When Starfield was released in 2023, it came with the promise of a lengthy content pipeline that would yield (at least) one major expansion every year. Nearly two years later, and following the lukewarm reception of Shattered Space, fans are still waiting for Bethesda to deliver the game’s second expansion, and by day, more are giving up hope.
Despite vague and cryptic social posts and references made by Bethesda’s representatives in interviews, the unnerving silence surrounding the second expansion, which is rumoured to be focused on the Starborn, has left the community somewhat adrift.
The Fallout of Shattered Space
Shattered Space was a known thing long before the release of Starfield in September 2023. It was set up as a promise that a major expansion would land not too long after the game hit the market, but it would be a full 12 months before Shattered Space fully emerged.
What was dubbed a resurgence effort for Starfield ultimately drew criticism for being shallow, repetitive, and too expensive for what was on offer. It introduced new gear and lore, but it failed to address critical gameplay issues that were present since the original launch of Starfield.
More than a year after Shattered Space’s release date was revealed, fans are left sitting with what looks like a dead game. Todd Howard confirmed that a second expansion was in development in June 2024, but since then, no meaningful message has been uttered by Bethesda Game Studios, despite opportunities having presented themselves.
In March, the team wrote on socials:
We know you’re eager for an update, and we truly appreciate your passion for Starfield. The team has been hard at work, and while we’re not ready to share specific details just yet, we have a lot of exciting things planned for the game this year that we can’t wait to talk about when the time is right.
We’re always listening and taking your feedback to heart. Thanks for being part of this journey with us.
But the most obvious window, the Xbox Games Showcase, came and went without a peep.
Expectations
It all boils down to accountability. It was a clear promise that Starfield would have one major expansion a year, and in the two years that we’ve been sitting with Starfield, the only expansion we’ve even heard about was revealed long before the game came out.
Bethesda’s guarantee of long-term support is feeling increasingly hollow, especially when you look at the post-launch efforts of an adjacent project like Fallout 76, the MMORPG that has been kept plugged with content for seven years.
If Starborn echoes the performance of Shattered Space and fails to deliver, or worse, never materializes, Starfield may be chalked up as a failure after more than a decade of development.
Fans are now hoping for and fully expecting some kind of reveal or announcement at Gamescom 2025, which kicks off in just a few weeks. We know that Bethesda will be in attendance, but nobody knows in what capacity. We also know that Fallout 76 has its ‘biggest update ever’ planned, so it could be something related to that.
In the meantime, Starfield continues to fall out of memory. On Steam, the game’s player base has dropped by 99.2% since launch, and at the time of writing, just 50 people were watching someone play the game on Twitch.
Are you mourning Starfield’s silence and jonesing for a new expansion? Let me know your thoughts on the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that a new Resident Evil game has been fully revealed
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Just release it on ps5 already. Use that cash injection for more content.
Love Starfield. Such a shame that it is being considered by many to be a failure. It had it’s issues, but to me, it lives up to my expectations. Too bad some people set their expectations so high, they ended up disappointed.
For me Starfield is the best game ever!! I have played this 99 % of days sine it started. I don’t understand why so many people don’t like it. It has everything that I want in a game, yes I would like something new added but with the Mods you can change the game in just about any way you might want.
Best space game ever made Starfield has fulfilled the playing abilities I enjoy campanions are also fun to play with as well . Shattered space was a welcomed expansion and made my wife Andreja happy as well! The Rev space vehicle was also a blessing. Mods are a great addition if your not wanting to complete achievements. I am disappointed that the fan base does not see this beautiful game the way I do.
Starflop was already marked a failure long before Shattered Crap was even released. It’s nothing but a milking machine for their paid mods and that’s all it will ever be. That’s what their whole “10 year plan” turned out to be. Paid mods.