Howard has described Starfield as Skyrim in space, occurring 300 years in the future. While the bulk of the game is set to take place in a region of space light-years from Earth called the Settled Systems, recent reports revealed that players would return to Earth; for now, questions like what Earth will be like and how it will look are left for players to ponder.
Howard has stated that exploration lies at the heart of Starfield, with the game containing two step-out moments for players to take in the wonder surrounding them. He likens this to those who have had the opportunity to experience accurate spaceflight, observing the majestic qualities of Earth as a blue orb in a sea of darkness. To that end, Bethesda toured SpaceX for inspiration in designing the world and technology of the game, also consulting with Elon Musk on the logistics and physics of space.
The Philosophy of Starfield
The two step-out moments that Howard has described are to represent the ideas of humanity stepping out into the stars, as space is seen as the final frontier for humanity to conquer. Building off his visit to SpaceX, Bethesda designed the technology and aesthetic of Starfield to be as realistic as possible to what humanity now has at its disposal for life in space. Todd Howard actively wanted to avoid flashy, futuristic technology (though it has its presence), instead grounding the future technology of the game in the sense of gritty realism.
This realism is further inspired by Howard's visits to the Air and Space Museum, where he would observe the technology of flight and how it ends up in space. Additionally, he spent time examining physics, inspiring aspects of Starfield. However, Howard was sure to clarify that it did not influence significant decisions. With reports that Starfield players will visit Earth and Mars, it will be interesting to see their current state in the game and how humankind's earliest philosophies of space and eventual expansion to the stars have left the planets.
While the trip to SpaceX helped inspire the design for space, space travel, space stations, exoplanets, and colonies, the string that ties them all together is the idea of humans as a space-faring species. The game has been described as dark and philosophical, posing long-lasting, thought-provoking questions to players about what is next for humanity and mankind's subsequent role in the future.
Howard has promised answers to these philosophical questions within Starfield if players seek them out, detailing the sense of agency that players have to do what they want. While there is a narrative thread and story that ties to these philosophies, it remains a mystery what role the origins of Earth and the early days of space travel will have overall. From recent reports, it's been indicated that there are artifacts on Earth for players to explore, so some have assumed that the building blocks are there for the broader narrative.
What Happened to Earth's Solar System?
Bethesda recently released Constellation Questions: Talking Starfield Quests with Will Shen, the lead quest designer on the game. Shen is known in the Bethesda community as the lead designer for Fallout 4's DLC Far Harbor, which received acclaim from critics and fans. During the interview, Shen reveals that players will be given quests to return to humanity's own Solar System and explore Earth's artifacts, discovering what happened to humanity's home planet and how these artifacts fit into the story.
Shen also detailed how Mars will be explorable, where players can visit an ancient settlement called Cydonia, built in the early days of human space exploration. Cydonia will be populated, containing people with problems with which players can interact. This led the conversation to the discussion of procedurally generated quests, like the Radiant Quests of Skyrim; however, the technological advancements of the last decade have significantly improved the experiences and investigations that will be generated.
Shen explains that these quests can occur on all planets at any given time, presumably meaning Earth is in rotation for such investigations. While more information hasn't been revealed on how this looks for Earth, perhaps these procedurally generated quests will flesh out Earth's story in the overarching narrative. This could tie in nicely with the artifact quests that seem part of the main quest line and hopefully will provide players with satisfying answers to how Earth looks, feels, and whatever its current state is.
What Will Earth Look Like?
Howard and Shen have not divulged much on how Earth will look in Starfield. During his interview, Shen referred to Cydonia on Mars as being ancient, which generates endless possibilities of what Earth itself may entail. Since players are now aware that Earth will contain artifacts that tie into the story, the implication is that Earth may be abandoned, allowing nature to reclaim the planet.
Since many of the planets have been hand-crafted, it's entirely possible that the look of Earth in Starfield received the same treatment, especially if the main narratives are tied to the location. If nature has reclaimed humanity's home, players could see a world of metal and technology overgrown with lush and dense foliage, animals new and old, and perhaps even groups of humans that have survived since the bulk of humanity left.
However, Earth could be a devastated wasteland, a factor that may have forced humanity to seek life out among the stars. Since Bethesda is popularly known for Fallout, an apocalypse like this wouldn't be hard to believe. Just as Obsidian's The Outer Worlds was considered a spiritual successor to Fallout: New Vegas, Starfield could operate as a descendant of Fallout 3 and 4 for Bethesda.
Starfield releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.