Summary
Bethesda Games Studio’sStarfieldwasone of the most hyped and anticipated titles from last year. The developer had been well-known for its prior ambitious open-world RPGs, though certainly with their own specific design and related quirks that many fans have come to expect.Starfieldseemed to indeed hit on many of the familiar notes that Bethesda is known for, even as the studio explored new angles with its NASA-punk sci-fi world and story.
While perhapsStarfield’s public receptiondidn’t necessarily reflect this, it put up big sales numbers for 2023.Starfieldended up taking the #11 spot on the list of top 20 best-selling games last year. As Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft in 2021,Starfieldwas a day-one Game Pass inclusion, making its placement on that list a bit more notable, since a significant portion of players did not have to purchase it outright. This placesStarfieldin a peculiar spot, as its mixed and muted critical and fan reactions don’t translate to its raw figures, making the whole situation slightly strange, andStarfielditself a bit of an odd duck in this instance.
Bethesda has been putting out steadyStarfieldupdatesand patches since launch, and a major DLC, Shattered Space, is set to release sometime later in 2024.
Starfield’s Spot on the Best-Selling Titles of 2023
According to reported figures, thetop 20 best-selling games of 2023were:
Starfieldsits almost directly in the middle, with a stated $657 million in sales. While the above list is composed of great titles, nearly all were the latest entries in established franchises. The exceptions were FromSoftware’s new IP,the 2022-releasedElden Ring, and, to a lesser extent, Capcom’sResident Evil 4Remake, with the original and its many ports having previously set records.
Starfieldthus stands out as being able to hold its own against these long-running and hugely popular properties. Regardless of the perceived reactions to it as a gaming experience, it can’t really be said to have underperformed in this area.
Starfield’s Current Status and Possible Futures
Starfieldrests at this moment at an average of “mixed” reviews on Steam and a 6.8 Metacritic audience score. Though it might not have been as warmly welcomed as Bethesda may have liked in terms of critical and fan response, the previous sales numbers above are self-evident, andStarfieldwas by no means a commercial failure. There were also plenty of players who enjoyed what it had to offer in its gameplay, characters, and storylines; sinking hundreds of hours into exploring its universe for interesting planets and other secrets.
With it gaining some positive traction recently as Bethesda continues post-launch support via various QOL and other improvements aimed at polishing out its remaining rougher spots,Starfield’s forthcomingShattered Space DLCis also likely to renew interest in it. The prevailing thought is that between now and its release,Starfield’s overall state will have further stabilized as well as introduce several desired additional features. Still, it makes for an interesting case study given the surrounding factors and shows that, like its main Constellation faction,Starfieldseems to be in somewhat uncharted territory, which may provide new opportunities for it to make impressions in the future.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
