To cap off 2023 Bethesda posted a quick infographic for Starfield, revealing that it has had 13 million players, making it the biggest launch in the company’s history.
There are plenty of stats to look at, but the real juicy stuff comes after the infographic when Bethesda provided a few scant details on what to expect for Starfield going into 2024.
Aside from promising major updates every six weeks, the big news is that Starfield will be getting “new ways to travel” which could indicate some type of planetary vehicle. Some enthusiastic fans have jumped on the idea that Bethesda might be referencing changing space travel to remove the vast amount of loading screens that Starfield has, but that seems very unlikely – the way you move from area to area is baked into the very structure of the game, and changing it would be a huge undertaking.
City maps will also be added to Starfield which should make navigating a lot smoother. New ship-building options are promised, too.
Bethesda also mentioned new gameplay options designed to make Starfield easier or harder. These will include ways to, “customize carry capacity, cargo access distance, ship damage, vendor credits, how you suffer afflictions, new survival mechanics, and more.”
The next announcement will help define the future of Starfield. Beginning “early” in 2024, Starfield Creations will become available, giving people access to a new creator kit and exporter. This mod kind support has been vital in keeping Bethesda’s past games relevant. In fact, Bethesda recently revamped the Skyrim mod scene where the whole system was overhauled and paid mods were brought back. Many people at the time speculated that this Skyrim overhaul was a prelude to Starfield getting something similar.
Finally, Shattered Space will be Starfield’s first expansion, due out sometime next year. It’ll contain “new story content, new locations, new gear, and much more”
But will all this be enough? There’s been a growing wave of negativity surrounding Starfield. Last week one modder gained attention for saying they were giving up working on Starfield because it was too boring. Other people think the game was a disappointment. But as always it can be difficult to tell if the feeling is genuine, coming from a small but vocal bunch or just hyperbolic. Only time will tell if Starfield can find the same sort of longevity that Skyrim has managed.