Starfield won't be riddled with bugs like most Bethesda games at launch
Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty said Starfield will have the 'fewest bugs' of any Bethesda game
Starfield blew me away during the Xbox Games Showcase, but as I alluded to a few weeks ago in my op-ed about why Starfield is destined to fail, Bethesda doesn’t have a great track record for releasing polished and smooth experiences.
However, Microsoft’s Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty claims Starfield will have “the fewest bugs” of any Bethesda title to date at launch, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement, but it’s welcome news nonetheless.
In an interview with Giant Bomb (thanks, VGC), Booty said: “I see bug counts and just by the numbers if it shipped today, Starfield would already have the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game ever shipped.”
➡️ The Shortcut Skinny: Starfield bug-free launch
🐞 Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty has said Starfield won’t be riddled with bugs
👍 Booty said even if the game launched now, it will have the fewest bugs of any previous Bethesda games
🤦♂️ Bethesda’s massive open-world games have often launched with a lot of bugs and hilarious glitches
📆 Starfield is easily one of the biggest games of this year and launches on September 6
Booty also said that Microsoft has “an awful lot of people internally playing Starfield, working with Todd [Howard] and the team”, which should hopefully mean any serious bugs and glitches are discovered squashed before the game’s launch on September 6.
It’d also be refreshing to play a game at launch that isn’t fundamentally broken or that prompts an apology letter from a developer. We’ve seen some botched launches already this year, including Redfall, The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, The Last of Us Part 1 on PC, and many more.
When you consider the sheer scale of Starfield, it would be unfair to expect the same kind of polish that we’d expect from a linear, 10-hour, single-player experience. This is a game that lets you basically tackle it however you want, has procedural generation, and even lets you do bizarre things like horde hundreds of sandwiches, which persist in the world.
It’s since been revealed that Starfield is only 30fps on Xbox Series X|S as a result of this ambitious scope. That hasn’t gone down well with everyone, and honestly, I do wish it was 60fps as well. I’ve veered away from 30fps games in recent years as I find it can often hamper my enjoyment.
That being said, I’m absolutely enamored with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and that’s only 30fps with frequent dips. It’s one of the best video games I’ve ever played, though, so I can thankfully look past it. Hopefully, the same happens with Starfield.
Starfield is getting the royal treatment from Microsoft in terms of special editions and limited edition hardware. The Starfield Xbox controller is available to buy right now, and collectors will want to get their hands on the Starfield Constellation Edition, which is already in high demand.