Mark Kern Criticizes Starfield’s Start Screen: Rushed Development or Lack of Care?

2023-08-21 05:25:00
The producer of the original Diablo 2 and the former head of development of the original World of Warcraft, Mark Kern, criticized the start screen of the upcoming role-playing game Starfield. According to him, the start screen of any game can show the team’s level of rush to release, as well as their attitude towards the work done. Usually this stage of development is left to the very last moment, and the appearance of the screen may change at the time of the release of the game. In the case of Starfield, Kern is sure that the developers were either in a hurry under the stress of deadlines and rework, or they simply didn’t care. As you might guess, Kern’s words caused a heated discussion, which was attended by both gamers and various representatives of the industry. Many felt that Kern allowed himself an unfair and too harsh statement, especially considering that he himself is a veteran of the gaming industry. Some users noted that Kern and Bethesda just have a different vision of what the game’s start screen should be, others admitted that they are much more worried about the overall content of the game, and not what meets them every time they start. The discussion also recalled other successful and publicly loved projects that had minimalist start screens – like The Last of Us, Ghost of Tsushima, The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Elden Ring. There were also those who, as an argument, walked through Kern’s career. It is worth noting that Kern himself was also quite harsh in response to subsequent criticism in his direction. Commented on the words of Kern and Pete Hines, vice president of PR and marketing for Bethesda. According to him, the Starfield team made the start screen at the very beginning of development and it looks exactly the way it was intended. Hines also pointed out that there’s a difference between voicing a personal opinion and publicly questioning a team’s “care” for a product when their approach differs from yours. This is a rather unprofessional attitude towards colleagues in the industry. Starfield launches September 6 on Xbox Series and PC, as well as on Game Pass (September 1 for owners of extended editions). Previously, Bethesda answered the main questions of gamers about the game.
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