Summary
Starfieldmarked Bethesda Game Studio’s first fresh IP in decades, and had many fans excited about its direction. The studio’s massive open world sci-fi RPG promised an entire galaxy’s worth of worlds to explore, and was a noticeable departure from its other flagship series,The Elder ScrollsandFallout.Starfieldexperienced a bit of a rockier launch, though, with a number of Bethesda’s trademark designs dividing players and critics on the quality of its gameplay and storytelling. Still,Starfieldwas considered a success, becoming the #11 bestselling title of 2023.
As the developer had stated,Bethesda is strongly committed to supporting and updatingStarfieldwell into the future, with plans to keep it evolving and relevant in a manner like it has forSkyrim. Back in September,Starfield’s first major expansion, Shattered Space, was released. Starring the enigmatic House Va’ruun, the DLC was a big change compared to much of what the base game contained. Shattered Space leaned firmly into cosmic horror versus the more realistic aspects of its vision of humanity’s conquering of the stars. And though Shattered Space was a unique take on established elements,Starfieldcan now pivot back to its more grounded sci-fi atmosphere in the next expansion.
In the Wake of Shattered Space, Starfield’s Next DLC Can Mark a Return to Its Core Elements
Starfield’s Shattered Space Was an Interesting Change That Might be Best As a One-Off
In the lead up to its release, there were various indications and assumptions that Shattered Space would center on the shadowyHouse Va’ruun factionand its strange and unsettling trappings. It was one underexplored and vaguely explained part of the main experience, and seemed a natural choice to flesh out in a DLC. While it was an intriguing experiment, introducing an unabashed horror angle intoStarfield’s generally more realistic NASA-punk world, it almost seemed like it could’ve been another game at times.
Starfieldpresented a setting that initially didn’t contain many hints of horror in the vein of Shattered Space. As such, it may be best for upcoming DLCs to hone back in on the strengths ofStarfield’s fundamentals rather than attempt to invoke a completely different genre within them.
Shattered Space received a less than stellar response, with criticisms about its length and perceived lack of depth leading to it currently sitting at mostly negative on Steam.
How Starfield Can Go Back to Its Primary Premises in Future DLC
With the revelation at the end of the main campaign about the existence ofStarborn and the multiverse, this would provide one potential path for futureStarfieldcontent to go back to its roots. Bethesda could perhaps focus more on those implications in DLC that explores some of the stranger or more humorous versions of them. This would allow it to touch on other genres without veering too far away from its sci-fi core, but still offering new takes and visions of the possibilities thatStarfield’s multiverse can encompass.
Shattered Space gave players an entirely new, hand-crafted planet to explore, and this might be another good starting point for Bethesda to consider. Some of the previous criticisms about it were that, while there is an impressive number oflocations inStarfield, their randomly generated nature could eventually make them seem repetitive and uninspiring. Introducing a bespoke star system but with new characters and questlines could be a way to move forward while keeping its themes of exploration and discovery front and center.
Bethesda might also circle back to some ofStarfield’s main factions, and expand on what they’ve been up to. Ryujin Industries, for example, is a major player in the setting, and could likely carry its own DLC; one centering on the corporate espionage and power games that were present throughout. In any case, now that it has delved into horror,Starfield’s next DLC can stick more closely to its established and well-realized atmosphere. Attempting such a change as Shattered Space did might risk muddying the franchise’s identity. But by returning to content that’s more aligned with the base elements, it could helpStarfieldretain its defining aesthetic and sensibilities, while expanding on the aspects that work best within them.
