Starfield Lead Designer Discusses How Much Some Players Are Disconnected From Game Development

Dec 14, 2023 at 06:20am EST
Starfield

Starfield lead designer Emil Pagliarulo recently addressed some common criticism raised towards games (and most definitely at the latest RPG from Bethesda), discussing how much some players are disconnected from the realities of game development and how people shouldn't fool themselves into thinking they know why some things are the way they are.

Buying plenty of games himself, Pagliarulo understands how a consumer has a right to complain, and he would do so as well if he did not know the realities of game development and the struggle for developers to bring their vision to life with constantly shifting resources. Game development, Pagliarulo continued, is a series of concessions and tough decisions, as developers often have to balance between the game they want to make and the game they can make, and the two do not always coincide. Having to deal with devs being shuffled around, looming deadlines, and creative decisions that a dev may not have wanted to make, there are times when things don't turn out as intended.

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At the end of the day, any player can dislike or even hate a part of any game, but no one should fool themself thinking they know why some things are the way they are, as a certain part of any game may have been the result of certain choices made under specific conditions, the Starfield lead designer concluded.

While not naming it outright, it is undeniable that Emil Pagliarulo was addressing with his lengthy X/Twitter thread the criticism raised towards Starfield. The game is definitely not perfect, but it is, in my opinion, a game that is still worth playing for any RPG and Bethesda fan, as I highlighted in my review.

About the author: Francesco De Meo has been covering video games and technology since 2012, starting his career at small outlets like Gamersyndrome and GeekSnack. After joining Wccftech gaming section in 2015, he quickly expanded his video gaming coverage with in-depth reporting, interviews with iconic industry figures such as Grasshopper Manufacture founder and No More Heroes creator Goichi "Suda51" Suda, Resident Evil series creator Shinji Mikami, Team NINJA's president and Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda, and Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama, reviews and on-the-ground coverage of major industry events such as Gamescom and E3. When he's not reporting or reviewing, Francesco can be found playing the genres he loves most, spending time with his six cats, reading, writing music, playing guitar and drumming for his progressive rock band.

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