Starfield is Bethesda's upcoming space-set RPG, set to release before The Elder Scrolls 6. Based on what's been leaked about the new IP so far, the sci-fi game's features could have some big implications for the future of other Bethesda franchises like The Elder Scrolls.
However, Bethesda needs to avoid letting Starfield's broad horizons limit The Elder Scrolls 6. While this may seem counterintuitive, it is possible that the breadth of Starfield's experimentation with new features could prove detrimental if Bethesda tries to transfer all of those systems or design concepts to the next Elder Scrolls game. Here's how that could happen, and why the studio needs to tread carefully.
Starfield's Features
Several screenshots have been leaked since Starfield's announcement in 2018 that hint at some of the features fans can expect to see in-game. An initial leak of three images to Reddit showed an in-game UI with a compass, which had Oxygen and C02 levels, and what appeared to be a meter for measuring gravity. Right away this indicates that Starfield will have some survival features in the game from the get-go, unlike most Bethesda games where survival mechanics are usually among the first features added by the modding community.
The gravity meter also suggests that Starfield's physics will be more complex than previous open-world Bethesda RPGs. The images also show a spaceship and a building which appear to be constructed using several distinct modules. This has led many fans to speculate that Starfield will expand upon some of the settlement building mechanics found in Fallout 4, potentially integrating them more vitally into the base game.
Experimentation And The Elder Scrolls 6
There are solid reasons to believe that many of the mechanics developed in Starfield will be returning in The Elder Scrolls. For starters, it has already been suggested that The Elder Scrolls 6 will have survival mechanics in its retail release. After the development of settlement building from Skyrim's Hearthfire DLC to Fallout 76, it also seems likely that a Fallout 4-style building system will be making a return, after undergoing significant changes in Starfield.
Todd Howard also mentioned at Brighton Digital 2020 that both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 would make extensive use of procedural generation to create landscapes. In theory, this would allow for the creation of larger worlds and in particular more realistically sized cities than those seen in past Bethesda RPGs.
All of this makes it seem like Starfield will, in part, be used to perfect some of the features which will eventually be seen in The Elder Scrolls 6. As the studio's first new IP in 25 years, Starfield offers a unique opportunity for such experimentation. However, just because Starfield offers Bethesda an opportunity to refine its survival and base-building mechanics, that does not mean that all of the features developed for or ironed out in Starfield should be making an appearance in The Elder Scrolls 6.
In fact, there's a risk that if too many of Starfield's features end up in The Elder Scrolls in some form or another, Bethesda Game Studios will have missed a vital opportunity to develop a broader range of games than it currently does. The Elder Scrolls and Fallout may take place in very different settings, but for years now Bethesda has relied upon two RPG franchises with the same engines, first-person perspectives, and basic design principles.
Starfield doesn't need to be a stepping stone to The Elder Scrolls 6. Bethesda could integrate its survival and base-building features into Starfield to an extent that would never work in The Elder Scrolls. Starfield has the potential to feel like a totally fresh experience, not another classic first-person, open-world Bethesda RPG shifted to a new setting.
If both Starfield and The Elder Scrolls 6 are going to live up to each game's full potential, Bethesda needs to be ready to accept that there will be some features which work well in Starfield, but should not be transferred over to The Elder Scrolls 6. If Starfield runs with base building as a core mechanic, that does not mean that building should be as central to the next Elder Scrolls, no matter how well-developed a feature it ends up being in Starfield, for example.
As a new IP Starfield isn't just an opportunity for experimentation at Bethesda, but an opportunity for diversification. Starfield may give fans an inkling as to what lies ahead for The Elder Scrolls, but Bethesda needs to let both games lean into their own strengths independently.
The Elder Scrolls 6 is in development.