What if Starfield had went the route of Fallout and included exploding bodies and gore in its acction? Well it wouldn’t fit, and this ex-dev explains why.

When Starfield came out in September 2023, Bethesda promised a big spacefaring adventure with endless exploration. But one feature which was a Bethesda staple was noticeably missing. Unlike Bethesda’s previous titles, such as Fallout, Starfield does not feature detailed gore or dismemberment.

This ex dev makes a great point regarding the exclusion of gore. | Image Credit: Bethesda

According to Dennis Mejillones, a former senior character artist at Bethesda, the decision to omit gore wasn’t just about technical challenges but also thematic coherence. It was part of a design decision that shaped Starfield into a more grounded, “lo-fi” experience.

Starfield didn’t include gore because it wasn’t meant to be violent thematically

It was a technical and thematic decision. | Image Credit: Bethesda

Originally, Starfield included plans for a gore and dismemberment system akin to Fallout’s visceral combat. However, the complexity of implementing such a feature in a game with detailed spacesuit designs and body customization became overwhelming. A former senior artist at Bethesda explained why in a recent appearance on the Kiwi Talkz podcast.

Dennis Mejillones explained that implementing a gore system in the game was far more complex than in games like Fallout. The key obstacle was the design of the space suits. To include dismemberment, developers would have had to account for how helmets and hoses would react when severed, a process requiring intricate detailing such as creating “meat caps” for the exposed flesh beneath.

These requirements grew into what Mejillones described as “a big rat’s nest” of technical challenges. Adding to the difficulty was the character customization system. Players can modify their avatars’ body shapes and sizes, which would have required the team to build flexible systems to accommodate these variations in conjunction with gore mechanics.

Beyond the technicality of it, the removal of gore was a deliberate stylistic choice. Mejillones says that Starfield was meant to be more “lo-fi and realistic,” inspired by grounded science fiction like The Expanse and Star Trek. It’s very different from the exaggerated, tongue-in-cheek style of Fallout, where gore is an integral part of its humor and identity.

It makes sense if you compare its world to Fallout

Space adventure vs post-apocalyptic America is very different. | Image Credit: Bethesda

Despite this rationale, some fans expressed disappointment with Starfield‘s lack of gore, arguing that its absence contributed to a sense of sterility in combat. Discussing Mejillones’ appearance on the podcast, layers debated whether the cleaner aesthetic really fit with what the game tried to do.

“No gore makes combat feel stale and kind of tame.” said one user on Reddit. Others think differently arguing that it makes sense. “I agree that the cleaner aesthetic fits the game’s tone much better… There are instances where I feel they hurt Starfield by trying too hard to make it different from Fallout, but that’s not one of them.“

The game’s commitment to realism extended beyond its lack of gore. The game’s design choices reflected an attempt to capture the wonder and peril of space exploration. But this focus on realism came with its own set of criticisms. While the game featured over 1,000 planets to explore, many players found the vastness of space empty and repetitive.

The decision to exclude gore also reflects Starfield’s NASA-punk aesthetic, which prioritizes realism over spectacle. While Fallout reveled in its exaggerated violence, the space adventure game sought to immerse players in a universe that felt scientifically plausible. It may have some glaring problems but it gets a lot of things right too.

Would you have preferred exploring space with gore filled action? Let us know in the comments!