Remember when 2023 was hailed as one of the greatest years of video games? It was an onslaught of incredible titles – incredible sequels, excellent remakes, long-awaited revivals, and even stellar new IPs. Choosing the best among them is always difficult, but one title stood out due to the snubbing received – Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield.
Launching with extensive hype, enthusiasm would plummet almost immediately, give or take a few weeks. You could argue that the sheer number of quality games meant that players would likely revisit Starfield after clearing their backlogs. After all, it topped 13 million players as of December 2023. Surely, right?
Fast forward to today, and a game that Bethesda’s Todd Howard promised would receive “a lot” of post-launch of “varying sizes” is nowhere to be seen. It received one patch in May, which added Very Low display settings, bug fixes, and support for 2 GB Creations. Even as most modders have left the game, deeming it a lost cause, one created Watchtower, which features a new storyline, faction and features like orbital strikes, which is neat.
By this point, you would think that Bethesda would reveal the next expansion, but depending on who you ask, that time has already passed. During the Summer of Gaming, at Xbox’s own showcase, there was barely any word about Starfield. Heck, Phil Spencer didn’t even promise anything for it next year. There could very well be something at Gamescom, especially since Xbox will have a big presence, but how we went from Starfield getting its own Direct to receiving a new trailer for its first story expansion, Shattered Space, in 2024 to just disappearing in 2025 is baffling.
It probably wouldn’t be so bad if Bethesda hadn’t promised “a lot of exciting things.” If Todd Howard hadn’t promised some “big beats” for this year or that the studio is “more or less targetting” annual expansions, there would probably be fewer expectations that something is supposed to happen this year (beyond the rumored PS5 port announcement). While this doesn’t outright confirm its second expansion for 2025, Howard did confirm there would be another after Shattered Space.
Introducing a new IP is always a treacherous affair. Between new characters, stories, and settings, there’s always the challenge of creating a fun gameplay experience, regardless of how ground-breaking. Perhaps it will appeal to millions of people and become a smash hit – Ghost of Tsushima, The Last of Us, Palworld, and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are incredible examples. It could flop miserably regardless of the presentation, marketing and budget, as with MindsEye, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League and Concord.
However, video games are unique in that with enough time, effort, and support, any game would make a triumphant comeback…or at least, that’s what No Man’s Sky and several other games have taught us. In truth, there are plenty of disappointments which receive extensive post-launch support and still fail to resonate with fans. The redemption isn’t underway – it just never showed up to begin with.
That’s what Starfield feels like nowadays. Take a look at Cyberpunk 2077. It sold more than 13 million copies at launch in 2020 but public perception nosedived. By overhauling its internal development processes, systematically addressing major issues, implementing fan feedback and even adding new content that players actually liked, it shot up over time and now sits at 30 million sold. Better yet, Phantom Liberty, its first and only story expansion, sold three million copies in its first week and is now at 10 million sold.
And when you think back, it all started well enough. A new IP from Bethesda. Over 15 million players as of last November (though both the developer and Microsoft won’t share sales numbers). An 83 Metascore on Xbox and 85 Metascore on PC. Nearly 331,000 peak concurrent players on Steam at launch. Yet the appeal was lost within a month judging by the Steam numbers, even less when considering public perception.
And you could blame any number of factors. Players with too many expectations from little ol’ Bethesda and their little Creation Engine That Could (2). Several other better games around the same time. But at the root of all of Bethesda’s nightmares, the blame probably lies squarely on the game itself.
The more you delve into its extensive universe, the more lacking in substance it feels, as exemplified by the same randomly generated base and event for the umpteenth time. Companions and their quests felt insubstantial; Factions, a highlight of Bethesda titles, were nonsensical; and even if the narrative hasn’t been the company’s strong suit for a long while, Starfield’s was especially underwhelming. When the premise, gameplay, characters, and world offer a solid foundation, as with Cyberpunk 2077, there’s some hope for redemption.
But when so much of Starfield is inherently something many fans just don’t like, what other recourse is there? The argument that modders will “fix it” died before it even got off the ground. Shattered Space, meant to be a big step forward – was also a massive flop, so simply adding more content won’t help either.
With Microsoft allegedly planning to lay off extensive numbers of employees from its Xbox division (which may or may not be true by the time this goes live), part of me is worried that the company will cut its losses. I don’t see Bethesda Game Studios shutting down anytime soon – they still have that golden goose known as The Elder Scrolls 6 – but it wouldn’t surprise me if there are redundancies and a shifting of resources away from Starfield. It may have already happened, considering about 6,000 employees across all departments and regions of Microsoft were laid off last May.
As far as explanations go, it would be the most plausible. Then again, if Bethesda bothered to communicate anything regarding the future or what it’s doing to make Starfield a worthwhile experience for those who have stuck with it, we wouldn’t be in this situation. If a new expansion really is on the cards, it must deliver something players want to experience, and it must be accompanied by a significant overhaul to the base game.
Everything, from top to bottom, must be improved or made more enjoyable than now. Revamp some of those quests. Redo the Persuasion system. Add some spice to the weapons. Incorporate some actual fun melee combat. Incorporate a new ending or even some new companions that players want to hang out with and get to know better. Something beyond quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes. Anything.
Maybe none of this will prompt older players to return, at least initially. However, if the next expansion is enjoyable, the improvements will make for a substantially better experience on top. This could translate to strong word of mouth and a chance, however low, that new players will come in and enjoy the experience. If nothing else, this provides a solid foundation to build on and further improve the game for the future.
Then again, it all depends on Microsoft and with the layoffs and restructuring after the Activision-Blizzard acquisition, Starfield could very well end like it began – full of wasted potential.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.