Starfield Development Stretched Across 8 Long Years

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Abiyan

At Tech4gamers, I cover all sorts of gaming news. Whether it’s a leak of any upcoming game or an update, an announcement, or a rumour, I like to write about it all. Over the weekend, I sit and write features where I talk about games that I miss or want to see return.

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The gaming industry has been anticipating Starfield since its initial announcement in 2018. Over five years later, the game is closer than ever, with Bethesda Game Studios recently confirming the end of major development.

Todd Howard and the Starfield team are currently attending Gamescom, bringing more attention to their epic RPG. Among other information, the developer recently revealed Starfield took inspiration from Interstellar.

Following this interview, Todd Howard revealed that Bethesda Game Studios spent a whopping 8 years of development on the ambitious project.

Why it matters: This long development cycle reiterates the scope and ambitions of Starfield, hinting at a special release for Bethesda Game Studios.

Speaking to QG, Todd Howard confirmed the game was in development for 8 years. While referring to the time spent on Starfield, he stated:

“I thought we would find the answers faster.”

The modern gaming industry is no stranger to long development cycles. However, 8 years is still an extremely long period for a game’s development by today’s standards.

Only a few studios, like Rockstar Games, have spent this long on crafting games. According to Todd Howard, things came together for Starfield and Bethesda Game Studios as late as last year when the game became ‘fun to play.’

Starfield has already gone through various delays, and the studio has spent years polishing the RPG adventure. This has resulted in the developer’s most expansive project to date.

According to Pete Hines from Bethesda Softworks, 160 hours is just enough time to scratch the surface of the complex mechanics, deep storylines, and enthralling adventures awaiting explorers in Starfield.

This long development cycle also ensured that Starfield would launch without any major hiccups and include features like New Game Plus, which are commonly added as post-launch updates for many games.

Abiyan

[News Reporter]

Abiyan is on track to complete his Computer Science bachelor’s degree. His enthusiasm for writing and gaming motivates him to keep readers and gamers updated with the latest information from the industry. In his free time, Abiyan enjoys playing Dota 2 and Rocket League. Abiyan has also been cited in reputed websites such as Kitguru, Comicbook, GamingBible, Eurogamer and Gamingbolt.