Bethesda lead says in the "time between Fallout 4 and Starfield," the "one thing" the studio has learned is that "there is no one definition of an RPG"

Starfield.

Oh no, the 'what makes an RPG' discourse has been reignited, thanks to Bethesda Game Studios veteran Emil Pagliarulo recently opening up that particular can of worms in an interview with GamesRadar+. It's the holidays, not Halloween, Emil, read the room.

Anyway, yes, people have been arguing for years about what parameters specifically define the RPG genre. Leveling systems, skills, customizable characters, those are all hallmarks of an RPG, but it's not uncommon for RPG developers to borrow all sorts of elements from other genres, making it trickier and trickier to nail down an exact definition. That's something, according to Pagliarulo, Bethesda learned at some point between releasing Fallout 4 and Starfield.