Summary
- Starfield's lack of graphic violence was an intentional choice largely due to technical issues.
- It also wouldn't fit Starfield's tone, said Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked at Bethesda on Starfield and Fallout 4.
Starfield was originally planned to include more intense violence, but a former Bethesda artist has revealed that the studio chose to dial it back. While Bethesda's first-person shooters like Fallout are known for their gore, Starfield takes a different approach. The decision to limit graphic violence was deliberate, despite initial plans to the contrary.
Violence still plays a significant role in Starfield, with gunplay and melee combat being central to the gameplay. Many players consider Starfield's combat mechanics to be an improvement over those in Fallout 4, with enhanced shooting and melee systems. However, the studio ultimately decided to reduce the graphic nature of this violence.
Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked on both Starfield and Fallout 4 at Bethesda, shared insights on the game's violence during an interview with the Kiwi Talkz podcast on YouTube. He explained that the initial plan included decapitations and other kill animations, but technical challenges arose. The variety of suits and helmets in Starfield made it difficult to animate such violent scenes realistically without encountering bugs. Given the game's persistent technical issues even after multiple updates, avoiding further graphical complications seems to have been a wise decision.
Starfield Cut Decapitations for Technical and Tonal Reasons
The decision to remove graphic violence from Starfield wasn't solely due to technical difficulties. Mejillones highlighted that the gore in Fallout contributes to its humorous tone, which doesn't align with Starfield's more serious and realistic sci-fi atmosphere. Although Starfield occasionally nods to Bethesda's more lighthearted and violent games, such as the recent addition of Doom-inspired content, it generally maintains a more subdued and grounded feel. Over-the-top executions, while potentially thrilling, might have disrupted the game's immersion.
Fans have expressed a desire for more realism in Starfield, particularly noting the game's nightclubs as feeling tame compared to other gritty sci-fi titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect. Adding exaggerated violence could have further detracted from the game's sense of realism. Ultimately, Bethesda's choice to tone down the gore in Starfield, even if it deviates from the studio's previous shooter trends, appears to have been the right move.
