After (properly) debuting in Fallout 4, Bethesda is having another go at companion romances. It already seems that the devs have learned a lesson from last time too, as there are significantly fewer options than we got in the wasteland.
Speaking with Kinda Funny Games, Bethesda's Todd Howard was asked about what we can get up to with our new companion. Here, he confirms that just four of them will be romanceable - which hopefully means the romance arcs will be a little more substantial this time. This is opposed to the seven romanceable companions in Fallout 4 or the 60+ marriage options in Skyrim, which failed to live up to what we expect from love stories in an RPG.
"The four main Constellation [companions] are the ones that support full quest lines and romance," says Howard, asked about the romance options in the game. He leaves it there, making it pretty clear that love arcs will be limited to these four, with Bethesda choosing characters that are more relevant to the story.
What isn't clear, however, is whether there will be non-companion romances. He says that four Constellation companions will support a fully realised romantic questline, but that doesn't mean there aren't opportunities to have a fling with someone off the ship. Fallout 4 gave us a few options for this, so it wouldn't be a surprise to encounter some one-night stands as we explore the galaxy.
In any case, we know that there will be sex in Starfield. Pretty creative sex at that. Thanks to the ESRB rating being made public, we've already been treated to some post-coital pillow talk, including lines such as, "I'm all for getting a little wild, but next time let's try it without the jetpacks". There's also something about life being a "sexually transmitted disease that's hundred percent fatal", which is a bit of a mood killer. I guess our character just has zero rizz - perhaps something we have to overcome to woo our crewmates.
Hopefully, the romances will go a little deeper than some goofy lines of dialogue uttered after the screen (presumably) fades to black for the deed. Bethesda has never animated the act in one of its games, and it doesn't seem likely it will start here if this writing is anything to go by. Unless someone really did have to animate two people going at it in jetpacks, in which case more power to them.
We'll find out for sure when Starfield launches on September 6. It will be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S, skipping last-gen and PlayStation.