Starfield didn't quite hit the mark in more ways than one. While reviews were mostly fond of the game, the overall fanbase didn't warm quite as much to it. Still, Bethesda aims to take it as a learning experience, according to designer Bruce Nesmith.
Speaking with VideoGamer, Nesmith spoke about how Bethesda learns lessons from each RPG it makes, and how it couldn't use that strategy for Starfield. "When we built Skyrim, we had the tremendous advantage of Oblivion, which had the tremendous advantage of Morrowind. All that stuff was there for us," he explained. "All we had to do was continue to improve and add new stuff in. We didn't have to start from the ground up."
"I'm looking forward to Starfield 2. I think it's going to be one hell of a game because it's going to address a lot of the things people are saying...If you look at the first Dragon Age, the first Assassin's Creed, the first game in a lot of IPs, they tend to show off flashes of brilliance amid a lot of other things that don't quite catch everybody's eye."
It's interesting that Nesmith makes these comparisons, as while it is true a lot of first games for big IPs aren't the most memorable compared to sequels, Bethesda didn't exactly make its first-ever RPG with Starfield, and the systems are similar to those found in Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. Still, Starfield's sequel certainly has the potential to incorporate a lot of fan feedback, and make itself a better release when it launches forty years from now.