Rumor: Starfield 2 Likely Never Releasing, Says Former Dev

Important note: This is a rumor/assessment that has NOT yet been officially confirmed by Bethesda.

Will Starfield 2 ever even happen? According to a former Bethesda developer, the answer is quite sobering: probably not. Kurt Kuhlmann, who worked on Starfield as Lead Systems Designer and was previously involved as Co-Lead Designer on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, recently spoke to the community about the future prospects of the space franchise. According to VGC, his assessment is quite clear: A sequel is unlikely because the first installment was reportedly not commercially successful enough.

What Exactly Did Kurt Kuhlmann Reportedly Say?

Kuhlmann, who left Bethesda in October 2023 after about 20 years and now works as Principal World Designer at Lightspeed Studios, reportedly said he doesn't believe Starfield was successful enough to justify a Starfield 2. When asked if, in his estimation, Bethesda might eventually release a sequel, he reportedly told VGC that he would be very surprised if that happened. At the same time, he reportedly emphasized that he found this regrettable – in his view, Starfield never quite achieved Todd Howard's original, very ambitious vision. A second attempt, in his estimation, could have come closer to that aspiration. He primarily cited the sheer size of the project as the reason: Even with the relatively large team that worked on Starfield, the amount of content that the game's grand idea actually required was reportedly unmanageable.

Why Was Starfield Not a Complete Success According to Critics?

To contextualize Kuhlmann's statement, it's worth looking back: Starfield was released in 2023 with enormous expectations, as it was Bethesda's first entirely new IP in decades and also a significant exclusive title argument for Xbox. Commercially, it didn't do badly at all – the game was among the best-selling titles on Steam in 2023 and, according to market data, became one of the top sellers of the year. However, the reception from critics and the community was more mixed: On Steam, Starfield temporarily dipped towards "mostly negative," with many players finding the game less polished and less engaging than pre-release expectations had suggested. This very tension between solid sales figures and a rather lukewarm reception is likely the background for Kuhlmann's pessimistic assessment of the franchise's future.

What Would This Mean for Fans of a Potential Sequel?

For everyone who hoped for a Starfield 2, this assessment is naturally not good news – even if it is only the personal opinion of a former employee and not an official statement from Bethesda or Microsoft. Should the assessment prove true, fans would likely have to prepare for expansions and content updates for the existing game rather than a true sequel. From our perspective, the statement should be taken with a grain of salt, as it comes not from a current Bethesda spokesperson, but from someone who left the studio long ago. Nevertheless, his assessment as a former Lead Designer naturally carries more weight than any random speculation from the community. We will continue to follow the topic and update the article as soon as official statements from Bethesda become available.

Source: VGC

What do you think: Is Starfield 2 even necessary, or should Bethesda focus entirely on The Elder Scrolls 6 instead? Let us know in the comments!