The Xbox Series X/S has an exciting slate of sci-fi RPG games lined up over the next couple of years, as Obsidian’sThe Outer Worlds 2is currently in development, and Bethesda’s highly anticipatedStarfieldis set to release this September. While both games share a genre and certain gameplay fundamentals, however, it’s likely thatThe Outer Worlds 2andStarfieldwill be going in two very different directions in terms of structure. WhereasStarfieldaims to be truly galactic with its procedurally generated planets,The Outer Worlds 2will likely take a more focused approach similar to the series' first installment.
The Outer Worlds 2will be taking players to a new star system, leavingThe Outer Worlds' Halcyon Colony and focusing on a new collection of planets. While there’s no news on how many planets will be in the sequel, it’s likely Obsidian will create another handful of planets with distinct environments and plentiful gameplay opportunities. This is in stark contrast toStarfield’s promises of over a thousand planets, but it may be wise for Bethesda’s next RPG to look towardThe Outer Worlds 2and realize the merits of quality over quantity. A full galaxy may be fun to explore, but it’s nothing without some kind of focus.
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Starfield and Gaming’s Open-World Exhaustion
Bethesda is one of the pioneers of the current open-world formula, andStarfieldlooks to be the culmination of that legacy. As the game plans to give players multiple galaxies to explore, however, there is some concern that many of theplanets featured inStarfieldwon’t be worth exploring. It speaks to a recent issue in the open-world adventure genre, where a game provides a massive area for players to explore, but doesn’t fill it with enough unique activities to make the world feel engaging.
Games likeAssassin’s Creed Valhallahave been criticized for this design strategy, as its massive map is mostly filled with arbitrary collectibles and often inconsequential side quests that mostly serve to inflate the game’s average completion time. While these 100-plus-houropen-world game experienceshave their devoted fans, there has been a shift in desire for more concentrated games that can be finished in 30–50 hours. WithStarfieldpromising an unfathomable amount of space to explore, it’s all too possible the game could be bloated with unexciting content that only serves to justify the existence of its planets.
How The Outer Worlds Thrived On Quality Over Quantity
WhenThe Outer Worldscame out, it was just a year after the release of mammoth games likeRed Dead Redemption 2andAssassin’s Creed Odyssey. In the face of these 100-hour adventures,The Outer Worldsprovided a concentrated experience that could be finished in 20–30 hours, and where it differed from its contemporaries was in the quality of its content. FrommemorableThe Outer Worldscompanionslike Parvati to consistently distinct quests, Obsidian provided more engaging gameplay in about 25 hours than many games deliver in 90-100.
WithThe Outer Worlds 2, Obsidian will likely take a similar approach to create its new star system. The developer thrives on narrative-driven experiences, and one of the best ways to achieve that is with a focused world filled with meaningful things to do. The promise ofStarfield’s substantial galaxymay be enticing, but its scale may be at the expense of a consistently enjoyable game. It remains to be seen whatThe Outer Worlds 2orStarfieldwill really be like, but the track record of each developer shows that these sci-fi adventures will likely be two very different experiences.
