Why Starfield Is Called “Skyrim in Space” and Not ‘Fallout in Space’?

Published 06/26/2023, 7:47 AM EDT

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Bethesda revealed Starfield years ago, and now that the title edges closer to launch, gamers have been enthusiastic about the release. In a series of strange revelations, Bethesda has made it a point to call it the game Skyrim in Space, why though?

Why does Bethesda consider Skyrim in Space while ignoring Fallout?

Starfield is a game that would be a milestone for Bethesda Studios; they have been working on it for numerous years. Besides that, with this game, they finally push their technology into the next generation. Fallout 4 was the last mainline single-player RPG by this developer, and they are pretty proud of the leap they have taken with this new game.

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Oblivion, the trailblazer

Back in March 2006, when Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion launched, there was no doubt it was unlike anything people had seen before. They enjoyed it thoroughly, despite the series of technical issues that came with the Gamebryo engine.

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This game, though, gave people a hint at what to expect next; it was an open-world game in many senses, but fans were left wanting. And this desire led Bethesda to go back to the table and work on something new altogether.

“You see that mountain?” Skyrim is introduced

Years later, when the time came for Bethesda to show off their next game, Skyrim, Todd Howard took the stage. One of the most noticeable and memorable things he said was that he presented people with a scene in which there was a mountain. Then he said, “Do you see that mountain? You can climb it”.

This was not a mere statement; this is what that game represented: the freedom to do anything and go anywhere. Fans were enticed, and they were hyped.

This is what Bethesda was working up to all those years. They built a new game engine from the ground up, keeping their requirements in mind. A want to give players something special, providing them with a world full of possibilities and, of course, dragons. The Creation Engine was born with Skyrim, and fans loved everything that it offered.

Fallout 4: The Follow-Up

Fallout 4 was a legendary game in its own way; it was huge, and it was as much a player-focused experience as Skyrim. It was a massive open-world game with crafting, layered armor, and even base building. But it was not as revolutionary as Skyrim; why?

The reason is simple, Bethesda did not go back and redesign its game engine for it. They used Skyrim’s creation engine, added some bells and whistles to it and they were done. It was not bad in any sense; it was, in fact, a brilliant game, but it was in no way as big as Skyrim.

Starfield, Skyrim in space?

Skyrim was announced years ago, very close to the launch of Fallout 4. They even announced that this game would be much bigger and come way later than Fallout 4. Now that fans have gotten a look at this game, it all makes sense too.

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Starfield is a huge game with multiple planets, some lived on, some uncharted, and some downright inhabitable. All this plays into the charms of that game too. Imagine Todd Howard saying, “You see that Planet? You can fly to it right now and land there”.

Ability to register ships; ability to steal ships and sell them, albeit with much difficulty. This game literally puts Bethesda’s formula for RPGs into the next generation. The fact that Bethesda once again went back and redesigned its game engine for it makes it pretty evident.

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This is why Starfield is Skyrim in space, not Fallout in space. It’s the freedom of the generation leap, and it’s something that Bethesda worked as hard on as they worked on Skyrim.

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Written by:

Rohit Sejwal

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Rohit Sejwal is a veteran eSports writer at EssentiallySports, with a passion for gaming that has been fueled by over a decade of experience in both playing and writing about games. His deep understanding of gaming and its finer nuances is evident in his engaging and insightful coverage of eSports. With a Masters degree in Science in film-making, Rohit brings a unique perspective to gaming, viewing it as a perfect blend of science and art.
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Edited by:

Jayant Chhabra