Todd Howard says Starfield's ending 'might be a little controversial'

Starfield's game director Todd Howard has said that some players may find the ending "controversial."

In an interview with NPR, Howard revealed that he thinks some players might respond differently to the game's ending, saying that it won't provide the answer to every lingering question they could have.

"I do think the ending of the game might be a little controversial," Howard said "We ask a lot of questions. We don't provide a lot of answers. Because I think we want a lot of those answers to be in you."

Howard didn't go into spoiler territory of course, so players will need to finish the campaign to understand his point of view. However, by his statement, it's suggested that Starfield's finale may be ambiguous or even be left up to the player's interpretation. 

As long as players stick to the main campaign they should be able to finish the game in roughly 18 hours, but if you're one of those players who seems to stray off the linear path, it could take around 48 hours and 192 for completionists. 

Starfield is currently available on Xbox Series X|S and PC, as well as Xbox Game Pass. Before the game even launched, one player was able to beat the main campaign in under three hours while still in early access. Speedrunner Micrologist rolled credits in just under 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 42 seconds - an impressive achievement considering the game's scale.

Bethesda's managing director, Ashley Cheng, and Howard recently discussed the game's massive galaxy and said that players shouldn't expect every planet to be like "Disney Land."

"Everyone’s concerned that empty planets are going to be boring. But when the astronauts went to the moon, there was nothing there. They certainly weren’t bored," Cheng said. Howard added that out of the 1,000-plus planets, some were specifically designed to be empty in order to create a sense of loneliness. 

Looking for something new to play, check out our list of the best RPGs, and if you're searching for something more specific, here's our guide to the best Xbox Series X games and PC games available now.