Former Starfield Artist Reveals Reason Graphic Violence Was Cut

Summary

• Starfield's lack of graphic violence was an intentional choice largely due to technical issues.
• It also wouldn't fit Starfield's tone, said Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked at Bethesda on Starfield and Fallout 4.

Starfield was initially envisioned to be much more violent, according to a former Bethesda artist. While Bethesda's first-person shooters are known for their gore, the level of violence seen in Fallout did not carry over to the studio's latest sci-fi adventure. The absence of graphic violence in Starfield was a deliberate decision, despite early plans to include it.

Bethesda did not completely avoid violence in its latest RPG. Gunplay and melee combat are central to the game, with many players noting that Starfield's combat mechanics are a significant improvement over those in Fallout 4. The development team put considerable effort into refining the shooting and melee systems. However, they ultimately decided to scale back the more graphic elements.

Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who contributed to both Starfield and Fallout 4, discussed the game's approach to violence in an interview on the Kiwi Talkz podcast on YouTube. He revealed that the game was originally intended to feature decapitations and other kill animations, but technical challenges prevented this. The variety of suits and helmets in Starfield made it difficult to animate such violent scenes without them appearing unrealistic or glitchy. Given the persistent technical issues the game faced even after several major updates, the decision to avoid further graphical complications seems justified.

Starfield Cut Decapitations for Technical and Tonal Reasons

The decision to remove graphic violence from Starfield was not solely based on technical limitations. Mejillones pointed out that the gore in Fallout adds to its humor, a tone that does not align well with Starfield's more serious and realistic approach to the sci-fi genre. Although Starfield occasionally nods to Bethesda's more lighthearted and violent titles, such as the recent addition of Doom-inspired content, it generally maintains a more subdued atmosphere. Over-the-top executions might have disrupted the game's immersion.

Fans have expressed a desire for increased realism in Starfield. Some have criticized the game's nightclubs as feeling tame and unconvincing, especially when compared to other gritty sci-fi games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect. Including humorous violence could have exacerbated these criticisms by further detracting from the game's grounded feel. Overall, Bethesda's choice to tone down the gore in Starfield appears to be a wise one, even if it deviates from the trend set by the studio's previous shooters.