It sounds as though Starfield will feature its own form of character romances.
In the latest episode of developer update Into the Starfield, design director Emil Pagliarulo spoke on the nature of making a space game, discussing the idea that the game had to feel like it offered an entire universe to explore; "I think when we knew we were making a game about space, you ask yourself certain questions. And that question is 'what is out there?'"
"And so, as a game, we have romance, adventure, mystery, but I think with Starfield there's this other layer of the cosmos, the universe, and what is out there."
Pagliarulo's single-word confirmation of the game's romance system doesn't offer much to go on, but it's an interesting confirmation nonetheless. Skyrim offers limited romance options through the Amulet of Mara's ability to allow you to marry eligible NPCs, while Fallout 3 allows slightly less wholesome encounters if you're got the right perks, and Fallout 4 offers romance options with a number of companions.
Since those games, one might argue that the bar has been raised for video game romance, notably by games like The Witcher 3 or the more recent Assassin's Creed games. There's absolutely no word on how the system might work in Starfield, but I'd imagine it might be a little more nuanced than the Fallout games' fade to black, especially since we've already been introduced to the 'Pleasure City' of Neon, where everyone's constantly high on a drug derived from its local seafood.
Elsewhere in the update, Bethesda's developers discussed Starfield's factions and companions, and may have showed off our first peek at Starfield gameplay.
