Starfield once had a gore system similar to Skyrim and Fallout, but it was removed for thematic reasons

By now, almost everyone who’s yearned to traverse the galaxy within Bethesda’s newest title, Starfield, has undoubtedly done so. Regardless if you embarked on this adventure at launch or post-Shattered Space expansion, you likely enjoyed an engaging experience filled with pirating, unearthing ancient relics, or customizing your very own Clippy spacecraft.

As a tech enthusiast, I’ve been eagerly anticipating Starfield, the open-world/space RPG developed by Bethesda Game Studios under Todd Howard’s leadership, which has garnered decent reviews. Being their first original intellectual property in decades, I was excited to see how it would compare to classics like Skyrim and Fallout. However, despite finding an audience that continues to play it today, it didn’t quite reach the same level of success as those previous games. So, what made it fall short?

There are several points players might make as to why Starfield hasn’t become as popular as Skyrim, not all of which are valid, but some do have a basis. One minor issue that irked some players was the absence of gore or dismemberment, a feature present in previous games like Fallout.

In a chat with Dennis Mejillones, who was once a Senior Character Artist for games like Skyrim, Fallout 4, Fallout 76, and Starfield, Kiwi Talkz delved into various aspects of his career during an interview. Topics discussed included the near-elimination of werewolves in Skyrim, significant overhauls of the Creation Engine from its foundation, his deep affection for working with Todd Howard, and the deactivation of more vibrant gore systems.

Technical debt

Kiwi asked, “Why was gore removed in Starfield [specifically, like Fallout or Skyrim]?”

As Dennis explains, the key factors were the breadth and topics involved: “From a technical standpoint, this brings about numerous implications with the various suits. It requires substantial attention; for instance, the helmet needs to be cut in a specific manner, while the lower part involves meat caps where the flesh is attached. We developed systems for each of these aspects, but it eventually became a complex tangle of all the details that needed to be accounted for.

I get what you’re saying. Constantly adding new pieces to helmets and backpacks can turn into a complicated mess. With more items being added to the game, managing such a system would become increasingly difficult. At some stage, it seems more practical to do without it as the advantages of letting go outweigh keeping it. They reached a point where the pros of discarding the system surpassed its presence.

Thematic reasons

As he continued, he explained that the decision was partly thematic, focusing on how dismemberment or its absence was portrayed in Fallout. The game is known for its humorous and stylized approach to such elements; it includes a unique feature where you can cause chaos, which adds to the fun.

Dennis stated that Starfield was intended to be more low-fi and grounded in reality, similar to The Expanse or Star Trek. However, thematically, it didn’t seem to fit. Additionally, there are significant technical costs associated with achieving that style, which may not be worthwhile for this particular game.

It’s unfair to criticize a developer for their vision, as they have every freedom to shape it according to their own ideas. Just because you might not align with their overall concept doesn’t mean there’s an issue. For instance, in sci-fi shows that delve into space exploration, you won’t typically find excessive violence. This point may make me seem old, but I disliked Star Trek: Nemesis when it was first released because it concentrated on elements that didn’t resonate with me.

Perhaps the modding community will step in and make adjustments at some point. On a different note, I’m not overly concerned about it. Instead, my attention is primarily on the possibility of additional DLC for Starfield and the upcoming launch of Elder Scrolls VI. I believe that’s what everyone has been eagerly anticipating.

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2025-01-13 12:39