Starfield Devs Acknowledge Player Burnout

Former Bethesda developer Will Shen, a veteran who contributed to titles like Starfield, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76, has voiced concerns about the increasing length of AAA games. He suggests player fatigue is setting in due to the sheer time commitment required by many modern titles.

Shen's comments follow the 2023 release of Starfield, Bethesda's first new IP in 25 years, a sprawling open-world RPG echoing the extensive playtime of previous successes like Skyrim. While Starfield's length contributed to its success, Shen argues that a significant portion of gamers are tiring of these marathon experiences. He highlighted this in an interview with Kiwi Talkz, suggesting the industry is reaching a saturation point for extremely long games. He cited the success of Skyrim as a contributing factor to the prevalence of "evergreen" games, comparing this trend to the impact of Dark Souls on the popularity of challenging third-person combat. Shen emphasized that many players don't complete games exceeding ten hours, impacting overall engagement with the narrative and the game itself.

This trend, according to Shen, is fueling a resurgence of shorter games. He points to the success of Mouthwashing, a shorter indie horror title, as an example of how a concise experience can resonate strongly with players. He believes that Mouthwashing's reception would have been significantly different had it been padded with extensive side quests and filler content.

Despite the growing popularity of shorter games, Shen acknowledges that lengthy AAA titles like Starfield, with its 2024 DLC Shattered Space and a rumored 2025 expansion, aren't disappearing anytime soon. The industry, therefore, seems poised for a period of co-existence between these contrasting game design philosophies.