Former Bethesda Designer Doubts Starfield 2 Will Ever Happen

A Starfield sequel may never happen, according to one of the veteran Bethesda developers who helped build the original game.

Former Bethesda lead systems designer Kurt Kuhlmann, who worked on Starfield before leaving the studio following its release, says he would be surprised if Bethesda ever decided to develop Starfield 2.

Speaking in a recent interview with FRVR, Kuhlmann questioned whether Bethesda’s first new universe in more than 25 years was successful enough to justify another full-scale entry.

“I would be very surprised,” Kuhlmann said when asked about the possibility of a sequel. “I don’t think Starfield was anywhere near successful enough to do a Starfield 2.”

That doesn’t mean Starfield 2 has officially been cancelled. Bethesda has never announced a sequel in the first place, and Kuhlmann left the company in 2023. His comments instead offer the perspective of a longtime former Bethesda developer on where the franchise could go next.

A Starfield Sequel Could Have Learned From the Original

Despite his doubts that a sequel will happen, Kuhlmann believes Bethesda could potentially build a much stronger game by applying what it learned during Starfield’s development.

Starfield was an enormous undertaking for Bethesda. The game combined traditional RPG systems with spaceship construction, space combat, planetary exploration, resource gathering, outpost construction and a galaxy containing hundreds of explorable worlds.

According to Kuhlmann, bringing all of those ideas together into one cohesive experience proved difficult.

He suggested that a second game could have refined those systems and moved closer to the ambitious vision Bethesda originally had for Starfield.

“It’s, in a way, too bad, because I think with the lessons learned on Starfield, a Starfield 2 could have been much closer to the game that Todd [Howard] had [in mind],” Kuhlmann told FRVR.

Kuhlmann has previously described Starfield as an exceptionally ambitious project, arguing that creating a giant open-world space RPG forced Bethesda to tackle areas such as vehicles and space combat that weren't traditionally among the studio's strengths.

Outposts Highlight One of Starfield's Biggest Design Problems

One example Kuhlmann highlighted was Starfield's outpost system.

Players can construct bases across planets, gather resources and connect different locations together. As a standalone feature, Kuhlmann believes the system works well. His issue is that it doesn't play a large enough role in Starfield's wider story and progression.

“For what it is, as a standalone system, it’s cool, but it’s not nearly as integrated with the rest of the game,” he explained.

Kuhlmann compared the problem with Fallout 4's settlement-building mechanics.

Fallout 4 at least introduced settlement construction through characters and quests, giving the mechanic a clearer place within the game's world. Starfield's outposts, by comparison, can feel more like an optional system running alongside the main adventure rather than something fundamentally connected to it.

Kuhlmann questioned whether features requiring significant development resources should remain in a game if they aren't deeply integrated into its missions, characters and story.

His wider criticism reflects one of the recurring debates surrounding Starfield: the game contains an enormous number of individual systems, but those systems don't always interact as closely as players might expect from a Bethesda RPG.

Bethesda Isn't Abandoning Starfield

Kuhlmann may be doubtful about Starfield 2, but Bethesda's public messaging suggests the Starfield universe itself isn't going anywhere yet.

In July 2026, Bethesda Game Studios revealed that more than 17 million players had played Starfield, collectively logging almost one billion hours.

More importantly, Bethesda directly described Starfield as “an important part of our future” and said it would continue expanding the Settled Systems with new stories, gameplay improvements and additional updates.

The game has already received substantial post-launch support.

In April 2026, Bethesda released the major Free Lanes update alongside the Terran Armada story expansion. The same day also marked Starfield's arrival on PlayStation 5, significantly expanding the potential audience beyond its original Xbox and PC player base.

Bethesda says Starfield has received more than a dozen patches since launch, containing thousands of fixes, performance improvements and quality-of-life changes.

The studio has also confirmed that additional Starborn content is planned for 2027.

So, Will Starfield 2 Actually Happen?

Right now, there isn't a definitive answer.

Bethesda is focused heavily on its established franchises, including the long-awaited The Elder Scrolls VI, while Starfield continues to receive expansions and updates.

Kuhlmann clearly doesn't expect Bethesda to turn Starfield into another long-running series on the scale of The Elder Scrolls or Fallout. But his comments shouldn't be mistaken for confirmation that Bethesda has abandoned the idea of a sequel.

Starfield was Bethesda Game Studios' first new universe in more than 25 years, and Bethesda itself once described its launch as the biggest in the studio's history.

Three years after its original 2023 release, Bethesda is still investing in it.

Whether that investment eventually becomes Starfield 2 is another question entirely. For now, Bethesda appears far more interested in expanding the game players already have than talking about another journey through the Settled Systems.