Bethesda Head of Publishing responds to Starfield's criticism of the start screen.
Bethesda's Head of Publishing, Pete Hines, stepped up to address the controversy with a hearty dose of industry perspective. He claimed Starfield's start screen was being designed by "a passionate team overworked or a team that didn't care".
Mark Kern, a former Blizzard developer, tweeted a screenshot of Starfield's start screen with the caption: "The physiognomy of start screens." A game's start screen can reveal a lot about how rushed the team was and how much pleasure they placed in their work. Kern boldly claimed, "The physiognomy of start screens. The start screen of a game can reveal a lot about how rushed the team was and how much pride they took in their work. 'Starfield's start screen either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn't care.'"
Kern's remark didn't come out of the blue. He spotlighted the curious truth about start screens – they usually get patched up right at the eleventh hour. Development squads are engrossed in refining the core gameplay, leaving the initial screen time on the back burner. Kern spilled the beans that it's a common practice for start screens to face a makeover post-launch or even after a patch.
And he had a point: "Teams that take pride want to put a good face forward and will often redo these just prior to the game going live." Essentially, he argued that creators who genuinely care about their game give the start screen the love it deserves, even if it's a small, inconspicuous element.
Or they designed what they wanted and that’s been our menu for years and was one of the first things we settled on.Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning out a developer’s “care” because you would have done it different is highly unprofessional coming from another “dev”— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) August 20, 2023
Enter Pete Hines, who wasn't about to let this slide without a retort. He cut straight to the chase, addressing Kern's critique head-on. "Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning a developer's 'care' because you would have done it differently is highly unprofessional coming from another 'dev'," Hines proclaimed. The message was clear – opinions are fine, but attacking a fellow developer's commitment is a big no-no.
Hines reacted to the accusation earlier today, claiming that the game's menu had been in place "for years" and was "one of the first things [the team] settled on." "It's one thing to have an opinion. "It's highly unprofessional to question a developer's 'care' because you would have done it differently," Hines continued. Kern has yet to respond to Hines' remark but has responded to other commentators who were offended by his statement.
In other news, the complete Starfield achievement list was recently leaked online. According to InsiderGaming, the 50+ milestones list exposes the rewards for achieving some of the important story beats, as well as others for reaching certain levels, aligning yourself with specific factions, and completing notable missions. Just a friendly reminder – tread cautiously if you're allergic to spoilers; the list might drop some juicy hints.
Starfield is now available for preloading on Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC, which means we know the size of the installation. The Standard edition will be about 100.19 GB, while the Premium edition tips the scale at 117.07 GB. This deluxe version spoils players with a digital artbook, soundtrack, skin pack, and the Shattered Space Story Expansion upon launch.
The PC version is a bit more demanding at 139.84 GB, but the Steam preloading party won't start until August 30th.
And the grand opening? Set your calendars for September 6th, though Premium Edition owners get a five-day head start on the action.
With the finish line in sight, Starfield is still shrouded in mystery. More details about the game's plot and mechanics have been revealed by two of Starfield's lead designers.