Discover Starfield's Hidden Depths Post-Main Quest, Says Bethesda Executive

Pete Hines, the head of publishing at Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT Bethesda, revealed that in the upcoming game Starfield, the full depth of the experience unfolds after players complete the main story mission.

"The number of hours doesn't matter. Telling somebody 'Oh, I've played Starfield for 40 hours' tells you nothing about what that person has done," Hines said on Bethesda Mainstream at Gamescom.

See Also: Preload Starfield On Xbox Today, PC On Aug. 30

Hines shared that he spent around 80 hours engaging with faction-based questlines and side activities before starting the main story, which took him about 50 hours to finish. It was confirmed that Starfield will have more than 1,000 planets for players to discover.

"We intentionally don’t talk about the main quest a lot because truthfully it is super spoilery," the Bethesda executive shared. "But I’m here to tell you that this game doesn’t even really get going until you finish the main quest."

Pete Hines about #Starfield Quests & Size of the game

Pete Hines: I told Todd i hit about 80 hours
Todd: What do you think about the Main Quests
Pete: Oh i haven't done it yet
Todd: What are you doing! 😂

Also says #Starfield doesn't really get going until you finish the Main… pic.twitter.com/0S39cvGOjW

— Darrius Fears (@TheRealDfea) August 24, 2023

Hines showed enthusiasm for the main story, calling it his favorite from Bethesda Game Studios, and hoped players would enjoy it as much as he did.

Although the specific content that becomes available after completing the main quest isn't detailed, there's speculation about a New Game+ mode with unique incentives for replaying.

Previously, Xbox Creator Experience's Sarah Bond said that Starfield is one of the "most important RPGs ever made."

In addition, Todd Howard, the development chief, shared that a story expansion called Shattered Space and "a lot of add-on content" are in the works.

Read Next: Check Out The Coolest Feature Of The New Starfield Xbox Controller