Starfield designer explains how Bethesda’s design philosophy differs from Baldur’s Gate 3

In an interview, former Bethesda design director Bruce Nesmith explained how Baldur’s Gate 3’s approach to game design differs from Starfield’s.

Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3 are two of 2023’s biggest game releases, and while both are massive RPGs, in some ways they are complete opposites.

While Starfield is a long-anticipated title from renowned game developer Bethesda Softworks, Baldur’s Gate 3 seemed to find success out of nowhere. After nearly three years in early access, Larian Studios’ game went from a niche CRPG to a major hit that many have called one of the best games ever made.

Of course, with Starfield releasing just a month later, there were bound to be comparisons. Now, former Starfield design director Bruce Nesmith has discussed his thoughts on Baldur’s Gate 3 and how Larian’s design philosophy differs from Bethesda’s approach.

Nesmith breaks down how Larian and Bethesda’s approaches to content differ

In an interview with MinnMax’s Ben Hanson, Nesmith was asked what he thought of Baldur’s Gate 3. After discussing his history with Dungeons & Dragons and his enjoyment of the game, Nesmith explained how Larian’s design philosophy compares to that of Bethesda:

“They’ve come out and said quite bluntly, ‘We don’t care if only 1% of the players will ever see this. Those 1% that do are going to be happy, and they will tell the other 99%, who will then be happy the option existed.'”

In contrast, Nesmith says Bethesda has always focused on allowing all players to see all the content in their games, not wanting to lock off content as much as possible. As he put it, “You can get to be the head of all the guilds, you can be friends with all the companions, you can go to all the places. Nothing is off-limits.”

Nesmith continued, saying, “Every decision [in Baldur’s Gate 3] feels highly meaningful. Very few decisions in a Bethesda game feel highly meaningful. You maybe get to make three or four of those – and we try to make those really big and important.”

This speaks to a huge difference in approach between the developers. While Bethesda’s intention is to make everything in Starfield as accessible as possible, Larian’s is to give every player a vastly different experience.

The drawback is that most players will only see a small fraction of the game, but those who find secrets can share them with others, something that happened quite a lot among the Baldur’s Gate 3 community.

As Nesmith’s comments show, there’s a fundamental difference in how Larian and Bethesda approach designing massive RPGs. There are clear benefits and drawbacks to each – after all, players like to shape their own stories, but too much choice can be overwhelming – and reception to both titles shows how different game design philosophies appeal to different players.

If you liked this, be sure to check out the rest of our Starfield and Baldur’s Gate 3 coverage, which includes the latest news, guides, and much more.