Bethesda had ambitious plans to incorporate gore and dismemberment mechanics into Starfield, but these features were ultimately removed due to technical challenges. Dennis Mejillones, a former character artist who worked on The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, Fallout 4, and Starfield, shared insights with Kiwi Talkz on why the feature was cut. He explained that the complexity of interactions with space suits posed significant technical hurdles.

"There were a lot of implications with the different suits from a technical perspective," Mejillones noted. "You have to consider how to cut the helmet in a specific way so it can come off, and then there's the flesh underneath, which adds another layer of complexity. We developed systems to handle all of this, but it turned into a technical nightmare. With the addition of various hoses on helmets and the ability to significantly change body sizes through the evolved character creator, the challenge became overwhelming."

Some fans expressed disappointment over the absence of gore and dismemberment in Starfield, especially since these elements were present in Fallout 4. Mejillones argued that such mechanics fit better in the Fallout series due to its "tongue in cheek" humor, enhancing the game's fun factor.

Starfield was released in September 2023 and has since attracted over 15 million players. IGN's review praised the game's expansive role-playing quests and solid combat, giving it a 7/10 score and noting, "Starfield has a lot of forces working against it, but eventually the allure of its expansive roleplaying quests and respectable combat make its gravitational pull difficult to resist."

In a recent development, another former Bethesda developer expressed surprise at the amount of loading screens in Starfield, particularly in the city of Neon. Since its launch, Bethesda has been actively improving the game, introducing a 60fps performance mode and releasing the Shattered Space expansion in September.