We still don't know much about Starfield, the upcoming space-based sci-fi RPG from Bethesda. Leaked screenshots from September show what might be the game's UI, but they look to be still very much in development and might not be what the final game looks like. For all we know, Bethesda might take the game first-person rather than the third-person over-the-shoulder view that the screenshots suggest.
But one thing is very clear: Starfield is a single-player game. There will be no multiplayer mechanics at all, according to Todd Howard.
Speaking at the Develop:Brighton Conference in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Howard talked a bit about Starfield as well its relation to previous Bethesda titles, notably Fallout 76. At roughly 40-minutes into the interview, Howard seemed to make a true apology for Fallout 76's abysmal launch and admitted that if they were to do something similar in the future they would certainly have an extended beta period to make sure they get it right.
But that won't be necessary for Starfield. "Obviously the stuff we have coming--Starfield, Elder Scrolls 6--are single-player games," Howard said, "but I wouldn't rule it out [multiplayer games] in the future. It's been a very positive experience."
Later in that same interview, Howard noted that Starfield's version of the Creation Engine is getting a massive overhaul in preparation for next-gen consoles. It'll be a bigger jump than from Morrowind to Oblivion, according to Howard, noting that rendering, animation, AI, pathing, procedural generation of terrain, and more are all getting enhanced to take advantage of next-gen hardware.
"When people see the results, hopefully, they'll be as happy as we are," Howard said, although he admitted "it's going to be a while" before he even hints at a release window for Starfield. The game is still very much in its early days of development, and Howard doesn’t want to go down the Cyberpunk route of endless teasers and frequent delays.
Source: Develop:Brighton Conference