Former Starfield Developer Shares Thoughts on Game’s Loading Screens

A former developer from the Starfield project recently mentioned that he was taken aback by the number of loading screens added toward the end of the game’s development. Loading screens have been a substantial point of contention among players, so it’s intriguing to hear from someone who worked on the project that the game might not have needed as many of them.

Launched in 2023, Starfield sparked quite a bit of debate upon its release. While it garnered positive reviews, maintaining an average critic score of 85 on OpenCritic, many players were quick to critique its expansive yet somewhat superficial open-world experience and the frequent interruptions caused by loading screens.

Nate Purkeypile, a former developer at Bethesda who was involved with Starfield until 2021, shared in an interview with VideoGamer that during his time, the game had far fewer loading zones. This was particularly evident in urban areas like Neon, which Purkeypile personally worked on. He expressed surprise at the increased number of these areas, mentioning, “It could have existed without those [loading zones]. Like, some of those were not there when I had been working on it, so it was a surprise to me that there were as many as there were.” Although he couldn’t provide a specific reason for their addition, it seems likely that performance considerations influenced this decision. Purkeypile explained that Bethesda’s Creation Engine necessitates some segmentation of areas to enhance performance.

Despite the lingering frustration over loading screens, Bethesda remains committed to improving Starfield well over a year post-launch. Recent updates have focused on bolstering the game’s performance and fixing numerous bugs.

Additionally, there’s been no shortage of fresh content. December brought an exciting gift to players with the introduction of Doom-themed content to celebrate the legendary franchise’s 31st anniversary. Players can dive into a new quest called “At Hell’s Gate,” where they can acquire exclusive gear like the Super Shotgun, Crucible Blade, and the Doom Slayer Praetor Suit.

Fans are also eagerly anticipating Bethesda’s next big release, The Elder Scrolls 6. Announced back in June 2018, it still seems some way off, and there’s hope that it will avoid the loading screen dilemma Starfield encountered. Patience is key as gamers await further development news.

Starfield marked a significant step for Bethesda, venturing into a new universe after 25 years. This next-gen role-playing game offers a vast, open cosmos to explore, set in 2330, where humanity has spread across the stars. As part of Constellation, the last brigade of space explorers, players embark on a journey to uncover hidden artifacts throughout the galaxy. With a world built on a proprietary engine, an ESRB rating of M for mature content, and compatibility across PC and Xbox platforms, Starfield expands the horizons of what a spacefaring RPG can be.