When Starfield was released in 2023 as one of the most anticipated titles, there were some criticisms of the ambitious sci-fi game. In an interview, former Bethesda developer Nate Purkeypile, who was involved in the development of Starfield, addresses a particularly significant weakness highlighted by the community.
What weakness is being discussed? The point of criticism is the sheer number of loading screens that repeatedly disrupt players’ immersion. Numerous threads have been created on various channels since the game’s release where players vent their frustrations, such as on Reddit.
In particular, the city of Neon is frequently mentioned, where loading interruptions seem to lurk around every corner. Whether opening a door, entering an elevator, or teleporting from one quest to another, loading screens are always present.
This design choice is critically questioned by many in the community, as the vastness of the space world doesn’t feel “real” in this manner, even though the loading times are quite short (via Reddit).
It is also noted that the placement of loading times often makes little sense from the players’ perspective, as one could, for example, often fly up the same distance outside of buildings with a jetpack that requires a loading screen for the elevator (see Reddit).
“I was surprised that there were so many of them.”
What does the former developer say about this? In a recent interview with VideoGamer, former Bethesda developer Nate Purkeypile, who was involved in Starfield until 2021, expressed surprise at the number of loading screens in the finished game. He also addressed the community’s criticism, particularly regarding the city of Neon:
It could have existed without these [loading zones]. Some of them weren’t there when I was working on it, so I was surprised that there were so many of them.
A main reason for the introduction of so many loading times was performance. The Creation Engine, on which Starfield is built, has certain weaknesses that would otherwise impair the gaming experience. Therefore, many things were disabled, and large areas were divided into more segments to improve overall performance.
He also refers to the transit system around the city of New Atlantis, which is also accompanied by many loading screens as soon as it is entered: “For me, New Atlantis is just about not having to sit through the entire train ride there.”
Nate Purkeypile left the development of Starfield in 2021 because he disagreed with many decisions made by management. Therefore, he preferred to use his time to develop a game with an open world that even rivals Skyrim: He left Bethesda because there were too many meetings – Now he’s making an open world that’s much bigger than Skyrim
