Ex-Starfield Artist Explains Cut of Graphic Violence

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 originally intended to feature much more violent content, as revealed by a former Bethesda artist. While Bethesda's first-person shooters typically include gore, the visceral elements seen in Fallout did not carry over to their latest sci-fi adventure. The absence of graphic violence in Starfield was a deliberate decision, despite initial plans to include it.

Bethesda did not completely steer away from violence in Starfield. The game prominently features gunplay and melee combat, which many players consider an improvement over Fallout 4's combat mechanics. The shooting and melee systems were thoughtfully designed, although the studio ultimately decided to dial back the more graphic elements.

Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked on both Starfield and Fallout 4 at Bethesda, discussed the game's approach to violence in an interview with the Kiwi Talkz podcast on YouTube. He revealed that the game was initially set to include decapitations and other kill animations. However, technical challenges related to the game's diverse suits and helmets made these animations look unrealistic or buggy. Given the persistent technical issues Starfield faced even after several updates, the decision to avoid further graphical complications seems justified.

Starfield Cut Decapitations for Technical and Tonal Reasons

The decision to exclude graphic violence from Starfield was not solely based on technical difficulties. Mejillones highlighted that the humor associated with Fallout's gore does not align well with Starfield's more serious and realistic tone. Although Starfield occasionally nods to Bethesda's more whimsical and violent games, such as the recent addition of Doom-inspired content, it primarily offers a more subdued take on the sci-fi genre. Over-the-top executions might have disrupted the game's immersion.

Fans have expressed desires for greater realism in Starfield. Some have criticized the game's nightclubs as feeling tame and unconvincing, especially when compared to other gritty sci-fi titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect. Including tongue-in-cheek violence could have exacerbated these criticisms by making the game seem less grounded. Overall, Bethesda's choice to reduce the level of gore in Starfield appears to be the right one, even if it deviates from the trend seen in their previous shooters.