Todd Howard Says Starfield is Aiming for Next-Generation Hardware
Starfield will be Bethesda’s first new IP in twenty-five years; a wholly new RPG set to release sometime after Fallout 76. While details about the upcoming title are still very hazy, especially concerning the setting and story, Todd Howard recently clarified some of what Bethesda was aiming to achieve with the game. Speaking in a recent interview, he addressed what the next-generation Starfield actually means for hardware and software.
Next-Generation Starfield: Looking Ahead to the Future
Bethesda first announced Starfield at E3 last month. They didn’t hint at a release date, and that is likely still years away. However, it is known to have already been in development since the release of Fallout 4, and Bethesda’s next planned game after Fallout 76. Speaking at the recent annual Gamelab conference, Howard addressed what “next-generation” really meant for Starfield; “That to us means two things,” he explained; “It does mean hardware and it does mean software on our side, and it also means gameplay – what does the next generation of epic single-player RPGs feel like to us?”
Strengthening the assumption that the game is still a long way off, he continued; “What systems we put it out on – what’s the hardware requirements – is still to be determined. We’re pushing it; we’re thinking very, very far in future so we’re building something that will handle next-generation hardware. That’s what we’re building on right now, that’s where our mind is, but that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t exist on the current systems as well.”
Although Howard shied away from comparing Starfield to previous RPG franchises like Elder Scrolls and Fallout, he said that fans would recognise hallmarks of Bethesda’s development in it. However, he also said that the game would be different in new ways; “It has a lot of new systems we’ve been thinking about for a while that fit that kind of game really well. We’ll talk about it in the future. See now I wish I hadn’t announced it!”