Former Bethesda lead systems designer Kurt Kuhlmann said that a sequel to Starfield may not be in the cards, as he claimed that the game was not successful enough to warrant a potential Starfield 2. The statement came months after Starfield launched its Free Lanes update on all supported platforms.
Since its September 2023 launch, Starfield has released various patches and two story expansions to keep players engaged. The Free Lanes update, which went live in April 2026, made significant changes to the game’s core systems. Alongside Free Lanes, Bethesda also released Starfield‘s second paid story DLC, called Terran Armada. The expansion included new locations and weapons for players to uncover.
Starfield’s Middling Success May Not Be Enough to Justify a Sequel
Despite the game also seeing a PS5 launch following a period of Xbox console exclusivity, sales of Starfield on Sony’s console fell short of expectations. In an interview with FRVR, Kuhlmann said that he would be “very surprised” if Starfield received a sequel in the future. Kuhlhann said that he did not think the game was “anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2.” However, Kuhlmann stated that, should Bethesda prove him wrong, a sequel would be able to live up to the ambitions and expectations of Bethesda CEO Todd Howard. Kuhlmann left Bethesda shortly after Starfield was released, marking an end to a 20-year run with the studio. Since then, Kuhlmann joined Lightspeed L.A. as a principal world designer for Last Sentinel. However, Kuhlmann and some of his colleagues were laid off in July 2026.
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Days before the interview was published, Xbox confirmed it had laid off 268 staff members across its first-party studios and consolidated some of its subsidiaries. The layoffs were conducted as part of Microsoft’s ongoing restructuring process of its gaming division, which the company stated was three-fourths of the way done. As part of Xbox’s consolidation efforts, companies such as World’s Edge and Rare were absorbed by Activision. Additionally, Obsidian Entertainment was placed under Bethesda’s umbrella, though Obsidian will still maintain control of projects such as Grounded 2. With Obsidian and Bethesda working together on the Fallout series, including a new Fallout collaboration title that both companies are involved with, it is currently unclear what the long-term effects of the merger will be.
Along with its continued work on the Fallout franchise, Bethesda’s next major project is The Elder Scrolls 6, which is the company’s most-anticipated project to date. Although the studio has kept a tight lid on some details, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma called The Elder Scrolls 6 “a beautiful game.” Sharma did not state whether the upcoming entry would be an Xbox console-exclusive release, but reaffirmed that the company will continue to decide which games would receive such treatment. Given that previous entries such as Skyrim and Oblivion were multiplatform launches, it is also possible that TES6 may follow suit in that regard.
Although Starfield has not received any major updates since the launch of Free Lanes and Terran Armada, Bethesda stated that it still had plans for the space-faring RPG. Knowing that Xbox’s layoffs had a significant impact on Bethesda, time will tell if any plans for Starfield were scuttled in the process.
- Released
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September 6, 2023
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ / Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence, In-Game Purchases
