Starfield
It’s me, the internet’s #1 Starfield defender here to say your recent take on the game’s demise has missed the mark. I am referring to GamingBolt’s declaration that Starfield is “in trouble” after “player numbers plummet.”
While this specific article became a meme, it is also a frequent PlayStation die-hard argument I’ve heard over the past month or two, and I really do think Starfield is doing a lot better than people think. Even if we’re referring to player numbers rather than say, Game Awards nominations (which honestly, even if I am a fan, I can’t say I’m shocked).
The counter-argument, of course, is that Starfield is not a live service game that needs to maintain some persistent level of players over time. But even past that, I maintain it’s done quite well, especially on Xbox where it has remained in the top 10 most played games since launch. Even now, after just over 80 days since release, it’s still #10, ahead of staples like Rocket League, Overwatch and GTA Online.
Yes, the Steam numbers are down, but it’s never considered that this is also a PC Game Pass release, so there are some portion of PC players who are getting the game “for free” there, leeching potential Steam players.
Starfield
As for other comparison points, Skyrim has just passed it on Steam. But this is Skyrim, considered one of the greatest RPGs in history with the world’s most expansive modding scene.
Then we have Red Dead Redemption 2 putting up huge numbers, double Starfield’s, at least, but that’s a result of a big sale on PC over Black Friday weekend, and again, this is one of the most heralded single player games ever.
Starfield has essentially done absolutely zero post-launch support as of yet, so there has been no reason for its playercount to jump for any reason. The biggest update we’ve gotten is one that put in DLSS support and the ability to eat sandwiches off tables. Not exactly a reason to go racing back. I really loved the game and put 160 hours into it. But…I haven’t played in two months because of course, you will run out of stuff to do eventually in its current state.
The key moments to watch will be when Bethesda releases its first, truly big content update. That could be Starfield’s already announced expansion, Shattered Space, but we could also see smaller ones before than like additional ship building parts or the ability to make space stations. And then in 2024 we will have the debut of official mod support for Starfield, the thing that has helped Skyrim live on all these years, and with Starfield’s thousand planets, it’s easy to imagine what players may come up with to extend the life of the game indefinitely.
I am certainly never going to make the argument Starfield will ever become a Skyrim. Nothing is a Skyrim, really. But this narrative that the game is failing due to falling players over time, or it’s ultimately a failure for Microsoft is misguided. Yes, I do think they hoped it reviewed better and was not eclipsed by half a dozen higher-rated games this year, but in terms of actual players, I think it definitely hit those goals.
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Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
