Starfield has been a topic of much contention in recent days. Following the release of Shattered Space, the game’s first major expansion, many fans were disappointed with an underwhelming piece of DLC that has failed to warrant such a long wait and a premium price point. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though.
Many are still rueing Starfield’s rapid downfall, which was kickstarted not long after the game was released in September 2023. Recently, Emil Pagliarulo, a design director at Bethesda Game Studios, defended the space-faring RPG, aligning it closely with Fallout and The Elder Scrolls, two of the most legendary franchises in gaming history.
Perhaps Not
In a sitdown with GamesRadar, Emil Pagliarulo, whose work has spanned all three major franchises, said that Starfield ‘sits right next to’ Fallout and The Elder Scrolls as a series.
It exists in a unique space. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea. What is? We created a new IP, from the ground up, and an experience that is absolutely unique on consoles.
And I’m not saying Starfield is better or worse than any other game – just different in what we offer: that weird Bethesda blend of immersion, action, and RPG.
He used the word ‘unique’ a few times, suggesting that Starfield is building an entirely new fanbase that might not necessarily connect as easily with The Elder Scrolls or Fallout. That’s one of the things that has harmed Starfield since the moment the game dropped a year ago – the comparisons between Starfield and the decades-old series that preceded it.
Pagliarulo said that Starfield is now part of Bethesda Game Studios’ ‘Big Three’ games. Once upon a time, the developer said that it’s probably the best game Bethesda has ever made, but many would disagree. It has only been a year since Starfield was released after almost a decade of hype, but the player count has already dwindled outside of Game Pass.
Shattered Space pulled in mediocre reviews, games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 are outpacing Starfield on some platforms, and on content and streaming sites, Starfield is withering to nothing. Bethesda’s Todd Howard promised annual expansions for the title, but even Shattered Space wasn’t well anticipated – in another year, Bethesda might be delivering a DLC to a zeroed audience.
People defending Starfield might lean on the ’15 million players’ figure, but as of December 2023, the game had sold 13 million copies (including Game Pass, it’s thought), and how many of those gamers are still engaged today?
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Get a better engine also Indiana Jones looks like trash. Arkane should have been cut not Tango and Roundhouse.