Yes, ESRB mentioned drugs, but there’s more to it than that.
The ESRB has posted their official rating for Starfield. However, the rating summary describes a lot of things that they have revealed for the first time.
First things first, yes, Starfield, received an M for Mature. It received the rating for Blood, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Violence.
The ESRB rating also notes that Starfield will have in-game purchases. This could be anything from microtransactions, battle passes, or just plain old expansion DLC. While we didn’t know about this until now, nothing here is unusual for Bethesda Softworks.
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Now, here’s the rating summary the ESRB tied to Starfield (we’ve broken it up to separate paragraphs for easier reading):
“This is an open-world role-playing game in which players assume the role of a miner tasked with finding Artifacts across the galaxy.
From first-/third-person perspectives, players interact with various characters, complete quests, and search for supplies while battling enemies (e.g., humans, robots, alien creatures).
Players use futuristic guns, lasers, axes, and explosives to kill enemies. Combat is fast-paced, with frequent gunfire, cries of pain, and explosions. Attacks on some enemies can result in blood-splatter effects; several environments depict blood stains on the ground around corpses.
The game contains some suggestive material in the dialogue, and after sharing a bed with characters (e.g., “Life is a sexually transmitted disease that’s a hundred percent fatal”; “I’m all for getting a little wild, but next time let’s try it without the jetpacks”; “Talk about seeing stars, whew… that was amazing.”).
A fictional drug (Aurora) is prominent in the game, with a section involving players’ characters working in an illicit drug lab; players can also obtain Aurora by stealing or buying it from vendors (consuming Aurora results in a distortion effect on the screen).
The words “f**k” and “bullsh*t” appear in the game.”
As strange as it sounds, it’s the more benign parts of the rating summary that is more interesting to us. This is the first time we are hearing about the general scenario of being a miner in this universe, and undertaking the job of finding something called Artifacts in said universe.
We already definitely expected all the violence, swearing, and drug use that the ESRB detailed in this rating. Even the name of the drug, Aurora, is decidedly minor.
So it sounds like Starfield doesn’t deviate that far from the premise of other space exploration games, including classics in the genre like Wing Commander: Privateer.
Starfield will be released on September 6, 2023, on Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam. It will also be Day One on Game Pass.