The official release of Starfield is rapidly approaching, intensifying the excitement for the game to unprecedented levels. Nonetheless, a recent controversy has emerged in the past few days, revolving around the game’s start screen. This article aims to explore the nature of this controversy surrounding Starfield’s main menu, while also examining the various reactions and responses from the fan community.
What Starfield’s main menu controversy is all about
The excitement for the new RPG from Bethesda Game Studios is almost at its highest point, as the game will be out in just a few weeks. The exact date for Starfield is on September 6.
Game reviewers already got their hands on the game and shared some early looks.
However, this led to leaks, which showed a first glimpse of Starfield’s main menu screen. Even though the menu isn’t very complicated, it caused a big argument on Twitter. Bethesda and Xbox probably didn’t expect such a small thing to start such a controversy, but that’s exactly what happened.
- A former developer at Blizzard had strong criticisms of Bethesda Game Studios. They stated that the menu design suggests either a lack of attention and care from the studio or a rushed approach.
- However, Bethesda promptly replied and criticized the developer for their comment, deeming it unprofessional.
How the main menu controversy started
On August 19th, Mark Kern, who previously held leadership roles for games like World of Warcraft and contributed to titles like Diablo 2 and Starcraft, posted a picture of Starfield’s main menu on Twitter.
- He criticized the menu, suggesting that it indicates the team at Bethesda was under a lot of pressure due to tight release schedules and that they might not have taken proper pride in their work.
The physiognomy of start screens.
The start screen of a game can reveal a lot about how rushed the team was and how much pride they took in their work.
Starfield's start screen either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn't care. pic.twitter.com/Ok4gzQ3DVo
— Grummz (@Grummz) August 19, 2023
Kern tweeted, “The physiognomy of start screens. The start screen of a game can reveal a lot about how rushed the team was and how much pride they took in their work. Starfield’s start screen either shows hasty shipping deadlines by a passionate team overworked, or a team that didn’t care.”
- The tweet has attracted more than 8 million views and numerous comments from a wide range of individuals, including game journalists, developers, and gamers.
- Many of these responses express disagreement with Mark Kern’s viewpoint, asserting that his critique seems relatively insignificant and disrespectful toward the developers at Bethesda.
How Bethesda responded
The conversation has grown to such an extent that it has caught the attention of Pete Hines, a prominent figure within Bethesda’s team. Hines took part in the discussion by addressing Mark Kern directly and highlighting what he perceived as Kern’s lack of respect in his remarks.
Or they designed what they wanted and that’s been our menu for years and was one of the first things we settled on.
Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning out a developer’s “care” because you would have done it different is highly unprofessional coming from another “dev”
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) August 20, 2023
Pete Hines, or @DCDeacon on Twitter, stated, “Or they designed what they wanted and that’s been our menu for years and was one of the first things we settled on.”
“Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning out a developer’s “care” because you would have done it different is highly unprofessional coming from another “dev”,” he added.
Responding to Hines, Kern replied with a sarcastic tweet, “Oh no! Not the head of Bethesda “PR”! How ever will I recover.”
https://twitter.com/Grummz/status/1693315912559198246
How fans react to this controversy
Mark Kern’s criticism was widely perceived as both inadequate and overly focused on small details, earning it the label of a “nitpicky” comment. Many individuals seemed to hold differing opinions from Kern’s, pointing to examples of other games like Elden Ring and God of War that also feature minimalist and straightforward menu screens.
You're absolutely right. These games were all rushed 🙄🙄 pic.twitter.com/TrgbHJGSLX
— 🌊🌴KG🌴🌊 (@XxiKGixX) August 19, 2023
One of the greatest starting screens of all time and it's simplistic as hell. pic.twitter.com/0JZ5KP51DN
— Myself | Wesker (@AlmightyWesker) August 20, 2023
I thought it looked sharp. If it animates a bit should be quite nice. I prefer my main menus to not have to load a bunch of stuff.
— Content Consumer (@News__Consumer) August 19, 2023
What did you think about Starfield’s main menu? Was it too simple or was it just right? Feel free to let us know your thoughts and discuss with fellow gamers in the comments below.
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