"It's unprofessional," says Bethesda leader in response to Starfield startup screen criticism

Starfield hasn't even debuted yet, but it's already a topic of conversation for an unexpected reason: its startup screen. This came about after a former Blizzard developer criticized it. In response, Pete Hines, Bethesda's Head of Global Distribution, came to the defense of the game, stating that the criticism is "unprofessional."

But let's break it down—what happened? Mark Kern, a former Blizzard developer, made a post on Twitter sharing a leaked screenshot of Starfield's startup screen. He commented that a title screen says a lot about a game, and Starfield's screen shows it was made by a team that "didn't care."

Here's what Kern said about Starfield's startup screen:

"The look of title screens. A game's title screen can reveal so much about how rushed the team was and how proud they were of their work. Starfield's title screen shows a rushed delivery schedule by an overworked, passionate team, or a team that didn't care. Title screens are usually done at the end of development. Teams are too busy making the core game. It's quite common for the title screen to change completely once the game is gold or in patch 0. Teams that take pride want to show a good picture and usually redo it just before launch."

For many, Kern's words imply that the developer is insinuating Starfield will be a rushed release made without care. This has prompted many to defend the game, showcasing title screens from games like ELDEN RING or The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which demonstrate that a simple title screen doesn't equate to low quality.

Pete Hines steps up to defend Starfield and its development team

Pete Hines, one of the leaders at Bethesda, joined the conversation. In a post on Twitter, the Head of Global Distribution clarified that the Starfield team simply designed the title screen they wanted for their game.

Moreover, Hines highlighted that, while everyone is entitled to share an opinion, he finds Kern's attitude "unprofessional." This is because Kern is casting doubt on whether Bethesda Game Studios cares about Starfield's quality.

"They design what they want, and that's been our menu for years, and it's one of the first things we decide. Having an opinion is one thing. Questioning the 'care' of a developer because you would've done it differently is very unprofessional coming from another 'developer,'" Hines responded to a fan who asked for his opinion on Kern's statements.

As of now, Kern hasn't made any comments about Hines' response.

So, what do you think of this controversy? Do you have any issues with Starfield's startup screen? Let us know in the comments.

Starfield is set to debut on September 6 for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and PC.