Starfield Developer Doubts Sequel But Says It Could Work Better With Lessons Learned

A former Bethesda developer has weighed in on the prospects of a Starfield sequel, expressing skepticism about its likelihood while acknowledging its creative potential.

Kurt Kuhlmann, who served as Lead Systems Designer on the original Starfield, discussed the possibility in an interview with FRVR. "I would be very surprised if there was a sequel. I don't think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2," Kuhlmann said.

Despite this assessment, Kuhlmann suggested that a sequel could offer significant advantages. "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. You can envision that game, you can imagine that game. That's not quite what Starfield really is," he explained.

Starfield launched three years ago after an extended development cycle. While the space exploration title retained a dedicated player base, its reception was mixed compared to pre-release expectations.

Bethesda continues to support Starfield despite its performance. The studio announced a roadmap in July committing to "continue expanding the Settled Systems with new stories, targeted gameplay improvements, and additional updates." The company also mentioned plans to prepare for the launch of new Starborn content in 2027.

Any Starfield sequel remains years away if it were to happen, given Bethesda's focus on larger franchises like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, both of which require multi-year development cycles.