With recent rumors, do fans have reason to worry about Starfield's possible technical shortcomings?

Out of several AAA games in development as of now, Bethesda's Starfield is easily one of the most hyped. With the recent announcement of the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase, fans are eagerly anticipating new footage of the upcoming sci-fi RPG.

Starfield isn't new to the rumor mill either, as there have been past leaks featuring in-engine build screenshots.

Though, a more recent rumor paints things in a worrying light. To summarize, according to a former Bethesda developer, the mechanics feel undercooked.

In particular, the flight system was termed "terrible," and the engine the game uses was dubbed "a piece of c**p." The latter was implied from usability (i.e., development), so it's irrelevant to players. However, the poor flight mechanics makes one wonder about the game as a whole.

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Should fans be wary of Starfield's technical makeup?

While visuals of the upcoming space-faring adventure were also criticized, they would be the least of the problems here. Frankly speaking, Bethesda's games were never known for their technical polish.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4 didn't fare well next to their competitors in the visuals department. But we all know and understand that graphics aren't all-important in a game.

That's the mechanics that are important, right? However, if the wonky Starfield flight controls are accurate, we could see a repeat of the drama surrounding their older games.

Take combat, for example. The fact that Skyrim and Fallout 4's melee is pretty janky is universally accepted. Add on the lack of technical polish that Bethesda games are infamous for, and it doesn't look good for the developer.

So to answer the question in the title: Yes, some concern is certainly valid.

Note that this isn't meant to blame their Creation Engine — the engine that Starfield has been built on and their PS3 era onwards games run on.

The Gamebryo roots of the Creation Engine have often been held at fault for technical problems of their games. However, the fact that other game developers manage to get by perfectly fine using the same core technologies shows that Bethesda's implementation is wrong.

An example is how game speed is tied to frame rates, even in their latest games like Fallout 4 and Fallout 76. This means that higher frame rates would make the game's physics faster.

It is problematic for a multiplayer title like 76 as it runs faster. Of course, modders will be there to save the day as they always have. But there's only so much they can do within the game's framework and its engine's implemented limits.

But just this once, let's keep speculation aside and trust in the devs at Bethesda Game Studios. Perhaps they have things sorted out. Just perhaps.