Will Starfield be another Cyberpunk 2077 at launch?

Starfield, the upcoming Bethesda Game Studios RPG is easily one of the most anticipated games of 2023, and for good reasons. Despite being built in the same vein as Bethesda Game Studios' previous role-playing titles (Skyrim, Fallout), it is an entirely fresh experience, one that takes to the limitless bounds of space itself. It is also the studio's very first release as a first-party Xbox title.

While the hype surrounding the sci-fi role-playing game is justified on many levels, there is also a fair bit of skepticism associated with the technical aspects of the title. Although Starfield is releasing as an Xbox Series X|S exclusive alongside Windows PC, the game is shipping with a 30fps lock on consoles.

This has many fans worried over the potential lack of technical polish and a half-baked release of Bethesda Game Studios' latest sci-fi RPG. While it is purely speculation, one has to wonder, will Starfield eventually end up being another Cyberpunk 2077 at launch?

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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Is Starfield being locked to 30fps an indication of a Cyberpunk 2077-like situation at launch?

Starfield is easily the most ambitious game Bethesda Game Studios has ever created, and that's saying a lot considering the developer's pedigree. Although the studio has tapped into the sci-fi RPG genre with the Fallout series, they've done nothing that even remotely compares to the scale of their latest title.

However, overambitious games have often ended up delivering less than what they promised before release. The best example of this situation is Cyberpunk 2077 at launch. To call CD Projekt RED's sci-fi action RPG one of the most hyped games of the last decade would be an understatement.

Cyberpunk 2077 was marketed as the quintessential role-playing experience that no one should miss out on. Couple that with a bombastic marketing campaign and media coverage, Cyberpunk 2077 quickly made its way to become one of, if not the most anticipated, game of 2020.

However, it all came tumbling down once the game was released on December 10, 2020. People who were singing praises of CD Projekt RED and their games turned on them, all because of the game's unpolished technical state. Apart from the rather horrendous console ports of the game, Cyberpunk 2077 also was missing a number of promised features upon its release.

Cyberpunk 2077 had one of the most disastrous launches in quite some time. Fortunately, CD Projekt RED worked tirelessly over the last few years to deploy updates for the game, which finally brought the game somewhat close to its pre-release vision.

However, the stain of a broken release still lingers upon the game, as an ever-present mark of shame and broken promises. Although Starfield, judging from the gameplay previews, looks to be in a much better state than Cyberpunk 2077, the 30fps lock on consoles and the overambitious nature of the game is a bit worrying.

In addition to that, Bethesda Game Studios' Creation Engine, which powers all of their games, is known for being one of the most unoptimized game engines out there. While Starfield is using a newer and much more advanced version of the engine, at its core, it's the same Creation engine that is known for its buggy nature.

All that does not inspire much confidence, especially considering the launch debacle surrounding Bethesda Game Studios' previous title, Fallout 76. However, Starfield seems to be a game that the studio is very passionate about and one that they have been working on for quite a long while.

Given how much the game is carrying on its shoulders, not only as a Bethesda Game Studios title but also as a first-party Xbox release, Starfield might just surprise players with its quality and technical polish. Whether Bethesda Game Studios truly deliver an exceptionally polished experience or fumble with yet another release, remains to be seen.

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Starfield is scheduled to be released on September 2023 for Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (via Steam and Microsoft Store).