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Starfield 2 will probably never happen because the first game wasn’t ‘anywhere near successful enough’
Starfield 2 is unlikely to happen because the original game reportedly failed to achieve the level of commercial success Bethesda would require for a sequel. Kurt Kuhlmann, a former Starfield systems designer, told FRVR that the game was “anywhere near successful enough” to justify a follow-up, despite Bethesda’s efforts to improve it after launch.
Kuhlmann said a sequel could have benefited from lessons learned during development, particularly by creating a more coherent experience. He argued that Starfield combined planetary exploration, storytelling, character interactions, ship customisation and base building without integrating them deeply, with base building also posing similar challenges in Fallout 4. The article additionally criticises Bethesda’s tendency to pursue an all-encompassing game design in which separate activities and player choices have limited impact on one another.
In short
- Starfield reportedly lacked the commercial success needed for a sequel.
- Former designer Kurt Kuhlmann believes a sequel could improve substantially.
- The game’s many systems were criticised as disconnected and insufficiently deep.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A sequel could be justified because Starfield's problems were execution-related rather than fundamental to the franchise. The game sold millions of copies and established an IP foundation; the fragmented design of its various systems—exploration, storytelling, customisation and base-building—represents a fixable issue that a thoughtfully developed sequel could rectify. Bethesda's experience developing these systems provides valuable lessons, and many successful franchises have recovered from weaker entries with better design coherence and narrative integration.
The case against
Commercial underperformance is clear market feedback that this design philosophy doesn't work, making investment in a sequel economically irrational. The fragmentation of Starfield's systems mirrors problems in other Bethesda games, suggesting institutional design challenges rather than issues a sequel would solve. Resources directed toward attempting to salvage an underperforming franchise would be better spent on new, more coherent projects, and without evidence of fundamental change in Bethesda's development approach, continuing investment would represent unjustified optimism.
Explained simply
Bethesda is the game studio behind Starfield, a science-fiction role-playing game released in 2023. Players explore a large fictional galaxy, meet characters, follow a story and take part in activities such as customising ships and building bases.
Kurt Kuhlmann, who worked on the game as a systems designer, has discussed how its different activities fit together. Starfield’s mix of exploration, storytelling and building reflects a broad approach also seen in Bethesda’s Fallout games, but critics have questioned whether these parts feel sufficiently connected.
A sequel would need to justify the cost and effort of making it, including by attracting enough players and sales. How well the original performed commercially, and what Bethesda learned from making it, are therefore relevant to whether the series continues.
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