Starfield's robot companion Vasco will say the player's name just like Fallout 4

Starfield
(Image credit: Bethesda)

During the Starfield Direct, Todd Howard revealed that our robotic companion Vasco will address players by the name they choose. 

During the Direct we got to see some more Starfield gameplay in action, including the player-character heading back to the ship where they're greeted by Vasco, one of the Starfield companions who will be joining us. Just before boarding Vasco welcomes the player back directly, with Howard confirming that yes, "he can even say your name". 

Of course, this isn't the first Bethesda game to use this welcome little touch. In Fallout 4, robot companion Codsworth will address you by the name you select and greet when you return home after leaving the vault. This suggests that Starfield will use a database of names to choose from just like the last single-player adventure in the Wasteland. In the trailer, we get to hear Vasco say: "Welcome home, Captain Howard", and honestly, who doesn't hear their name following the title of captain? 

We don't yet know if any of the other companions will address you by your name, but it's certainly welcome to see our future robot friend welcome us home when we return from a spot of planetary exploration. 

The Starfield Direct was packed full of new information about Starfield and from everything we've seen so far, it looks set to be one very exciting adventure. 

In other news, Starfield's lighting will adapt depending on what planet you're on

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at GamesRadar+. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good.