With this fall marking the second anniversary of Bethesda’s much-discussedStarfield, it’s worth pondering the IP’s ongoing potential. Bethesda has intimated that it plans to spinStarfieldinto a longer series, possibly with the intention of making it a third franchise pillar alongsideFalloutandThe Elder Scrolls.
It will definitely be interesting to see how this shakes out, asStarfieldhas enjoyed a very different sort of reputation than Bethesda’s other leading franchises. Indeed, the space-faring open-world epic has proven to be surprisingly contentious, surrounded by a cloud of disillusionment as many criticize its mechanics and spartan approach to world design. In short, there’s not as much fervor about the potential for a newStarfieldgame as there is aboutThe Elder Scrolls 6orFallout 5. In fact, some would argue thatFalloutis the superior alternative toStarfield, as it leverages sci-fi concepts in a more compelling, energetic open-world. Whether such a claim has merit is a subjective matter, but there’s a strong case to be made in the more recent IP’s favor:Starfieldmight have more potential for long-term growth thanFallout.
The Starfield Franchise Has More Room To Grow than Fallout
Fallout Is On a Tighter Leash Than Starfield
While it’s easy to criticizeStarfield’s somewhat toothless sci-fi worldbuilding in comparison toFallout’s iconic lore, one pragmatic point is undeniable:Starfield’s premiseis more receptive to expansion and reinterpretation. Not only is the world ofFalloutrestrained by geography, with the series’ story being unmistakably America-centric, but also by time.
TheFalloutfranchise is all about re-emerging onto a barren world that has been destroyed by nuclear warfare. Though perhaps even more transformative than the bombs themselves are the centuries succeeding them, during which the dregs of civilization began to rebuild and redefine culture, community, and day-to-day life. There iscivilization in theFalloutuniverse, but it’s characterized by strife, scarcity, and, at many times, mortal danger.
Such a civilization has an expiration date. After so many generations of rebuilding, the residents ofFallout’s United Statescan either take the next step toward more advanced agriculture, industry, innovation, and comfort, or they can regress to a more barbaric culture, their desire to nurture their self determination overrun by the need to survive. Either way, this post-war civilization can’t remain the same indefinitely, and this means that theFalloutgames can only go so far into the future before they become unrecognizable.
Starfield Has a Galaxy of Potential
Much has been said aboutStarfield’s absurdly large open-world, and not all of it has been good. True, having more than 1,000 procedurally generated planets to explore does make exploration feel trite and bland at times, but this ambition speaks to the broader growthpotential ofStarfield; the series isn’t limited to just one location or era.
While the comparatively restrainedsetting ofFalloutnecessarily limits the kinds of stories Bethesda can tell under the franchise umbrella,Starfieldrepresents limitless potential. The firstStarfieldmay have focused on the Starborn, but future games could hone in on other conflicts unique to the high sci-fi premise. For example, aStarfieldsequel could center on a rebellion at a remote resource-gathering planet, or a scandal of corruption during the height of New Atlantis’ political power. Because the in-a-nutshell narrative framework ofStarfieldis so much broader thanFallout’s, it doesn’t need to be tethered to a particular locale or time period.
Like with many other parts ofStarfield’s design, this strength could be best realized through a bit of creative restraint. Bethesda seemingly wanted to give players the definitive space RPG with the firstStarfield, focusing on scale and freedom while neglecting other essential facets of the game’s design; if sequels could instead focus on story and gameplay, offering only a few curated, dense, and relevant planets for exploration, then the series could make the most of its broad-strokes setup.
Starfield
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.
