Starfield has not been in a great place lately, especially with its DLC, Shattered Space, launching to mixed reviews. This has led to much discussion about not only the base game's quality but also Bethesda as a developer. It has, naturally, continued to defend Starfield, as well as it should, explaining that it feels ionately about it and its future. However, while many may agree, it's hard not to feel like Shattered Space's muted launch may feel like the beginning of the end.

Shattered Space failed to live up to expectations, currently sitting at Mostly Negative on Steam, with only 30% of the reviews being positive. It's not a great start for Starfield's post-launch , especially following the negativity surrounding Bethesda's previous game, Fallout 76. While Bethesda stuck with that game - it is an online title, so it needs constant to retain a strong player count - it feels like it could end up dropping for Starfield long before it had planned to.

What Went Wrong With Shattered Space

A Lackluster Story & High Price Point Hurt It

Shattered Space felt like it was a sure thing when it was first announced, as it promised a handcrafted world - something Starfield fans had been asking for - as well as the ability to explore one of the more unique factions in the game. However, upon release, it was hit with a slew of mixed reviews, the majority of which skewed towards negative criticism. These didn't come out of nowhere, however, as the DLC had a number of prevalent issues that bogged it down.

For starters, its high price point put it at a disadvantage out of the gate, especially as its relatively short runtime didn't feel like it justified the cost. However, that wouldn't have been inherently bad if the game had delivered on the various facets it promised to. Unfortunately, there were a number of features that upset players, including the lackluster story, the lack of identity for House Va'ruun, the boring new environment, and the shortage of meaningful ways the companions interacted with the story, specifically Andreja.

For many, Shattered Space felt like the final straw for Bethesda, as it had continued to let its fans down. Of course, it's not fair to say that Starfield has always been bad. Its initial reviews were relatively positive, although it does seem like opinions surrounding the game have soured over time. It simply doesn't have the longevity that Bethesda believed it would prior to its launch, and the poor Shattered Space DLC launch doesn't help matters much.

While one bad DLC usually isn't indicative of a game's trajectory, it's possible that Shattered Space's negative reviews have put Bethesda in a tight spot.

The response from Bethesda also didn't help, as it felt like it was ignoring the legitimate criticism from fans. All of this led to the DLC getting its mixed reception and turning off prospective players who may have been excited by the return to a handcrafted location. However, while one bad DLC usually isn't indicative of a game's trajectory, it's possible that Shattered Space's negative reviews have put Bethesda in a tight spot.

Bethesda Has No Reason To Keep ing Starfield

The Player Count Is Dropping And Fans' Patience Is Waning

Starfield's future post-Shattered Space isn't looking particularly bright, especially as Bethesda has proven it doesn't quite know how to fix the plethora of issues that continue to plague the game. Its first DLC didn't satisfy those who were unhappy with the procedural generation and didn't please those who wanted more complex storytelling. While Shattered Space undeniably has its fans, it's clear that, in some ways, it failed to prove Bethesda knew what to do with its new IP going forward.

Of course, that has many worrying about the next Starfield DLC, which is rumored to be titled Starborn. This will undoubtedly be on its way as Bethesda has not only confirmed it will continue ing the game, but it's also typical for its games to receive multiple DLC expansions. However, once it is out of the way, it's possible Bethesda could give up and ditch its plans to see the game ed - or at least played religiously - for 10 years, like Skyrim.

Starfield's player count is plummeting, hitting a peak of just over 7,000 recently, according to SteamDB, despite having hit around 21,000 when Shattered Space launched. This is low, especially when compared to Skyrim, which sits at a healthy 24,000, again according to SteamDB. Naturally, its Xbox base will be significant and will boost that number up substantially, but it's a bad sign when the PC player count is so low.

Bethesda are clearly committed to Starfield, at least for now, but it's hard not to feel like the negative Shattered Space reviews and staggering player base aren't going to wear it out.

Starfield also hasn't received a lot of post-launch , especially when compared to other triple-A games. Whenever a large patch drops, it does feel somewhat substantial, but they're few and far between. Bethesda is clearly committed to Starfield, at least for now, but it's hard not to feel like the negative Shattered Space reviews and staggering player base aren't going to wear it out. This is especially true when its future projects are taken into consideration.

TES 6 & Fallout 5 Are More Important Than Starfield DLC

There's Pressure To Get Them Out Soon

The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 are likely putting a strain on Bethesda, especially now that the Fallout TV show has shown a clear demand for a future video game entry. The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced all the way back in 2018 and is absolutely going to be a tent pole title for both Bethesda and Xbox. So, there's a very good chance Microsoft is breathing down Bethesda's neck to finally push it out, or at least begin marketing it. Similarly, the two Fallout projects currently in the works will also take a lot of personnel and resources.

It's possible another developer will be primarily responsible for the creation of one or both of the Fallout projects; the series has a history of such arrangements under Bethesda's stewardship, with Obsidian Entertainment taking the reins on Fallout: New Vegas.

Bethesda is a big team, and it has Microsoft's financial backing behind it, but it may not have the resources to develop two mainline entries in its most popular franchises, its parent company's first-party developers with their triple-A releases, and continue ing the somewhat floundering Starfield. Its plans of ing Starfield for 10 years or more may be feasible, but it has to get to a point where one asks whether it's worth it. The drip-feed approach to new content and updates will likely put off returning players, and its DLC hasn't proven successful enough to reignite interest.

This is all a shame, as Starfield has the potential to be great. However, while it would be wonderful to see it become the game everyone wants it to be, there's a good chance Bethesda will slowly abandon it. It's not hard to imagine Bethesda dropping a trailer for whatever Fallout projects it is working on or TES6 in order to distract players from Starfield slowing down. At the end of the day, fans want to see Starfield succeed and become another iconic Bethesda title, but it remains to be seen how long Bethesda will feel the same way.

Sources: YouTube/Bethesda Softworks, SteamDB/Starfield, SteamDB/Skyrim: Special Edition