Why Bethesda Cut Gore and Dismemberment From Starfield

Bethesda had initially intended to incorporate gore and dismemberment mechanics into Starfield, but these features were ultimately omitted due to technical challenges. Dennis Mejillones, a former character artist who worked on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield, explained to Kiwi Talkz that the complexity of integrating these mechanics with the game's space suits led to their removal. "There was a lot of implications with the different suits from a technical perspective," he stated. "There's a lot that has to go with it. You have to cut the helmet in a certain way and it's got to come off, you have meat caps to the bottom where the flesh is."

Mejillones further elaborated that the system became overly complicated: "We had systems for all of that and it turned into a big rat's nest. All these things you have to count for now with all these crazy hoses on the helmets and all that kind of stuff that we added. Or now you could change the body size significantly. The character creator had evolved quite a bit."

While some fans expressed disappointment over the absence of gore and dismemberment in Starfield, especially since these elements were present in Fallout 4, Mejillones noted that such mechanics were more fitting for Fallout due to its "tongue in cheek" humor. "It's part of the fun," he remarked.

Starfield, Bethesda's first full single-player role-playing game in eight years, was released in September 2023 and has since attracted over 15 million players. IGN's review praised the game's expansive roleplaying quests and solid combat, giving it a 7/10 score and noting, "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."

Recent updates have addressed some of the game's initial issues, including the implementation of a 60fps performance mode. Additionally, the expansion "Shattered Space" was launched in September. A former Bethesda developer also highlighted the unexpected amount of loading screens in Starfield, particularly in the city of Neon.