{"id":1701926,"date":"2026-09-26T12:01:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T12:01:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CqargS9ZHLFnvUE2AGN9yh"},"modified":"2026-09-26T12:01:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T12:01:25","slug":"former-starfield-designer-says-bethesdas-sci-fi-rpg-probably-wont-get-a-sequel-because-the-original-wasnt-anywhere-near-successful-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/former-starfield-designer-says-bethesdas-sci-fi-rpg-probably-wont-get-a-sequel-because-the-original-wasnt-anywhere-near-successful-enough\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Starfield designer says Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG probably won’t get a sequel, because the original wasn’t ‘anywhere near successful enough’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I wasn’t expecting to see a Starfield<\/a> sequel any time soon, given it took Bethesda eight years to make its sci-fi RPG and the studio is currently focussed on The Elder Scrolls 6<\/a>. But if the words of Starfield’s former systems designer are anything to go by, we may not see a sequel to Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years at all.<\/p>\n

In an interview with FRVR<\/a> (via VGC<\/a>), Bethesda veteran Kurt Kuhlmann explained why he doubts the studio will ever return to Starfield: “I would be very surprised”, said Kuhlmann, who left Bethesda after Starfield was released. “I don’t think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2.”<\/p>\n

While specific sales figures for Starfield haven’t been released, Bethesda’s sci-fi RPG is estimated to have generated $300 million in revenue<\/a> as of April this year. This would make Starfield profitable based on its reported budget of $200 million<\/a>, but it still has a long way to go before it reaches Skyrim levels of success<\/a>. Since Xbox has reportedly expressed a desire to focus on its major franchises<\/a>, it seems likely that Bethesda will prioritise The Elder Scrolls<\/a> and Fallout<\/a> over Starfield.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, Kuhlmann thinks this may represent a missed opportunity for Bethesda to build on the lessons learned creating Starfield and create something truly special: “It’s in a way, too bad, because I think with the lessons learned on Starfield, a Starfield 2 could have been much closer to the game that Todd had [in mind].”<\/p>\n

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