Starfield Dev Hints at Shorter Game Length

A former Starfield developer, Will Shen, has voiced concerns about the increasing fatigue among players regarding excessively long AAA games. Shen, a veteran with experience on titles like Fallout 4 and Fallout 76, suggests player burnout stems from the significant time investment required by many modern games.

Starfield, Bethesda's ambitious 2023 release, exemplifies this trend. While its extensive content proved successful, attracting many players, it also highlights a growing preference for shorter gaming experiences. This isn't to say long games are disappearing; Starfield itself received DLC in 2024 (Shattered Space), with rumors of further expansions planned.

In an interview, Shen indicated the industry is reaching a saturation point with lengthy titles. He argued that the sheer volume of long games available makes it difficult for another to stand out, citing the success of games like Skyrim as a contributing factor to the prevalence of "evergreen" titles. He drew parallels to other industry trends, such as Dark Souls' influence on challenging combat. He also pointed out that most players don't complete games exceeding ten hours, emphasizing the importance of game completion for story engagement.

This trend, according to Shen, has contributed to a resurgence of shorter games. He highlighted the success of Mouthwashing, an indie horror game, attributing its popularity to its concise playtime. He believes extending its length with additional side quests would have negatively impacted its reception.

Despite the growing popularity of shorter games, the dominance of lengthy AAA titles like Starfield, with its ongoing DLC releases, suggests that longer experiences will likely remain a significant part of the gaming landscape.