Starfield 2 Unlikely, Says Former Bethesda Dev

Former Bethesda designer Kurt Kuhlmann doubts a Starfield sequel, saying the game wasn't successful enough. Bethesda remains focused on DLC and other projects.

Did Starfield do well enough to warrant a sequel? According to one former Bethesda developer, probably not. Kurt Kuhlmann, who worked as a Lead Systems Designer at Bethesda, recently shared his thoughts with FRVR, and his take on a potential Starfield 2 is pretty blunt.

"I don't think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2," Kuhlmann said. Ouch. That's a tough pill to swallow if you were hoping to return to the Settled Systems for a full sequel. The game has been divisive since launch, though we here at IGN gave it a mostly positive review. Our reviewer Dan Stapleton said, "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."

Kuhlmann also reflected on what could have been. "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 [Howard] had [in mind]," he explained. So even though a sequel might have been something special, it sounds like the first game just didn't hit the mark commercially or critically enough to justify it.

That said, Bethesda isn't abandoning Starfield entirely. The studio is still working on new DLC, and the game has improved a lot since launch. Back in July, Todd Howard himself said, "As we enter Year 3, we'll continue expanding the Settled Systems with new stories, targeted gameplay improvements, and additional updates, while preparing for the launch of new Starborn content next year." So there's still stuff to look forward to, even if a sequel isn't on the table.

But let's be real: it's unlikely these updates will turn things around enough to greenlight Starfield 2. Bethesda seems to be shifting focus to other projects. The Elder Scrolls VI is still in the works (though it's likely a couple years away), and Obsidian has been tapped to develop a new Fallout game. With all that on their plate, a new Starfield game seems like a distant dream.

Even if a sequel were somehow in development, we wouldn't hear about it for years. So for now, it's probably safe to assume that Starfield 2 isn't happening anytime soon. What do you think? Are you holding out hope for a sequel, or are you ready to move on? Let us know in the comments.