Starfield is set to release in the first half of 2023, so excitement continues to grow as the New Year finally arrives. While only a small amount of game footage has been shared, Starfield's story has been kept even close to the chest, with only tiny elements revealed. However, Direct and Executive Producer of Bethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard, has announced the inspiration for Starfield came from several older video games, all of which may provide clues to the influence on the game's narrative.
The first new IP for Bethesda in 25 years, Starfield promises to be a thrilling adventure into the future of space exploration, which has been guaranteed to be at the heart of the game. Howard has further stated the game will contain two step-out moments, where players will take in the wonder and awe of the surrounding universe and cosmos. This is in line with Starfield's philosophical elements of the game, which aim to explore humanity among the stars, what's next for the human species, and what it comes next.
Starfield's Setting and Story
Starfield is set within fifty light-years of Earth, in the Settled Worlds, which feature expansive planets and cities rivaling the size of Skyrim's map. Two major factions - the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective - are in the midst of a Cold War. The player is independent of these factions at first, instead part of a group called Constellation, which aims to explore and understand the Milky Way.
A tenuous relationship currently exists between the two factions in the year 2310 following a Colony War between the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective 20 years prior. While the player can continue exploring the mysteries of the Cosmos through Constellation, their paths will ultimately lead them to the Settled Worlds. Once there, players will be forced to make decisions with major consequences.
Dispersed throughout the solar systems of Starfield are other factions who exert their ambitions, as well as dangers that can entice players to join and rise through the ranks. These factions also follow the idea of player agency, and it's been revealed that players can balance their roles within the many factions, though they can't end up the head of every one. While not all factions are known, some have been revealed, such as the Crimson Fleet, Ryujin Industries, Xenofresh Corporation, and House Va'Ruun.
Similarities in Starfield's Video Game Inspirations
Howard has recently revealed to fans that several older video games influenced Starfield, such as Traveller (which Howard wrote based on the game Traveller from 1977), Starflight, Star Control 2, and Sundog: Frozen Legacy. Many of these games share overlapping features with each other, with similarities quickly gleaned from what is known about Starfield. For example, Starflight consists of 270 star systems, each with anywhere from zero to eight planets, for a total of 800 to explore. This is similar to Starfield's hundreds of star systems with over 1000 explorable planets.
Almost all of these older games place exploration at their heart, which Starfield shares. These games' recurring story beats and themes involve aligning with different factions and searching and collecting minerals and resources to upgrade spaceships or mine for crafting, just like in Starfield. Star Control 2 provides players with information regarding a war between the Alliance and the Free Stars, similar to Starfield's war between the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective.
The Traveller game from 1977, which heavily influenced Howard into creating his own Traveller game, involves the Ancients, whose artifacts dot the planets throughout multiple star systems, including Earth, where they transported humans to dozens of different worlds for unknown reasons. This bares similarities to the recently announced information from lead quest designer on Starfield, Will Shen, who stated players would return to Earth to hunt artifacts involved with the main quests, discovering what happened to humanity's homeworld.
While all these similarities can't predict the story for Starfield, their influences can already be seen and felt and can lead fans to speculate and ponder on a grand scale what the story might contain. For example, players may discover that humans have been transplanted to different worlds like Traveller, or they may learn that there is a lost civilization whose artifacts they must discover to place humanity at the center of organized space exploration, ensuring humanity's survival. Only time will tell, and with 2023 here, hopefully the answers will be forthcoming soon.
Starfield releases in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.