Starfield developer Emil Pagliarulo has recently lamented that gamers are often disconnected from game development, yet they speak as if they had “complete authority” on the subject. These remarks appear in the context of the Starfield criticism that has been more prevalent as of late. Gamers have been complaining about the lack of city maps in Starfield, space exploration being done via fast travel, and other shortcomings in the game.
While Starfield is a fairly big hit, it’s undeniable that it’s a divisive game. The initial reception of the game was positive. However, after three months, many gamers have already abandoned Starfield and the title’s overall reception on Steam, for example, is mixed, with only 52% positive reviews at the time of this report.
Now, the Studio Design Director at Bethesda and Starfield developer Emil Pagliarulo said on social media that most gamers make assumptions about game design while being fully disconnected from how games are actually made. To illustrate his point, Pagliarulo jokingly said he could guess how a Hostess Twinkie was made, but he didn’t really know the specifics, as he never worked in a factory. While the developer acknowledged that gamers can have negative opinions about games, he stated that his opinions greatly changed after he started working in the industry. According to Pagliarulo, “video game development is a series of concessions and tough decisions. There's that perfect game you want to make... And then there's the game you can make.” So, in Pagliarulo’s view, nobody sets out to make a bad video game. Artists, designers, and programmers simply do their best with the resources they currently have while dealing with stuff like looming deadlines and devs being shuffled around.
Video game development is a series of concessions and tough decisions. There's that perfect game you WANT to make... And then there's the game you CAN make.
While Emil does not directly cite Starfield in his thread, it’s understandable that some of the criticism may be aimed at some of Starfield’s most vocal detractors. Not only has Bethesda been responding to negative Starfield user reviews lately, but it’s also not hard to find people criticizing the game in forums or social media, and a fair share of them are not very polite.
Apart from their current opinion about the development of Starfield, fans will be pleased to know that Bethesda keeps working to improve its space exploration RPG. Earlier this week, Bethesda revealed that Starfield will add new features soon, including the highly requested city maps, mod support, and even "new ways of traveling."
Starfield
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 83%
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
