Starfield having only four romanceable NPCs is ‘a good thing’, says Dragon Age veteran

Starfield will have over 1,000 planets to explore but only four souls to romance. Harvey noted this amusing discrepancy last week, following Todd Howard’s announcement that only the four main Constellation companions—basically the optional sidekicks in Starfield who will presumably fight alongside you but, more importantly, carry your excess loot—will be romanceable. 

This, alongside Baldur’s Gate 3’s extremely long runtime, has triggered another round of discourse about “quality versus quantity”. One qualified voice to join that discussion is David Gaider, a former BioWare narrative designer who has worked on the Dragon Age and Baldur’s Gate series, as well as Knights of the Old Republic. He’s especially reputable, given how romance-heavy Dragon Age is, for example, and how fondly the series’ bonds are remembered.