Todd Howard Reveals Real Reason Why Bethesda Made Starfield: “We needed a creative reset”

Over the years, fans have always wondered why Bethesda would step away from the intimate, handcrafted worlds of Elder Scrolls and Fallout to create Starfield’s procedurally generated universe, which feels distant and unfamiliar.

In a recent interview (with GQ magazine), Todd Howard revealed the real reason why the studio ventured into unknown territories. The answer is more straightforward than you’d like:

We wanted to do something new with Starfield. We needed a creative reset.

That reset wasn’t just about building a game set among the stars. It was also about giving one of gaming’s most celebrated studios a much-needed chance to rediscover its imagination drive.

Inside Todd Howard’s Decision to Hit Pause on Tamriel

For years, fans assumed The Elder Scrolls 6 would be Bethesda’s next big project after the release and fixes of Fallout 76. Instead, Howard and his team surprised everyone by announcing Starfield, a completely new IP set in space. In his latest interview, Howard admitted this was an intentional decision.

After decades of dragons, dungeons, and irradiated wastelands, the studio wanted to step back and rethink what it wanted to create. That statement above shows the emotional and creative exhaustion that can come from constantly expanding the same worlds.

Since 2006, Bethesda has been on an incredible, relentless run: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (2006), Fallout 3 (2008), Skyrim (2011), Fallout 4 (2015), and Fallout 76 (2018).

Each of these games is larger and more complex than the last, setting new standards for open-world RPGs but also pushing the team to its limits. That’s why stepping away from Tamriel wasn’t abandonment; it was much-needed breathing room for Howard and his team.

How Starfield Became Bethesda’s Creative Reboot

When Starfield finally launched in 2023, it stood greatly apart from Bethesda’s previous titles, not just in setting, but also in spirit. While Elder Scrolls and Fallout both revolved around familiar worlds, which had established lore for years.

Starfield presented the studio with a blank canvas after years. It was a chance to build everything from scratch, from planets and factions to a grounded vision of humanity’s future.

The game has a much slower and more reflective tone with procedurally generated planets, which completely contrasts with the medieval fantasy’s familiar handcrafted world and the wasteland’s eccentric chaos of Bethesda’s past.

Sure, it was not a massive success like other franchises, but it introduced a fresh narrative structure, new technology through the Creation Engine 2, and a renewed focus on exploration over combat and narrative.

For Howard, Starfield wasn’t just a game; it was a reset button, allowing Bethesda to rediscover its creative drive before returning to Tamriel. Do you think Starfield was the right move for Bethesda? Comment below to let us know.

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