Summary
Starfieldcould be likeSkyrimin that it will have a decade plus lifespan. While Bethesda could have played it safe and went with a newFalloutorElder Scrollsgame as its next release, it has instead taken a gamble onStarfield, an open world sci-fi RPG that has players exploring the cosmos. The jury is still out on whetherStarfieldwill live up to the hype or not, but executives have been doing their part in hyping it up.
With Gamescom going on right now, various Bethesda and Microsoft executives have used the opportunity to talk upStarfieldand tease fans with what they can expect from the massive new game.This includes Head of Xbox Phil Spencer, who recently comparedStarfieldtoOblivion, hinting that the new RPG has more in common withThe Elder Scrolls 4than it doesSkyrim.
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That hasn’t stopped many from sayingStarfieldis basicallySkyrimin space, and indeed, it does seem to be effectively taking Bethesda’s established formula and applying it a new setting. TheStarfield/Skyrimcomparisons came up again in an interview Phil Spencer recently had with IGN, where he was asked if thought has been put towardsStarfieldbeing supported/played for a decade+ likeSkyrim. Spencer said, “Absolutely.” He added, “our hope is that it is another game that’s around a decade plus longer.”
Skyrimhas been persistently popular since it first launched in 2011, and it’s hard to say at this point ifStarfieldwill be able to replicate that success. However, it does have some things going for it that could go a long way in ensuring people are playing it for years to come. For instance,Starfieldis a day one Xbox Game Pass gameand will remain on the subscription service forever. This means thatStarfieldhas an incredibly low barrier of entry, making it easy for just about anyone with a PC or Xbox console to hop into the game.
Something else that should keep fans engaged withStarfieldis its official DLC. Bethesda has not revealed the full scope of its plans forStarfield’s post-launch DLC, but it has confirmed theShattered Space expansion. Details on the Shattered Space expansion will come at a later date, but one has to imagine that it will include brand-new storylines and potentially new locations for players to explore - assuming it’s anything like previous Bethesda DLC packs, that is.
And of course, there’sStarfield’s potential modding sceneto take into account. A big reasonSkyrimis still popular today is because of all the mods that have been released for the game. IfStarfieldhas even a fraction of the modsSkyrimdoes, it could very well be a game that’s still played many years after it’s first released.
Starfieldlaunches September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X.
