Todd Howard admits Starfield is 'creatively different' but says Bethesda's biggest franchises faced the same early skepticism

Todd Howard isn't shying away from Starfield's mixed reception. Speaking to GamesRadar, the Bethesda Game Studios director acknowledged that the space RPG is 'creatively different' from the studio's usual output - but he's framing that as a feature, not a bug.

Howard pointed to the early days of both The Elder Scrolls and Fallout as precedent. According to GamesRadar's report, he noted that those franchises were also divisive when they first launched, before eventually building the passionate fanbases they have today. The implication is clear: Bethesda is playing a long game with Starfield.

A familiar defense, but not an unfair one

It's worth taking Howard's historical comparison seriously. Morrowind polarized players who came from Daggerfall, and Fallout 3's shift to first-person action RPG mechanics genuinely split the fanbase at launch. Both titles eventually became genre benchmarks. The question is whether Starfield has the same kind of depth to reward that long-tail discovery.

The criticism against Starfield has been specific and persistent - the procedurally generated planets felt empty, the loading screens broke immersion that open-world Bethesda games usually nail, and the exploration loop didn't carry the same sense of wonder as wandering Skyrim's overworld. Those aren't small complaints to hand-wave away with a 'just wait' argument.

What Bethesda needs to do next

Howard's comments don't come with any concrete roadmap for how Bethesda plans to address the feedback. The Shattered Space DLC launched in late 2024 to a lukewarm response, suggesting the studio is still finding its footing with the IP. A single expansion hasn't been enough to shift the broader narrative around the game.

Still, Howard's confidence in the property hasn't wavered publicly. His framing - that creatively bold games take time to find their audience - is the kind of long-view thinking that actually does have historical backing at Bethesda. Whether Starfield earns that comparison or becomes a cautionary tale is still genuinely up in the air.

For now, the studio is clearly committed to the IP rather than quietly shelving it. How much runway Starfield gets before attention fully shifts to The Elder Scrolls 6 will be one of the more interesting internal decisions to watch at Bethesda over the next couple of years.