Todd Howard has appeared on the Kinda Funny Games podcast, discussing all things Bethesda. For the most part, it was about major industry talking points, ranging from AI to The Elder Scrolls 6 news. But there was also some talk about Starfield updates coming soon.

Todd Howard confirms Starfield updates aren’t a 2.0 overhaul

During the show, around the four-minute mark, the Kinda Funny Games host mentioned he visited the Creator Roundup for Starfield sometime in December and addressed that “you can say you went to something, but not say what.” It led to speculation around the internet that there’s something massive on the horizon. However, it’s not the 2.0 overhaul many expect, Howard explained.

“We’ve been working on a lot of Starfield content, we just haven’t managed to talk about it yet,” Howard said. “We are going to be talking about it really soon. We are moving into a phase where we are ready to be talking about Starfield, and really show that the right way and what is coming to the game.”

Todd referred to the preamble marketing around December in anticipation of Fallout Season 2. That’s when Todd last did media appearances promoting the new show. It’s also where fans got teases of future shadow drops following Oblivion remasters successful launch.

Starfield updates will refine existing features, not reinvent the game

“We’ve been doing a lot of work that we like a lot. It is not Starfield 2.0,” Howard said. “I’ve seen some of that (online), and it’s about expectation setting. If you love Starfield – we think you’re going to love this. It is updates and changes to the game that don’t change things in an isolated way, but it’s more meta in using outer space and things in ways we haven’t.”

Based on Howard’s comments, the updates seem to improve the core features that make Starfield what it is. It sounds like improvements to the outer space gameplay, a specifically mentioned by Todd. We reckon there’s probably refinements to systems like settlements and colonies, or maybe world generation if they are talking about underutilised parts of the game. It’s why the initial reception suggested this could be Starfield 2.0.

However, if you didn’t like Starfield originally, don’t get excited. “If Starfield didn’t connect with you or you bounced off it, I don’t think this is going to change that fundamentally,” Howard said.

This clarifies why Bethesda doesn’t want to call it 2.0. It’s not a complete renovation of the game, just adding and refining what’s already there. If you hated Starfield for various reasons, you’ll probably still dislike these updates. But if you were at least lukewarm or positive about Starfield, this might be worth checking out when Bethesda officially reveals it soon.

If you’re gagging for content, why not try the Star Wars Genesis mod for Starfield?

The post Todd Howard adressed Starfield update rumours: “We are going to be talking about it real soon” appeared first on The Escapist.

Prologue: The Sole Survivor’s Choice (2287)

The wind howled across the ruined streets of Boston. Radiation still seeped from the fissures of the old world, and yet life clung stubbornly to the cracked asphalt. You, the Sole Survivor, stood atop the Institute’s tower, looking down at a city that had long forgotten hope.

For decades, the Institute had been humanity’s shadow: kidnappings, secret replacements, and cold experiments hidden beneath layers of technology. But now, as its new Director, you could change everything.

“No more hiding. No more taking. No more fear,” you muttered, feeling the weight of centuries of potential resting on your shoulders.

Synths approached, curious, wary — the first of their kind granted true autonomy. And in the deepest labs, scientists turned to you, some doubtful, others hesitant. The path ahead would be long, and dangerous.

Chapter 1: Seeds of Integration (2287–2310)

At first, progress was fragile. The Railroad watched suspiciously. The Brotherhood patrolled overhead, their iron fists poised for judgment. Settlers whispered fears in the streets.

But small victories grew. Synth-human unions produced the first hybrids — children with minds sharper than humans, bodies resilient to radiation, and the faint glow of promise in their eyes. Ghouls stabilized under Institute care, finding purpose rather than persecution. Even super mutants learned to temper their aggression with guidance.

The Commonwealth began to hum with life again, as old wounds slowly stitched themselves together. It was a fragile hope, but hope nonetheless.

Chapter 2: A New Civilization (2310–2400)

Decades passed. The Commonwealth transformed. Cities rose from the ashes. Hybrids became a cultural force, their existence bridging humanity and technology. Settlers learned to trust synths, and mutants and ghouls found their place in society.

The Institute shared its knowledge openly: medical breakthroughs, radiation-safe crops, and clean water systems. Ethical science became the foundation of governance.

Then, the eyes of humanity turned skyward. Star charts, cryogenic experiments, and spaceship prototypes filled the labs. The once-feared Institute was now the architect of humanity’s survival — not just in the wasteland, but in the stars themselves.

Chapter 3: Preparing to Leave (2400–2450)

Earth was healing, but slowly. Climate instability, lingering radiation, and centuries of neglect left large swaths of the planet uninhabitable. The ethical choice became unavoidable: leave or perish.

Debates raged across the Commonwealth. Extremists argued that humanity’s soul was tied to Earth. The hybrids, synths, and ethical humans argued for survival among the stars. Your reforms now reached beyond the surface — they became a blueprint for civilization itself.

Starships were built. Terraforming research commenced. Humanity would not repeat the mistakes of the past.

Chapter 4: Exodus (2450–2500)

The first generation of ships lifted from the Commonwealth, carrying humans, hybrids, synths, ghouls, and stabilized mutants. Families waved from settlement walls as the last engines roared skyward.

The Sole Survivor’s vision had endured: a society built on ethics, cooperation, and foresight. Earth remained as a caretaker planet for a few, but the stars awaited humanity’s next chapter.

Epilogue: Among the Stars (2600+)

Centuries later, Earth was barren — a silent testament to the choices of the past. Cities lay in ruins, oceans reclaimed their course, and radiation painted the scars of old wars across continents.

Above, humanity thrived. Hybrids led colonies on distant planets, their intelligence and resilience shaping new societies. Synths administered vast networks of interstellar infrastructure. Ghouls and mutants found niches where their strength and adaptability were assets, not liabilities.

In the quiet of orbit, one could still imagine the Commonwealth — its rebuilt settlements, its gardens of radiation-resistant crops, its streets where synths and humans once walked side by side. The choices of one survivor had echoed across centuries, turning a shattered Earth into the cradle of a multi-species civilization.

And somewhere among the stars, the legacy of the Sole Survivor lived on, a whisper across light-years:

“Even from the ashes, we rise. Even from a broken world, we reach the stars.”

Players looking for their next big adventure need look no further, as the current Steam sale for the month of February might be the perfect solution. Popular ARPGs are currently discounted by half or more, making typically expensive titles more than worth adding to a gaming library.

The Friday letters page has some choice words to say about Sony’s handling of the PS5 generation, as one reader thinks Mario Kart Arcade is a bad game.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Wasted generation
Just seen the news that Sony is shutting down Bluepoint Games and I’m appalled. That team put out nothing but top quality games and were specialists in remakes, which we’ve had more and more of recently, so you would’ve thought they’d be extra valuable to Sony right now.

Instead, we just see continued short-sighted, bone-headed decision making from Sony, who have been awful this whole generation. The PlayStation 5 has been a disaster and I’m not confident that Sony has any kind of plan to avoid permeant decline, all the while shutting down more and more developers. I definitely would be polishing up my CV if I worked at Bungie or Bend Studio.

The obsession with live service games, which clearly hasn’t ended at all, has been such a disaster. Not just in terms of failed games (remember, Concord cost $400 million!) but a whole wasted generation, where developers have had no time to make anything else, and are now being shut down before they have the chance anyway.

I detest Sony for how they’re handling all this, and I say that as someone that’s owned an original PlayStation console and everything else since. They shut down one of their best developers just so they could look good to their investors for five minutes and it’s obvious they’ll happily sacrifice more for the same reason.
Cranston

Pity the poor exec
Thank goodness that Hermen Hulst, Head of Worldwide Studios at PlayStation from 2019-2024, is here to protect the company from ‘changing player behaviours’ and ‘rising development costs’ by shuttering one of their most renowned studios.

Absolutely nothing else he could’ve done since 2019, to give players the type of games they expect from PlayStation. Nope, we all wanted 12 live service games, from studios who specialise in single-player games, so it’s our fault for changing our minds…

PlayStation has been on the slide since they consolidated and moved their headquarters to the USA. They’ve lost almost all of the riskiness and playfulness that made them successful in the first place. Hope the Bluepoint employees bounce back quickly.
Magnumstache

Never-ending Kratos
I was really hoping that Santa Monica Studio would be working on a new IP or sci-fi game but it really doesn’t sound like that’s what’s going on. I loved the last two God Of War games but the story’s over and I have very little confidence that there’s a good plan for what happens next.

Cory Barlog said he didn’t make the Norse games a trilogy because he didn’t want to work on the same story for 15 years but here we are and it’s looking very much like he’s just going straight back to God Of War.

I know the next game is meant to be a spin-off but how different is it going to be really? Unless it’s a flight sim or something it’s just going to be more of the same and that’s a shame.
Coolsbane

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Experimental reasoning
It does make me laugh that Todd Howard has now publicly admitted that people find Starfield boring, but I’m sure he doesn’t really understand why. How someone of his supposed experience could have put out such a dull, badly made game I don’t know. He’s just lucky the Fallout TV show was a hit, as otherwise I think he would’ve fond himself out the door.

No one would love The Elder Scrolls 6 to be great more than me, but Bethesda is too high on its own supply nowadays and I really have much less confidence in them than I used to. He tries to paint Starfield as some big, risky experiment but all they do was take all the best bits out of Skyrim and replace it with nothing.

I’m not really sure what he’s on about with Fallout 76 either. It’s just a bog standard MMO cobbled together with left over bits from Fallout 4. It’s those two games that made me start to think less of Bethesda, not because they were risky ventures but because they were lazy cash grabs.
Shortround

Kart it off
I always wondered why Nintendo bothered with the Mario Kart arcade games. They weren’t very good, because they let Bandai Namco make them, and it hardly seems like Mario Kart is a series they have to get people interested in or promote. It’s not exactly an unknown brand, is it?

Putting Pac-Man in was extra weird too, as even though he’s a cartoon character he still looks out of place. Anyway, I still gave it a go. But paying £1 to play one race of the worst Mario Kart ever isn’t something I’d want to do again.
Biter

Bad business
The gaming world can truly change on a dime. Bluepoint Games has been shut down by Sony. After giving us fans a brilliant remake of Demon’s Souls and Shadow Of The Colossus, Sony has closed down the studio. One of their most revered, to say the least. It’s out of nowhere and quite a baffling decision. From what I understand, the studio was to create a video game based on an original IP and not another remake. So why Sony have chosen to erase that prospective idea is beyond my understanding.

Then again, we hadn’t heard any news, updates or any information from them in a long time, so perhaps it was inevitable. I suppose the silence was a reckoning or rather an ill omen in the shadows. I really would have liked to see what Bluepoint were making or what was cooking behind the scenes. To see the creativity floating around, but it either happens with a new studio that is formed, or it remains a what if?

It worked for Sandfall Games. After they broke away from Ubisoft, we were presented with Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and the rest is history. So maybe the developers still have a semblance of a future. What that will be is unclear at this moment, so who knows what is next?

On another note, it’s a week from tomorrow that Resident Evil Requiem releases. A funny anecdote is that I pre-ordered it for £47.99, on Amazon. I take another look and it’s suddenly £59.95. Talk about a lucky move. It looks absolutely fantastic and since Leon Kennedy is my favourite male gaming character, I hope it reviews well.
Shahzaib Sadiq

Two for two
I want to recommend Pure Pool Pro on PlayStation 5. It’s a really fun game with excellent physics. It looks great and has an enjoyable career mode and trophies.

It’s only the second game I’ve bought for the PlayStation 5 after Everybody’s Golf Hot Shots. Keep up the good work.
EricBIG777 (PSN ID)

GC: Thank you.

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Actually final
RE: Ochreblue. I find it hard to imagine, after the Final Fantasy 7 remakes have been completed, that another remake of a fan favourite would be made anytime soon, at least on the scale of Final Fantasy 7’s budget.

I think that so much money has backed these three massive games that it would seem nonsensical to risk another big venture so soon, due to what the actual returns were from a financial point of view. I can imagine that it would have needed a lot more sales to accommodate a reason to make, let’s say the sixth or ninth Final Fantasy games in the series, even if they definitely do deserve one.

Possibly a remastered version of Chrono Trigger would be interesting, with a fresh lick of paint and a new up-to-date remake of the original soundtrack would be a great winner for me and other fans. No need to go and rebuild everything like the FFVII Remake, but way simpler using artwork that is skilfully applied to the cute looking world whilst keeping the atmosphere peak.

But we definitely have to get into our minds that the Final Fantasy 7 remakes could be the ultimate Final Fantasies, encapsulating everything from the original and introducing so much more.

This asks the question of how powerful do the next generation of consoles really need to be and have graphical qualities reached their zenith yet? GTA 6 will probably be that zenith but it’ll be pretty obvious that GTA 6 will be earning a hefty profit when the sale figures start coming in.

But definitely it will be an exception compared to other big releases, who will be relatively successful but with way less titles being sold. Let’s see what happens over this year and the next.
Alucard

Inbox also-rans
Sony shut down Bluepoint Games? Make it make sense! Surely they should be remaking Bloodborne?
Zombiekicker

One positive thing about all these console delays is that parents could be saved the £400 to £1,000 yearly scramble to get a new toy for their spoiled kids.
Bobwallett

GC: Who is spending £1,000 on new consoles every year?

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Bethesda’s Todd Howard has provided another update on Elder Scrolls 6’s development, while adding that Starfield hasn’t been abandoned.

Although Bethesda is prioritising development of The Elder Scrolls 6, with it allegedly in a playable state as of last year, it’s unlikely to launch any time soon. Microsoft once said 2028 at the earliest, but that was three years ago and who knows if plans have changed since then.

Any time the subject has been brought up, game director Todd Howard has been keen to stress that things are going well but the game is still a long way off from launching.

Nevertheless, in a new interview, Howard has offered some new info; namely that The Elder Scrolls 6 is being built with an upgraded version of Bethesda’s in-house engine and that the aim is to stick to the series’ ‘classic’ formula.

Speaking with Kinda Funny, Howard explained that Bethesda is using Creation Engine 3, which, as the name suggests, is the third iteration of the engine that was first used for The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.

An upgraded version of the engine was used for Starfield and now it’s been improved again for The Elder Scrolls 6, with Creation Engine 3 to become the new standard for future games too (which no doubt includes Fallout 5).

It’s debatable whether that’s good news as Bethesda’s in-house tech has long been criticised for being outdated, for encouraging bugs, and being subject to poor facial animation. Starfield was an improvement in terms of the latter two issues, but it was far from perfect or cutting edge.

Bethesda Game Studios boss Todd Howard has flattened hope for a major Starfield overhaul by stating that the long-awaited update in development "is not Starfield 2.0".

Read more