"Starfield 2: Years Away, Promised to be Epic"

Starfield only arrived in 2023, but the buzz around a sequel is already in full swing. While Bethesda has kept quiet on the matter, a former developer has shared some tantalizing insights. Dive in to discover what they said and what we might anticipate from Starfield's next chapter.

Starfield 2 Will be “One Hell of a Game,” According to Ex-Bethesda Dev

Former Bethesda Designer Believes that the Foundation has been Set for a Great Sequel to the Spacefaring RPG

Bruce Nesmith, a former lead designer at Bethesda renowned for his work on Skyrim and Oblivion, has stirred excitement with his prediction that Starfield 2, should it come to fruition, will be "one hell of a game." Nesmith, who parted ways with Bethesda in September 2021, emphasized in a recent interview with VideoGamer that the sequel could significantly outshine its predecessor. He attributed this potential to the lessons learned and the solid groundwork established by the initial release of Starfield.

Nesmith highlighted the advantage of developing a sequel, drawing parallels with how Skyrim improved upon Oblivion, and Oblivion upon Morrowind. He explained that much of Starfield's development involved building new systems and technology from scratch, which could make a sequel's development smoother and more impactful.

"I’m looking forward to Starfield 2. I think it’s going to be one hell of a game because it’s going to address a lot of the things people are saying," Nesmith remarked. "We’re quite there. We’re missing a little bit. It will be able to take what’s in there right now and put in a lot of new stuff and fix a lot of those problems."

He compared it to series like Mass Effect and Assassin’s Creed, which refined their concepts over multiple entries to become iconic. "It takes, sadly, sometimes a second or third version of the game in order to really enrich everything," Nesmith observed.

Starfield 2 Release Date Could be Years Away, a Decade Even

Howard stressed the importance of taking time to develop new games and manage existing franchises effectively. "We just want to get it right and make sure that everything we’re doing in a franchise, whether it’s Elder Scrolls or Fallout or now Starfield, that those become meaningful moments for everybody who loves these franchises as much as we do," he explained.

Bethesda is known for its lengthy development cycles. The Elder Scrolls VI, which entered pre-production in 2018, is still in its "early development stages," according to Bethesda’s head of publishing, Pete Hines. Howard confirmed to IGN that Fallout 5 would follow after The Elder Scrolls VI. This timeline suggests that fans might need to wait until the mid-2030s before seeing Starfield 2, especially considering Xbox's Phil Spencer's 2023 statement that The Elder Scrolls VI was "at least five years out," pointing to a 2026 release at the earliest.

While Starfield 2 remains a speculative prospect, fans can find comfort in Howard's commitment to the Starfield universe. The game's first DLC, Shattered Space, was released on September 30, tackling some of the original game's shortcomings. More DLCs are planned for the future, keeping fans engaged as they anticipate the potential arrival of Starfield 2.