New IPs from well-established AAA studios are always an exciting affair, both for developers and fans. The inevitable discussions and debates about how much a particular new IP resembles the studio’s prior works, and how much it differs from them, ramp up as the launch date approaches. Bethesda Game Studios finds itself in a similar situation as its first new IP in 25 years,Starfield, gears up for its release next year.
Bethesda’s first sci-fi RPGStarfieldhas been compared to plenty of iconic video games, movies, novels, and other pop culture media that has helped shaped the course of the sci-fi genre that exists today. However, none of those comparisons come close to Bethesda’s existing IPs:The Elder ScrollsandFalloutgames. While comparingStarfieldto previous Bethesda IPs makes sense in plenty of ways,Starfieldcould be a completely different beast altogether; one that isn’t bound to the looming shadow of Bethesda’s past games.
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What it Means For a Game to Be Like Skyrim or Fallout
What makes a game similar toSkyrimorFalloutis subjective and can differ from person-to-person.Starfield’s surface-level comparison toSkyrimmakes sense, given it’s one ofBethesda’s most successful gamesto date, and makes for a decent first impression. Interestingly enough, Bethesda’s Todd Howard also has stuck to referring toStarfieldas “Skyrimin space,” though what that comparison actually means could be very different what fans may expect. As such, it boils down to how games likeSkyrimorFalloutare defined by fans, and whether these elements make their way toStarfield, sparking genuine comparison.
A Bethesda open-world game tends to prioritize freedom over everything else, and it’s something thatStarfieldseems to be carrying on in spirit. However, aside from this, everything else is a big mystery at this point in time until Bethesda decides to show off someStarfieldgameplay. The exploration inSkyrimis praise-worthy because of the freedom it bestows upon the player right from the beginning. Choosing their name, gender, and race, to the freedom of going wherever they want, whenever they want, even before the main questline begins, is a reflection ofSkyrim’s flexibility.
Falloutgames also prioritize exploration, but reinvigorate certain aspects like leveling, which ties to completing quests, or the karma system that influences how decision-making works.Fallout 4even introduced a voiced protagonist that gives them a somewhat preset personality, akin to Commander Shepard from theMass Effecttrilogy. The faction questlines inFallout 4differ fromSkyrim, as they intertwine at various points in the story, forcing players to choose which faction to side with, and which to annihilate.Fallout 4also introduced settlement building that forms a significant part of the gameplay, which got further overhauled in the live-serviceFallout 76.
Starfieldmay borrow certain aspects ofSkyrimand modernFalloutgames, though that isn’t enough to call itSkyrimorFalloutin space.Starfield’s leaked screenshots made it quite clear that settlement building will return in some form.Starfieldwill also be playable in both first-person and third-person perspectives. While fans have to wait and find out, the bizarre, hilarious bugs that have made Bethesda titles so infamous could also pop up inStarfield. However, outside of all these familiar traits and features, there is a huge possibility thatStarfield,at its core, is an experience, unlikeSkyrimorFallout.
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How Starfield may Differ From Skyrim and Fallout
Aside from the fact thatStarfieldtakes place in outer space, there may be plenty of other factors that setStarfieldapart fromThe Elder ScrollsandFalloutgames.StarfieldusesCreation Engine 2, which is the next iteration of Bethesda’s infamous game engine that it has used since the days ofMorrowind. Creation Engine 2 might be Bethesda’s gateway to the next-gen RPG experience that is drastically different from its previous games. WhileStarfield’s E3 2021 cinematic trailer doesn’t reveal how exactly the game would look and play like, it does give an idea of what fans could expect.
The intricately designed player character’s suit, and the way they walk, might be representative of the actual game experience, something that is miles apart from that ofSkyrimorFalloutgames.Starfield’s leaked screenshotsalso revealed the new UI that includes O2, CO2, and Gravity meters. Bethesda’s open-world RPGs have never aimed for such tightly compact and realistic experiences. They always have had this casual and flexible nature that appreciates the level of freedom these games offer. For instance, inSkyrim, players could glitch their way up to a mountain on horseback. On the other hand,Starfieldmight be aiming for a more grounded and polished experience without gatekeeping exploration.
The cities inSkyrimcome in different shapes and sizes, and are easily distinguishable from one another. However, the lack of density and depth robs them from feeling truly alive like Novigrad fromThe Witcher 3, or Saint-Denis from Red Dead Redemption 2. Bethesda open-world RPGs usually excel outside the confines of the city walls, where all the freedom of exploration comes into play.
However,Starfieldmight feature densely populated, varied looking and more dynamic cities from what Bethesda fans are familiar of. The fewStarfieldconcept art pieces revealed so far seem to indicate a metropolis straight out of theBlade Runnermovie, as well as a rusty old pirate town that highly resemblance something from theStar Warsuniverse. Coincidentally, Bethesda’s managing director Ashely Cheng also referred toStarfieldas a “Han Solo simulator.”
What really separatesStarfieldfrom being just an evolution ofSkyrimor the latestFalloutgame is the fact that it’s been 25 years in the making. In Into the Starfield: The Journey Begins trailer, Todd Howard even mentioned that “Starfield is a game [they] we have dreamt of playing, and it’s only now that [they] we have the hardware, technology, and the experience to push [their] our creative boundaries even further.”
While this does sound like a lot of hype-building PR statements,Starfieldmight really be something entirely different solely due to the way it’s been slowly and steadily brought to life in the last two decades. It paints a picture thatStarfieldisn’t born by the limitations and restrictions ofSkyrimandFallout 4, rather with dreams and ambitions that have been cultivating for a much longer period of time. Hence, even ifStarfieldborrows a lot of elements fromSkyrimorFallout, it might not end up feeling likeSkyrimorFalloutin space.
Starfieldlaunches July 26, 2025, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
