Starfield is on the horizon, yet the excitement surrounding the game’s emergence has been marred by a peculiar dispute involving the game’s primary menu.
Being one of the most eagerly awaited games of the year, Starfield attracts high levels of anticipation and the release countdown has begun.
Starfield, which has already reached the reviewers for a pre-release analysis, has generated leaks about the game, including a glimpse at its primary menu.
This, in turn, has stirred up a bit of a fuss, which to be frank, seems quite strange. But, we have broken it all down for you here.
The Starfield starting screen dilemma: What’s it all about?
Ex-Blizzard designer Mark Kern triggered this controversy with an Aug. 20 tweet that presented Starfield’s leaked menu page, commenting that the team was either “rushed,” “overburdened,” or “didn’t care”.
Unsurprisingly, this elicited a heated reply from Pete Hines, who clarified that the Starfield menu was created based on Bethesda’s longstanding menu design principles and slammed the initial comments as “highly unprofessional.”
The objections surrounding the Starfield title display are primarily concerned with its austere design, comprising a few uncomplicated selections and the eclipse-themed title screen, which many deem overly simplistic.
Yet, several others correctly noted that this is Bethesda’s standard menu aesthetic, with both Skyrim and Fallout 4 boasting similar menus, and questioned if such dramatic importance ought to be placed on a start screen.
Related: An entire list of Starfield achievements leaked
What’s all the fuss about?
Actually, not much. How much time do you dedicate to scrutinizing a game’s main menu? Is it because you’re engrossed in the layout, or merely because you’re occupied elsewhere and not ready to immerse in the game?
Starfield’s menu might be plain but it serves the purpose. It’s noteworthy that the leaked snapshot is our sole peek into the main menu, which might comprise different visual dynamics.
Even if that isn’t quite the case, it’s nothing to worry about. Starfield offers over a thousand planets to discover, so our attention should focus more on exploring what the game has to offer rather than the design of its main menu.