Summary
A heated discourse has been ignited online afterStarfield’s opening main menu screen leaking online led to some dubious criticism.Starfieldis already in the hands of reviewers and influencers for various media organizations. As is common anymore, this has led to some leaked content fromStarfieldfinding its way online. A controversial figure on social media then criticized the leaked main menu, prompting a response from a Bethesda employee and a significant amount of backlash.
Starfieldis set to release on PC and Xbox Series X/S on September 6.Bethesda Game Studios' projectsalways seem to have a certain amount of controversy surrounding them, butStarfieldis launching into a much more caustic atmosphere. Where there’s already jokes about Bethesda games lacking polish at launch, there are also negative feelings surroundingStarfield’s Xbox console exclusivity. The result is thatStarfieldhas become a target for less-than-well-intentioned internet denizens to try and start controversies.
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Perhaps the most notable example of pre-launch controversies forStarfieldhas to do with the game’s opening menu. Somebrief footage ofStarfieldhas leaked onlinethat was largely innocuous. Mark Kern, former Blizzard producer and designer forStarCraft,Diablo 2,Warcraft 3, andWorld of Warcraft, decided to make a controversy out ofStarfield’s opening menu, however. He stated on Twitter that, “Starfield’s start screen either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn’t care.”
The comment from Kern has led to a significant amount of backlash online, due to its negative assumptions and accusatory tone. The comment even drew a response fromBethesda head of publishing Pete Hines. Hines responded to Kern on Twitter, saying that the team, “designed what they wanted,” and that the main menu was, “one of the first things,” Bethesda settled on. Hines even goes so far as to criticize Kern, stating that questioning a developer’s “care” because they might have done differently is “highly unprofessional.”
It’s difficult to see exactly what Kern is criticizing inStarfield’s main menu. The screen is simple, to be sure. It features a planet in shadow with a star inching out from its edge, producing a thin line of light around the planet’s circumference. TheStarfieldlogo is then shown over the center of the darkened planet. It’s the logo layered on top of what the logo is based on.
It’s entirely possible that Bethesda’s development team truly has been overworked. It has been accused of crunch culture in the past, though Xbox Game Studios boss Matt Booty says that culture has changed. It’s also possibleStarfieldis launching too soon, acriticism most Bethesda games receive. But to make those assumptions based onStarfield’s main menu, and leaked main menu footage at that, is potentially irresponsible given heightened tensions online.
Starfieldreleases September 6 on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
