Bethesda Game Studios has revealed that your Starfield character will not have a voice, returning to the tradition of a silent protagonist as we saw with its earlier games.
Starfield is the next big game from Bethesda Game Studios and its first original property in quite some time. Thus far, we've got our first look at a companion and heard that spaceflight might be in the game. It looks like this game will evolve the standard Bethesda formula in a lot of interesting ways, but it's also taking a step back -- this time, your protagonist won't have a voice.
Why a Silent Starfield Character Might Be the Right Move
Bethesda announced that the player's Starfield character won't have a voice in a tweet earlier today -- a move that is likely to be welcomed by many fans of its older games (and modders, too).
"Yes, dialogue in @StarfieldGame is first person and your character does not have a voice," read the tweet from Bethesda Game Studios (via Reddit).
Response to that tweet (and its related Reddit discussion) has been largely positive. Celebrating the removal of a feature might seem strange, but it might make sense if you understand the history of Bethesda Games.
While the voice acting of Fallout 4's main character was entertaining, it also introduced some problems. In some cases, you wouldn't actually know what your character was going to say when you selected a dialogue option. The action menu also limited the number of dialogue choices to four; as a point of comparison, earlier Bethesda games could have many more dialogue options in some conversations -- six or more choices, in some cases, depending on your character's skills.
Removing the voice acting from your Starfield character will also do away with the restrictions necessitated by having voice acting. Changing a line or adding new dialogue won't be delayed by waiting for the voice actors to record lines. As a bonus for modders, it will also make it much less jarring for those mods that create custom dialogue -- having a suddenly silent protagonist where s/he would otherwise be voiced can be jarring.
We're sure to learn more about Starfield in the coming months as we get ever closer to its 2023 release date. For now, you can add Starfield to your wishlist on Steam and you can learn more about the game on its official website. Don't forget to check out the latest gameplay reveal that we saw at the Xbox Bethesda Showcase 2022!