According to a new interview with an artist at Bethesda,Starfieldwas once a much more violent game than it is today. Although released by Bethesda and developed by many of the same people who worked onFalloutandThe Elder Scrolls,Starfieldis tame by comparison. It portrays a far more utopian world thanFallout, although it does suffer from a lot of the same issues with class divide. And the intergalactic wilderness ofStarfieldis a lot more forgiving than the wilderness ofThe Elder Scrolls, where you might encounter everything from wolves to dragons to Daedra.
But apparently, according to an interview with former Bethesda senior artist Dennis Mejillones onKiwi Talkz,Starfieldwas initially set to be “much gorier"perVideo Games Chronicle. Apparently,it was set to include a decapitation/dismemberment featuresomewhat akin to a similar system inFallout. If enemies were killed under certain conditions, they would fly into bits - in particular, headshots would likely have caused their heads (still inside helmets) to take off into space.
Bethesda Was Set To Include Decapitation In Starfield
What A Former Bethesda Artist Says Was Cut From The Game
It seems hard to imagine based on the current state ofStarfield, but according to Mejillones,the decapitation mechanic was once very real. It’s certainly nothing new for Bethesda, which included a similar mode of dismemberment throughout theFalloutseries. InFallout 3,New Vegas, and4, you can take a perk called Bloody Mess that basically has the exact same effect: at random, some enemies would explode into a cacophony of blood and viscera once defeated.
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It’s no surprise thatMejillones, who also worked onFallout 4, may have been aware of a similar mechanic due to be incorporated intoStarfield. Says Mejillones, “Fallout is very stylized in that regard, that’s part of the tongue-in-cheek humor.” But of course, it didn’t make it into the final version ofStarfield, as anyone who plays it can see - so what happened?
Why Did The Gore Get Cut Before Launch?
Mejillones Explains Why Starfield’s Decapitation Mechanic Was Removed
According to Mejillones,this kind of violence was eventually removed from the game for two reasons: technical limitations and tone. For one thing, the sheer number of spacesuits included inStarfield- and their myriad cosmetic attachments - would’ve made it difficult to create decapitation effects for every possible combination. Body type also posed a problem, as the diversity incharacter customization available inStarfieldwould have created even more difficulties.
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Besides that,Bethesda ultimately decided that this kind of wanton violence didn’t work withStarfield’s tone. Says Mejillones, “I think for Starfield it was definitely meant to be more low-key and realistic. We were inspired a lot by things likeThe ExpanseandStar Trek, stuff like that, so I think it just didn’t fit thematically.” In short,Starfieldis a lot less cartoonish thanFallout, with a basis in science and exploration, and sci-fi TV series with heavy, philosophical themes. Decapitation just didn’t have a place in that world.
So, while a little more wanton violence might not have savedStarfield, it would have at least given it some much-needed personality. Still, it’s probably best for the developers' vision that it was cut. To include it would distract from the kind of storyStarfieldwas trying to tell, if not outright fly in the face of its themes.
Sources:Kiwi Talkz/YouTube,Video Games Chronicle
Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios presents Starfield - the first original IP from the studio in twenty-five-plus years. Set in the year 2310, the United Colonies and Freestar Collective are observing a shaky truce after a war set 20 years prior. The player will customize their character as a member of a space exploration team called Constellation while navigating The Settled Systems and the conflicts between the warring factions. According to Bethesda, players can explore over 100 systems and 1000 planets to find resources and build their ships, living out their own sci-fi journeys.
