Starfield lead designer pays tribute to developer partner on a highly-anticipated quest

Starfield character stands in a rocky landscape
(Image credit: Bethesda Softworks)

Starfield lead designer and writer Emil Pagliarulo has spoken about one of the game's quests which he says he's "really psyched for players to experience". The quest was created with Eric "Ferret" Baudoin, who was also working as a senior designer on Starfield before he sadly passed away in October last year.

As we near Starfield's release in a couple of week's time, Pagliarulo says he's been thinking about the game's development and his mind fell to Baudoin. Pagliarulo reminisces about working on the quest, which he describes as a "great collaboration" between himself and Baudoin. "We changed each other's minds frequently," he writes, "and God, we just had so much fun doing it."  

Pagliarulo also describes Baudoin's presence as a driving force within the Starfield development team. "Ferret had the kind of optimism that made you remember how awesome it is to be a game designer," Pagliarulo says. "Pre-Covid, when we were all together, I could always recognize the sound of Ferret's sandals when he approached my office," he adds, calling him "a character, … a jovial Hawaiian-shirt with legs whose creative and often kooky mind was exactly what our games needed".

"We respected each other deeply," Pagliarulo writes. We don't know the name of the quest which Pagliarulo and Baudoin collaborated on yet, but Pagliarulo says he'll share it after the game launches.

For now, Pagliarulo's thread acts as a short letter from him to Baudoin. "Now the Starfield is even brighter with you in it," he concludes.

Starfield preloads are already live for Xbox and Windows PCs, while Steam players will be able to start downloading the game on August 30. 

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I'm a freelance writer and started my career in summer 2022. After studying Physics and Music at university and a short stint in software development, I made the jump to games journalism on Eurogamer's work experience programme. Since then, I've also written for Rock Paper Shotgun and Esports Illustrated. I'll give any game a go so long as it's not online, and you'll find me playing a range of things, from Elden Ring to Butterfly Soup. I have a soft spot for indies aiming to diversify representation in the industry.