Starfield Lead Artist Says the Game’s Overall Aesthetic is ‘NASA-Punk’

Starfield’s lead artist Istvan Pely has revealed that the overall aesthetic of Bethesda’s upcoming space RPG is “NASA-Punk.”

Pely and lead animator Rick Vicens spoke to Xbox Wire and discussed how this term really took on a life of its own and helped shape what Starfield is today.

Watch artist Mike Butkus create the incredible A Journey Through Space art for Starfield. pic.twitter.com/mPAnQmNVwk

— Starfield (@StarfieldGame) February 17, 2022

“Early on in this project when we were trying to establish the overall aesthetic of this game, we sort of coined the term ‘NASA-Punk’ to describe a sci-fi universe that’s a little more grounded and relatable,” says Pely. “We wanted a very realistic take. You can draw a line from current-day space technology and extrapolate from there into the future so it’s believable and relatable.”

“What’s really interesting is how much we all latched onto that concept,” added Vicens. “When you said NASA-Punk, the Art team could instantly take those two words and make them work. It was just the perfect term for our art direction and keeping everyone in same flow and working with a consistent style. For me, it just clicked. At the start of the project, I think that term was critical for us.”

This “NASA-punk” talk was part of an article that announced an exclusive signed Starfield art giveaway that will give Constellation members a chance to win an exclusive high-quality print signed by artist Mike Butkus and game director Todd Howard.

A previous Starfield developer diary saw art director Matt Carofano talking about how Starfield is a “more grounded game and a grounded setting about explorations.” Now, we have a term to go along with this philosophy.

Starfield is set to be released on November 11, 2022. For more, check out what the game’s collector’s edition may contain and why Howard said making Starfield was now or never.

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Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.