Starfield Nearly Had Decapitations, but Helmets Cut off All the Fun

Starfield originally flirted with the idea of including gory decapitations. However, the feature was ultimately scrapped due to a mix of technical and thematic challenges, as former Bethesda character artist Dennis Mejillones recently explained.

Speaking on the Kiwi Talkz podcast, Mejillones detailed the initial plans and the challenges that arose. “From a technical perspective, there’s a lot that has to go with it,” he said, highlighting that the variety of space suits and helmets in Starfield became a major obstacle to the idea’s realization. 

To implement decapitations, the team would have needed to address how different helmets and suits reacted when severed, including creating detailed “meat caps” where flesh would be exposed.

“It began to turn into a big rat’s nest of these things we had to account for,” Mejillones remarked, citing the complexity of designing severed helmets with intricate details like hoses and connections. Additionally, Starfield’s advanced character creator, which allows for a wide range of body shapes and sizes, added another layer of difficulty.

Beyond the technical issues, the team considered the tone and style of Starfield compared to Bethesda’s other franchises, like Fallout. Mejillones noted that Fallout’s over-the-top violence, exemplified by the infamous Bloody Mess perk, aligns with the franchise’s humor. Starfield, on the other hand, draws inspiration from more grounded sci-fi properties such as The Expanse and Star Trek.

The potential development cost also influenced the decision to exclude decapitations. Mejillones emphasized that implementing the feature would have required significant resources and technical overhead, leading the team to conclude that it wasn’t worth the investment.

Meanwhile, Bethesda continues to expand Starfield. The first DLC, Shattered Space, which was released on Sept. 30, 2024, introduced elements of horror to the universe, and another expansion is on the horizon. Speculation about the next chapter, potentially titled Starborn, has been fueled by a trademark filing by Zenimax, Bethesda’s parent company.

Starfield sold around 3 million copies by the end of 2023, with over 14 million players having experienced the game through various platforms and services up to June 2024. The game’s development period was spanning approximately eight years, the project entered active development following the release of Fallout 4 in November 2015. By mid-2018, the game was in production and had reached a playable state. After several delays, Starfield was officially released on Sept. 6, 2023.