Hardly anyone expects to see Starfield 2 anytime in the foreseeable future, given Bethesda's typical track record. It took 8 years just to make that RPG, and considering that The Elder Scrolls 6 is now front and center—coupled with the fact that 15 years have already passed since Skyrim saw the light of day—it becomes clear that rapid game production isn't this company's strong suit.
In an interview with FRVR, former company veteran Kurt Kuhlmann discussed why he personally believes Bethesda won't return to Starfield. "I would be very surprised," said Kuhlmann. "I don't think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2." He left the company following the release of the aforementioned RPG.
At this point in time, sales data for the sci-fi game has never been publicly disclosed, but it is estimated that around $300 million was generated by April of this year. That is roughly $100 million over its reported budget, making the game moderately profitable, yet still a far cry from hits on the scale of Skyrim.
Add to that the fact that Xbox has expressed a desire to focus on its flagship franchises—The Elder Scrolls and Fallout—and it is practically certain that Starfield will remain in the shadows. That is a mistake, if you ask Kuhlmann: "It's in a way, too bad, because I think with the lessons learned on Starfield, a Starfield 2 could have been much closer to the game that Todd had [in mind]."
The biggest issue, according to Kuhlmann, is that the Bethesda team failed to learn from Fallout 4, resulting in another situation where base-building mechanics are present but poorly integrated into the core gameplay experience: "You can build a base anywhere you want on a planet. For what it is, as a standalone system, it's cool, but it's not nearly as integrated with the rest of the game," he said.
Even though we might never see a sequel, Starfield remains a relevant part of Bethesda's future and is still receiving free DLCs, meaning fans will still be able to enjoy their space adventures.
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