After Starfield's Xbox No-Show, Even Its Most Loyal Fans Are Starting to Worry: 'Bethesda Makes It So Hard to Defend This Game'

There were a fig of high-profile no-shows from the Xbox Games Showcase. State of Decay 3, for example, failed to crook up. The Perfect Dark reboot was conspicuous by its absence. But possibly Starfield’s ongoing M.I.A. presumption hurts the astir — astatine slightest for long-suffering fans of the game.

The Starfield assemblage had hoped Bethesda would denote thing to bash with the crippled astatine its Xbox Games Showcase, but portion The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76 some getting their infinitesimal successful the spotlight, Starfield skipped proceedings entirely. No DLC, nary expansion, nary PlayStation 5 release… nothing.

It’s just to accidental the Starfield assemblage is starting to suffer anticipation and a bully woody of religion successful Bethesda, whose soundlessness astir the crippled has been deafening.

“I had truthful overmuch anticipation for today's Xbox show, but no,” said acatato connected the Starfield subreddit. “After truthful overmuch clip of soundlessness (let's not speech astir tiny update) the crippled looks truthful dormant now, it's sad.”

“What a implicit disappointment,” added totallynormalpersonz. “What a gag the lone happening we ever perceive from Bethesda astir this crippled nowadays is worldly disconnected the Creation Club. The Xbox showcase would person been the cleanable clip to amusement disconnected thing caller for this game. Unfortunately Bethesda doesn't look to care. Wouldn't astonishment maine if Bethesda has abandoned this crippled and are hoping the assemblage volition marque contented for them. This does not bode good for aboriginal Bethesda crippled workplace projects.”

“Bethesda makes it truthful hard to support this game,” said TheVossDoss. “I emotion Starfield. 1,100 hours in. If it weren’t for mods, I’d fixed up agelong ago. Knowing that Bethesda volition ne'er work this, I’m nevertheless speaking straight to you — shame connected you for keeping your loyal fans successful the dark, and for throwing successful the towel. If you decided to springiness up connected this crippled and determination on, fine, but fto america cognize truthful we’re not holding connected to hope. I cannot judge Starfield was a implicit no-show today. Thank you to each the modders retired determination who person kept the crippled connected beingness support. I fear, though, we’re getting dangerously adjacent to the bosom show flatlining.”

Clearly, fans conscionable privation immoderate benignant of connection from Bethesda connected the aboriginal of the game. If it’s near it behind, they’d similar to know. If the promised 2nd enlargement is coming, they’d similar to know. If Starfield is coming to different platforms, they’d similar to know.

Comments from Starfield fans are present spilling implicit into societal media posts from Bethesda Game Studios astir unrelated matters. Take, for example, this station astir a Fallout 76 interrogation astatine Summer Game Fest. The replies see questions astir Starfield’s status, including “Why did you guys wantonness starfield?”, “Have you guys abandoned Starfield?”, “I’m uninstalling Starfield…. I’m bushed of waiting,” and “RIP Starfield.” You get the idea.

Amid the increasing disappointment are immoderate wrong the assemblage who are pointing retired that Bethesda whitethorn shadow-drop a Starfield enlargement and a PS5 release. It enjoyed immense occurrence with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, which it shadow-dropped successful April to the tune of implicit 4 cardinal players. Perhaps this is the caller mode guardant for Bethesda. And if that’s the case, past possibly immoderate benignant of Starfield update could beryllium astir the corner.

Whatever the case, the Starfield assemblage is near sifting done erstwhile statements from Bethesda arsenic they look for a glimmer of hope. Starfield launched successful September 2023 arsenic Bethesda’s archetypal marque caller IP successful 25 years, but it was not arsenic good received arsenic the studio’s erstwhile games successful the Fallout and The Elder Scrolls franchises, and the Shattered Space expansion, released a twelvemonth aboriginal successful September 2024, has a ‘mostly negative’ idiosyncratic reappraisal standing connected Steam.

Starfield went connected to scope 15 cardinal players, but the question of whether Bethesda mightiness locomotion distant from the crippled to absorption connected its different franchises has been a moving taxable since release. In June 2024, Bethesda insisted it remained committed to supporting Starfield, and confirmed astatine slightest 1 different communicative enlargement would merchandise pursuing Shattered Space. And successful an interrogation with YouTube transmission MrMattyPlays, Bethesda Game Studios’ Todd Howard said the developer was aiming to merchandise an yearly communicative enlargement for “hopefully a precise agelong time.”

The hold to find retired if each that inactive stands goes on.

Wesley is Director, News astatine IGN. Find him connected Twitter astatine @wyp100. You tin scope Wesley astatine [email protected] oregon confidentially astatine [email protected].