Before a game launches, it’s almost impossible to judge how well it’s actually going to run. Issues that can sometimes be spotted in a game’s trailers don’t necessarily transfer to the final product, and equally, some huge bugs can slip through the cracks completely, ambushing players on release day.
Last month, the head of Xbox Game Studios, Matt Booty, said that even if Bethesda’s space-exploration RPG Starfield released right there and then, it’d have “the fewest bugs that any game from Bethesda has ever shipped with”. Given that there’s over a month to go before launch, the devs still have time to iron out any remaining problems, but a number of fans have expressed that they’re still expecting the game to be buggy.
Take a look at the story trailer for Starfield below.
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Despite this though, others have been defending the game in advance, and assert that a few bugs here and there are a small price to pay for a huge, immersive world. Over on the r/Starfield subreddit, user schulera has been arguing that “Bethesda games are buggy for a reason”.
“I keep seeing posts stating that Starfield will be buggy at launch or that Bethesda's engine is horrible and outdated,” they wrote. “I think what a lot of gamers overlook is that the reason games like Skyrim and Fallout are so good is they truly make you feel like you are in those worlds and one major way they do that is giving the player freedom to play how they want.”
They continued: “I think in the past Bethesda's games have been buggy because [they do] what other games fall short of[,] and [...] create a totally immersive world that grants me the freedom to approach it however I like. Other games that restrict that freedom just have a lot easier time eliminating bugs and glitches. I hope Starfield doesn't have too many bugs but I also hope it's just as or more immersive than their previous titles[,] so in a weird way I am hoping for something that is more likely to have more bugs.”
Others feel the same: “Honestly, as long as I can play it on PC without constant crashes, I can handle the odd bug here and there. There are some really poorly optimised PC games. Hopefully, sticking true to its roots, it performs well on PC like past titles from Bethesda,” GoodVibesGoodLife001 replied. “I’m expecting some bugs. The game is so huge there’s no way there won’t be any. I don’t care though,” added conkeee. “Glad to see some positivity about this topic. Yeah I agree the buggy nature of BGS games is charming for me too. Genuinely I like it,” agreed aworldalone1.
Starfield is set to launch on 6 September, but its early access period will begin on 1 September.