Starfield’s Alleged Start Screen Leak Sparks Controversy
Online chatter has flared up after a supposed leak of Starfield’s main menu screen drew criticism. With Starfield in the grasp of select reviewers and influencers, leaks are unsurprisingly emerging. A contentious social media personality took issue with the leaked menu, sparking a Bethesda representative to weigh in and causing a subsequent wave of online backlash.
Starfield is set for a PC and Xbox Series X/S launch on September 6. While Bethesda Game Studios’ releases are no strangers to scrutiny, Starfield enters a particularly tense environment. Beyond the usual jests about Bethesda’s launch-day bugs, there’s added discontent about Starfield’s Xbox-only release. This atmosphere has made Starfield an easy mark for internet provocateurs seeking to stoke fires.
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
One prominent pre-launch debate surrounding Starfield revolves around the game’s starting menu. A minor Starfield leak surfaced online, which, for the most part, was deemed harmless. Yet, Mark Kern, previously a Blizzard producer and instrumental in the development of games like StarCraft, Diablo 2, Warcraft 3, and World of Warcraft, stirred the pot with his critique of Starfield’s menu. On Twitter, he commented, “The Starfield start screen suggests either a rushed deadline from an overburdened, dedicated team or a team that wasn’t invested.”
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
Kern’s remarks sparked considerable online controversy, largely due to their speculative and pointed nature. Bethesda’s head of publishing, Pete Hines, felt compelled to weigh in, defending the team’s design choices. Hines pointedly replied on Twitter, noting that the team had “designed what they wanted” and that the main menu was one of their earliest design decisions. He further called out Kern, saying it’s “highly unprofessional” to doubt a developer’s commitment based solely on a design they might not align with.
As for the content of Kern’s criticism, it’s somewhat elusive. The main menu in question is undeniably minimalist, showcasing a planet partially in shadow with a glimmer of a star casting a soft glow around its curve. Overlaid on this backdrop is the Starfield logo — effectively the emblem positioned over its conceptual representation.
Bethesda’s development team may indeed have faced intense work pressures, as allegations of a crunch culture have surfaced in the past. However, Xbox Game Studios head, Matt Booty, asserts that the culture has since evolved. Many Bethesda games have faced criticism for potentially premature launches. However, drawing conclusions about the game’s development or the team’s work ethic based on leaked footage of Starfield’s main menu may be an overreach, especially considering the already charged online environment.
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