Starfield fans are celebrating Bethesda restoring Pluto’s planet status

Noelle Corbett
An explosion in space in Starfield

Starfield fans have noticed the game appears to treat Pluto like a planet despite its current scientific designation as a dwarf planet.

After being in development since at least 2015, Starfield is finally releasing soon. Bethesda Softworks’ first original IP in over two decades has fans pouring over every detail.

Starfield will allow players to explore over a thousand planets, and one notable inclusion is getting fans even more excited to traverse the game’s universe.

Fans have noticed that Starfield’s map of the solar system includes Pluto as an option, seemingly restoring its status as the ninth planet.

Starfield will let players explore Pluto

While originally considered a planet following its discovery in 1930, the International Astronomical Union’s 2006 decision to revise that term left Pluto out. It’s now considered a dwarf planet, something many outside the scientific community have long refused to accept.

As noticed by Mr_Rebs_ on Twitter, Starfield appears to treat Pluto the same way it does any other planet in the Sol system.

Fans reacted with excitement to this news. The IAU’s decision has largely been rejected by the internet, especially those who were children when Pluto’s planetary status was revoked. The topic has become something of a meme, with people reacting with hostility to those who say Pluto isn’t a planet and celebrating anything that treats it like one.

While we don’t know how much of Pluto players will be able to explore in the game, the fact that it’s included at all is getting fans even more excited for Starfield.

With just weeks until the game releases, Bethesda is revealing more information. This has fans looking into every detail – while also trying to avoid leaked spoilers as much as possible. Questions still remain about Starfield and its world, such as what happened to Earth, but fans won’t have to wait too much longer to discover the answers.

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About The Author

Noelle is a Senior Games Writer for Dexerto who can usually be found playing an RPG. Her favorites include Persona, Pokemon, and DnD. When she isn't writing or gaming, Noelle is probably making silly noises at her dog. She can be reached at noelle.corbett@dexerto.com.