“The whole modding community … sustains the success of their titles”: Bethesda considered using Unreal Engine 5 for Xbox’s Starfield, but stuck with Creation Engine to be mod friendly
Bethesda prioritized modding community support when choosing the engine for Starfield, opting to develop an upgraded version of its proprietary Creation Engine rather than switching to Unreal Engine 5. The decision resulted in Creation Engine 2, which delivers improved visual fidelity and optimization while maintaining compatibility with the studio’s established modding ecosystem.
The reasoning behind the choice was articulated by Heather Cerlan, a former Bethesda senior artist, who emphasized the critical role of the modding community in sustaining the success of Bethesda’s flagship franchises. The company recognized that the modding community contributes significantly to the long-term viability and replayability of titles like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout series, which have enjoyed sustained engagement for years after release.
Starfield, released in 2023 as an exclusive Xbox RPG and later coming to PC, benefited from this decision by launching with robust modding tools and community support from day one. While Unreal Engine 5 would have offered certain technical advantages, Bethesda determined that preserving the modding infrastructure was more valuable to the game’s long-term success than switching to an industry-standard engine. This reflects the studio’s understanding that player-created content extends game lifecycles and drives engagement within franchises where modding has become a core feature of the player experience.