Bethesda had ambitious plans to incorporate gore and dismemberment mechanics into their highly anticipated game, Starfield. However, according to former Bethesda character artist Dennis Mejillones, who worked on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield, these features were ultimately cut due to technical challenges. Mejillones explained to Kiwi Talkz that the complexity of integrating these mechanics with the various space suits in the game proved to be a significant hurdle.
"The technical implications of working with the different suits were substantial," Mejillones stated. "You have to manage cutting the helmet in a specific way so it can be removed, and then there's the issue of the flesh and meat caps at the base. We developed systems to handle all of this, but it became incredibly complicated. Adding elements like hoses on helmets and the ability to significantly alter body size through the character creator just added to the complexity."
The absence of these gore and dismemberment features was noted by some fans, especially given their presence in Fallout 4. Starfield marked Bethesda's return to a full single-player role-playing game after an eight-year hiatus. Mejillones noted that such mechanics fit more naturally within the humorous, "tongue in cheek" style of Fallout, saying, "It's part of the fun."
Despite these omissions, Starfield, which launched in September 2023, has attracted over 15 million players. IGN's review praised the game's expansive role-playing quests and solid combat, giving it a 7/10 and noting that "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."
Recent developments have also addressed some of the game's initial technical issues. A former Bethesda developer expressed surprise at the amount of loading screens in Starfield, particularly in the city of Neon. Post-launch, Bethesda has made significant improvements, including the introduction of a 60fps performance mode. Additionally, the expansion, Shattered Space, was released in September, further enhancing the Starfield experience.
