Fans Mourn Starfield Amid Xbox Layoffs, With Bethesda Now Seemingly Focused on Fallout, Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake

You astir apt shouldn't stake connected a Starfield sequel if quality coming retired of Xbox's reset is thing to spell by.

According to a caller study from Bloomberg, Microsoft's restructuring of Xbox volition spot Bethesda focusing connected a fistful of franchises going forward: Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, Wolfenstein, Doom, and Quake. These 5 franchises are expected to beryllium a priority, with astatine slightest 3 of them already having games successful development. There person been rumblings that different squad similar Obsidian could beryllium acceptable to enactment connected a Fallout game, arsenic Bethesda has its hands tied up with The Elder Scrolls 6, but thing has been confirmed.

However, galore were speedy to constituent retired that Starfield is seemingly absent from Bethesda's precedence list. The sci-fi crippled debuted backmost successful 2023 aft an extended improvement and was a passionateness task for Bethesda brag Todd Howard. Unfortunately, Starfield mostly failed to conscionable instrumentality expectations, and consequent updates and expansions haven't truly moved the needle connected that sentiment. Still, immoderate of the game's much hardcore fans had hoped that Starfield would spell connected to astatine slightest get much expansions, and possibly adjacent a sequel, establishing itself arsenic Bethesda's 3rd franchise. Those hopes whitethorn person been dashed.

Starfield fans are present mourning the information that the franchise doesn't look to person overmuch of a aboriginal going forward. Some are adjacent actively protesting Xbox implicit Starfield's imaginable demise.

"If you extremity Starfield, I americium leaving," said 1 Xbox player. "I became portion of the Xbox household for this game, a crippled that was yet thing unsocial alternatively of the aforesaid franchises regurgitated, and I won’t enactment connected a level wherever it’s nary longer possible. My wallet volition enactment closed."

"If this means nary much caller Starfield development, I perfectly hatred this," said different player. One different instrumentality pleaded to Microsoft/Bethesda: "Please don't springiness up connected Starfield."

Others were a spot much knowing of the imaginable world that Starfield whitethorn not continue. The crippled had a prolonged improvement and didn't deed the people for fans, making it an casual determination for Microsoft to astatine slightest enactment it connected the backmost burner.

"The magnitude of clip it took to make and past the extremity merchandise conscionable not hitting the mark, it’s understandable. I deliberation we bash request to get retired of the 10+ twelvemonth hold for the adjacent Fallout oregon Elder Scrolls," said 1 fan. Another echoed these thoughts: "Starfield near a atrocious sensation successful people’s mouths, and fixed the time/budget they would necessitate for a sequel, I recognize wherefore Microsoft is much anxious to put successful different IP."

"Based connected its ain merits, that should beryllium a 1 and done. For each bully plan prime determination is simply a atrocious one," said different unimpressed player.

Starfield was released connected PS5 earlier this twelvemonth but analysts judge the crippled sold poorly connected Sony's console, thing that whitethorn not person happened had the crippled had a time and day merchandise connected PlayStation backmost successful 2023. Whether oregon not Starfield returns decades from present remains to beryllium seen, but it looks unlikely.

Cade Onder is simply a freelancer for IGN's quality team. He covers each things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You tin find him connected Twitter @Cade_Onder.