CD Projekt Red’s senior quest designer, Patrick K. Mills, has expressed disapproval of comparing Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077, describing it as “actively harmful” to the gaming medium.
The comparison between Starfield and Cyberpunk 2077 emerged when a player shared a video on Twitter highlighting creative differences between the two games. The video showcased various aspects where some roleplay elements in Starfield appeared less immersive compared to Cyberpunk 2077. Examples included the inability to fully submerge in water after jumping from a height, NPCs showing no reaction when weapons are aimed at them, and a lack of bullet spray on water surfaces.
Mills commented on the comparison, stating, “How times have changed. [To be clear], this fake criticism is actively harmful to the way the audience interacts with the medium, and I hate it, but it’s very funny to see after how many hundreds of these were made to ridicule [Cyberpunk 2077].”
When Cyberpunk 2077 was released in 2020, it faced significant backlash due to issues such as poor optimization, as well as criticism related to animation and environmental design, similar to what was highlighted in the Starfield video.
In response to the comparison, another Twitter user argued that the aims of both games are different, and the criticism of Starfield is valid because Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t offer the exploration of a galaxy, while Starfield’s absence of swimming and submersion while exploring planets raises questions.
Mills questioned the meaning and relevance of the comparison, stating, “There’s no commentary, just a handful of features being compared. What’s the meaning of this comparison? How does this relate to how I should feel about or experience these games? Useless criticism.”
Starfield was released on Xbox Series X|S and PC, including Xbox Game Pass, and reached over one million players across all platforms. It quickly surpassed six million players as of September 7, making it Bethesda’s largest launch to date.
