Although it has historically taken Bethesda a long time to make sequels, there is already some noise being conjured up forStarfield 2, despite the recent release of theShattered Spaceexpansion. It has been over a year since the release ofStarfield,and although it did well initially with its player numbers, in large part due to it being on Xbox Game Pass day one, it has failed to capture the love and devotion that other Bethesda franchises have, such asFalloutandThe Elder Scrolls.
News does have a habit of circulating around would-be Bethesda titles early in their development, with there also being noise surroundingFallout 5andTheElder Scrolls 6. Bethesda itself has not helped matters in this regard,with it announcingTheElder Scrolls 6with a CG trailer over six years ago, yet practically nothing has been seen of this potentially legendary sequel.Starfield 2could be what actually cements the franchise as a Bethesda staple, but it will be a while before it can attempt to do whatShattered Spacewas unable to.
Why Shattered Space Didn’t Solve All Of Starfield’s Issues
A Lot Of Starfield’s Problems Are Systemic
TheShattered Spaceexpansionwas always fighting an uphill battle, sinceStarfielddidn’t quite meet the lofty expectations attributed to it prior to its release, and the hope was the expansion would bring the title to those heights. It was never going to do all the work that was needed alone, but themain problem that the expansion has is that it delivers more of the samethat failed to inspire the majority of theStarfieldplayer base. Those that already liked the base game have a lot here to love, but it doesn’t do a lot to address many criticisms.
Immersive Starfield Mod Turns NPCs Into Actual Characters With Unique Lives
Starfield players who want a little more realism in their NPCs need to check out this immersive mod that gives important characters actual schedules.
Shattered Spacedidn’t take many risksnor add a lot of new mechanics that could have made the base game a better experience. Very little is actually modified from the base game, and the base game does have some systemic issues, such as how lifeless many of the planets feel and the false choices it offers the player, ultimately making the game feel more linear than it should. It does add a new planet and handcrafted environments, though, which is a nice change from the somewhat bland, procedural environments in the base game.
Starfieldhas well over a thousand planets, and this number of planets was only made possible thanks to the procedural generation systems used to generate environments.
Ultimately, the biggest issue withShattered Spaceis that it continues more of the same and doesn’t even try to change things from the base game. Yes, there are new environments, weapons, etc., and the expansion isn’t necessarily lacking from a content standpoint, it just doesn’t address any of the issues. When compared to what CD Projekt Red did to putCyberpunk 2077back on track alongside the release of thePhantom Libertyexpansion,Starfield’s DLC does fall short, and doesn’t even offer much regarding new narrative, unlike something likeFar HarborforFallout 4.
Bethesda Seems To Be Putting All Hopes On Starfield 2
But It Will Be A Long Time To Wait
Talking withVideoGamer, Bruce Nesmith, former Bethesda developer and theStarfieldsystem designer, said that a lot of IPs don’t have great first games, but these titles do have flashes of brilliance that ultimately make great sequels. He said that this could be the case withStarfield 2,comparing the IP’s potential to something likeMass EffectandAssassin’s Creed,where the sequels were the games that made the IPs. Although this is a fair point, Bethesda has one issue withStarfieldthat these other franchises don’t have.
If there is going to be asequel toStarfield, it will take a very long time, since Bethesda isn’t exactly the fastest developer around. It is assumed thatThe Elder Scrolls 6is next, and it will end up releasing closer to 2030than 2020. Bethesda fans will likely demandFallout 5beforeStarfield 2, thanks to that franchise’s popularity, pushing a sequel to the space-faring game so far down the line that it might not even be worth thinking about at the moment.
Falloutwas created by Interplay Productions, before it was acquired by Bethesda in 2007.
Bethesda pinning its hopes onStarfield 2, rather than digging in and improving the game to make it live up to its potential, like what CD Projekt Red and Hello Games did withCyberpunk 2077andNo Man’s Skyrespectively, could mean that it is already looking at moving onto the next game. Leaving it behind might be a good idea,considering the anticipation for the nextElder ScrollsandFallout.Getting these games out first, and delivering with them, could build the hype back up for a newStarfield.
Can Starfield 2 Actually Save The Franchise?
Or Could It End Before It Has A Chance To Start
Something that shouldn’t be forgotten is that Bethesda is now owned by Microsoft and might not be the maker of its own destiny anymore. Although Nesmith could be right, andStarfield 2could be the amazing title that everyone wants, if Microsoft doesn’t think it will do well, then the sequel might not get green lit.It doesn’t have the reputation and appeal thatTheElder ScrollsandFalloutdo, so Microsoft might push for Bethesda to add to those franchises, rather than makingStarfieldinto a series.
All Companions In Starfield & Shattered Space, Ranked Worst To Best
Starfield has 29 different companions to choose from, and some are certainly better than others. Here’s the full list, ranked.
The general opinion of Bethesda titles has been trending downward in recent years.Skyrimremains beloved ever since its 2011 launch, but there was some disappointment inFallout 4, which came out four years later, even though most enjoyed the title.Fallout 76was even more badly received at launch, andStarfieldhasn’t conjured much excitement after its launch, even though the hype prior to the launch was off the charts. If there isn’t a big bounce back with the next title, there might not be any demand for aStarfield 2.
Bethesda is in a weird place at the moment. The developer is still profitable and a massive name in the gaming space, but the general opinion of it isn’t what it used to be about ten years ago.Starfield 2could be an amazing game that makes the franchise a staple in Bethesda’s library, but the general trend of its games' quality and how long it takes for it to make games don’t bode well for the title. Perhaps the leadership of Microsoft could help Bethesda in this regard, although evidence seems to contradict this.
Source:VideoGamer
Starfield
Bethesda Game Studios presents Starfield - the first original IP from the studio in twenty-five-plus years. Set in the year 2310, the United Colonies and Freestar Collective are observing a shaky truce after a war set 20 years prior. The player will customize their character as a member of a space exploration team called Constellation while navigating The Settled Systems and the conflicts between the warring factions. According to Bethesda, players can explore over 100 systems and 1000 planets to find resources and build their ships, living out their own sci-fi journeys.
