Ex-Starfield Artist Explains Cut of Graphic Violence

Summary

• Starfield's lack of graphic violence was an intentional choice largely due to technical issues.
• It also wouldn't fit Starfield's tone, said Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked at Bethesda on Starfield and Fallout 4.

Starfield was originally envisioned to be much more violent, as revealed by a former Bethesda artist. While Bethesda's first-person shooters are known for their gore, the visceral blood and guts seen in Fallout did not make it into the studio's latest sci-fi adventure. The decision to tone down the graphic violence in Starfield was deliberate, despite initial plans to include it.

Bethesda did not completely avoid violence in its latest RPG. Gunplay and melee combat are central to the game, and many players feel that Starfield's combat mechanics are a significant improvement over those in Fallout 4, with careful attention given to shooting and melee dynamics. The studio considered ramping up the violence but ultimately chose to scale back the more graphic elements.

Dennis Mejillones, a character artist who worked on both Starfield and Fallout 4 at Bethesda, discussed the game's approach to violence in a recent interview on the Kiwi Talkz podcast on YouTube. He confirmed that the game was initially planned to include decapitations and other kill animations, but technical challenges prevented this. The variety of suits and helmets in Starfield made it difficult to animate such violent scenes without them appearing unrealistic or glitchy. Given the persistent technical issues Starfield faced even after several major updates, the decision to avoid further graphical complications seems justified.

Starfield Cut Decapitations for Technical and Tonal Reasons

The decision to remove graphic violence from Starfield was not solely based on technical difficulties. Mejillones also noted that the gore in Fallout contributes to its humor, which does not align well with Starfield's intended tone. While Starfield occasionally nods to Bethesda's more lighthearted and violent games — such as the recent addition of Doom-inspired content — it generally adopts a more subdued and realistic approach to the sci-fi genre. Over-the-top executions, while potentially thrilling for players, might have felt out of place and disrupted the game's immersion.

Fans have expressed a desire for more realism in Starfield. Some have criticized the game's nightclubs as feeling tame and unconvincing, especially when compared to other gritty sci-fi titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Mass Effect. Adding humorous violence could have exacerbated these concerns, making the game feel even less grounded. Ultimately, Bethesda's choice to reduce the gore in Starfield, despite deviating from the trend seen in their previous shooters, appears to have been the right one.