Summary

• Starfield's toned-down violence was a deliberate decision, primarily due to technical limitations.
• The style also wouldn't align with Starfield's overall tone, according to Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked on both Starfield and Fallout 4 at Bethesda.

Initial plans for Starfield involved significantly more graphic violence than what ultimately shipped, a revelation from a former Bethesda artist. While Bethesda's first-person shooters are known for their visceral depictions of combat, the signature gore of the Fallout series was notably absent from this sci-fi adventure. The decision to limit graphic violence in Starfield was intentional, though not the original vision.

Bethesda didn't shy away from violence entirely; gunplay and melee combat are core gameplay elements. Many players consider Starfield's combat a significant improvement over Fallout 4, praising its refined shooting and melee mechanics. While initially incorporating more intense violence, the studio ultimately opted to reduce the graphic detail.

Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who contributed to both Starfield and Fallout 4 at Bethesda, shed light on this in a recent interview with the Kiwi Talkz podcast. Mejillones confirmed that initial designs included decapitations and other elaborate kill animations, but technical hurdles proved insurmountable. The game's diverse range of suits and helmets presented significant challenges in creating realistic and bug-free violent animations. Given Starfield's persistent technical issues even after several major updates, this decision to avoid further graphical complexities seems prudent.

Starfield's Reduced Gore: Technical and Thematic Considerations

Technical limitations weren't the sole reason for the reduced gore. Mejillones also highlighted the incongruity between Fallout's darkly humorous violence and Starfield's more serious tone. While the game occasionally nods to Bethesda's more over-the-top titles—recent additions of Doom-inspired content serve as an example—it generally adopts a more grounded and realistic sci-fi approach. Exaggerated executions, while potentially exciting, might have disrupted the game's immersive atmosphere.

Despite this, some fans continue to advocate for increased realism. Criticisms have been leveled at the game's relatively tame nightclubs, particularly when compared to gritty sci-fi counterparts like Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect. Adding tongue-in-cheek violence might have exacerbated these concerns, further undermining the game's sense of realism. Ultimately, Bethesda's decision to curtail the game's gore, while deviating from previous shooter trends, appears to have been a considered choice.