Starfield ‘Was Not Leaning To Our Strengths’, Says Bethesda Lead
Bethesda’s lead systems designer Kurt Kuhlmann has revealed significant organizational challenges that hindered Starfield’s development in a recent interview. The ambitious space exploration game was Bethesda’s first true multi-studio project, an undertaking that introduced unexpected complications throughout the development pipeline.
Kuhlmann explained that the multi-studio approach required changes to pass through a lengthy chain of approval processes, causing what should have been straightforward modifications to take two or three times longer than normal. Even seemingly routine tasks, such as lighting adjustments, became bogged down in complex review chains involving multiple departments, with any revisions necessitating passage through the entire approval process again.
The developer acknowledged that while Bethesda ultimately “pulled it off,” the project “was not leaning to our strengths” and didn’t align with the studio’s core competencies. He conceded that the team “couldn’t really make it” work with their original “ambitious as hell vision,” suggesting the scope had to be scaled back due to organizational constraints rather than creative or technical limitations.
Kuhlmann further emphasized that Starfield “needed way more” people to execute the vision properly, implying that resource constraints compounded the structural challenges inherent in managing a first-time multi-studio collaboration. The candid assessment provides insight into how organizational structure and team coordination can significantly impact game development timelines and creative ambition, even for a well-resourced studio like Bethesda.