Starfield Dev Says Space Is Inherently Boring and Planets Are Where Bethesda Failed to Capture Its Audience

Nearly a year after its release, Bethesda’s ambitious space RPG Starfield continues to spark discussion among both players and developers. In a recent interview with FRVR, former Bethesda designer Bruce Nesmith offered an honest reflection on why the studio’s first new IP in 25 years did not reach the same level of success as The Elder Scrolls or Fallout.

Nesmith, who spent 17 years at Bethesda working on Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Oblivion, and Skyrim, said that while Starfield is “a great game,” it failed to capture the same sense of excitement and discovery found in the studio’s other major franchises. He believes the issue lies in how the planets were designed and populated rather than the concept of space itself.

“I’m an enormous space fan, I’m an amateur astronomer, I’m up on all that stuff, a lot of the work I did on Starfield was on the astronomical data,” said Nesmith. “But space is inherently boring. It’s literally described as nothingness. So moving throughout that isn’t where the excitement is, in my opinion.”

Nesmith explained that the lack of variety and engagement on the planets was the real problem.

“When the planets start to feel very samey and you don’t start to feel the excitement on the planets, that’s to me where it falls apart. I was also disappointed when, pretty much, the only serious enemy you fought were people. There’s lots of cool alien creatures, but they’re like the wolves in Skyrim. They’re just there, they don’t contribute, you don’t have the variety of serious opponents that are story generators.”

Nesmith’s comments echo the broader sentiment among players who felt that Starfield lacked the exploration loop that made The Elder Scrolls and Fallout so immersive. In those series, the best moments often come from wandering off the main path to uncover hidden areas or unexpected encounters. In contrast, Starfield’s procedurally generated worlds left many players feeling detached, with planetary exploration becoming repetitive and predictable.

The procedural generation system has been a major point of criticism, even from other developers. Former Bethesda staff at OnceLost Games previously pointed out that procedural design can lead to technically impressive but emotionally empty worlds.

Despite the criticism, Bethesda continues to support Starfield with new updates and content. The studio has already teased a story DLC, new gameplay systems, and updates to improve the experience of space travel. According to recent rumors, this new content is expected to arrive alongside the PlayStation 5 version of the game sometime in 2026.

Nesmith’s insight reinforces what many fans have felt since launch: Starfield is technically impressive, but it struggles to capture the sense of adventure and unpredictability that once defined Bethesda’s open-world design.

Do you agree with Bruce Nesmith’s view that space itself is not the problem, but rather how Bethesda designed its planets?