Having relied on The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises for years, Starfield is the first new IP being tackled by Bethesda Game Studios in over two decades. Not much is known about the upcoming title other than that it will be an RPG set in space and that it is currently set to be Bethesda's next big release, hitting the shelves before The Elder Scrolls 6.

Starfield opens up a galaxy of possibilities for Bethesda, and could be an opportunity for the studio to turn its relatively fixed RPG formula on its head. However, some key features would go a long way in really and truly establishing this break.

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Survival mechanics like those found in Skyrim's Frostfall mod are usually among the first things added by modders when a Bethesda RPG releases. Based on images reportedly leaked from Starfield, some survival mechanics may be included in Bethesda's new title from the get-go. One of the images shows a meter in the game's UI which appears to measure things like gravity, oxygen, and CO2.

Hopefully, this means that the environments players will be able to explore in Starfield will be extremely varied. It would imply that planets will have different gravitational pulls, which could mean that Starfield will have a far more robust physics engine than previous Bethesda RPGs. It could also lead to some very exciting new types of environment to explore.

The leaked Starfield images only show one humanoid figure, a person in a space suit who appears to be the player character. However, fans will also be hoping to meet some creative alien races in Starfield's universe. With the possibility that factors like gravity will have a role to play, it could be very interesting to see Starfield break away from the humanoid alien mold seen in classic series like Star Trek and Mass Effect to explore extremely varied alien body types.

Exploring space has the potential to be isolating, so many fans will also be hoping to bring some engaging companion characters along for the ride. Bethesda games like Skyrim aren't known for their strong character-driven stories or having particularly developed followers, so many fans will be hoping to see a trend continued from Fallout 4, giving character companions their own personalities, stories, and quests.

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Space flight could be one of Starfield's most interesting features, and is among the features likely to distinguish the game from the typical Bethesda RPG. The leaked Starfield images show what appears to be the player's ship. There have been sci-fi RPGs in the past which include space ships, but don't have particularly robust or open-world space flight mechanics. This includes RPGs like Knights of the Old Republic, where the ship primarily acts as a player base. After the release of games like No Man's Sky, however, many fans will be hoping that Bethesda's new RPG will be able to blend flight seamlessly into its the exploration of its universe, including space battles.

As it stands, very little has been confirmed about Starfield. While there is evidence that the leaked Starfield images are real, they don't indicate just what kind of sci-fi game Bethesda is hoping to make. It's unclear if this will be a universe which attempts to strictly stick to the science, or if it will play more hard and fast with the rules.

How much other characters will play into the story, and how much focus there will be on the story at all also remains to be seen. As Bethesda's first new IP in decades, however, many fans of the studio will be following the game closely, and Starfield has the potential to the turn fan expectations for Bethesda RPGs upside down as gaming settles into the next generation of consoles.

Starfield is currently in development.

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