Six Months On, Starfield's Player Count Shouldn't Matter

https://kotaku.com/starfield-loses-97-percent-of-player-count-who-cares-1851252249

by PaulHoule • 2 years ago

12 23 2 years ago

kotaku.com

justinclift7• 2 years ago

It's still not on GOG. :(

https://www.gog.com/wishlist/games/starfield

ZunarJ5• 2 years ago

They tried to set this game up for modders, so it kind of does matter.

yellowapple2• 2 years ago

In that case, it doesn't matter unless and until (first-party) mod tools are available, which ain't the case yet (last I checked).

k1t• 2 years ago

Starfield isn’t a live-service game. Like past Bethesda RPGs, it’s a single-player game with the main goal of delivering an expansive and immersive world and narrative to the player. You play it, you have a great time with it (or not), and you move on with your life.

All major games these days are "live-service" games because of DLCs. If you lose 97% of your players it matters because it is a huge hit to your DLC income potential.

justinclift7• 2 years ago

That's sounds wrong. The measured figure is for currently active players, so "losing 97%" just means they're not currently playing the game.

When new DLC comes out many of the people who bought the base game will buy it.

Even those not showing up as active.

pushfoo3• 2 years ago

TL;DR: To my understanding, this article makes no sense because Skyrim's re-releases funded Starfield.

You play it, you have a great time with it (or not), and you move on with your life.

There are series with fans who will play and buy multiple times. Bethesda's own actions prove this: they re-released Skyrim for a decade.

That's not hyperbole. The trademark was registered in 2013 [1]. Bethesda used a decade of Skyrim (2011)[2] re-releases to fund Starfield.

For context, Elden Ring had less than 5 percent of its peak player base six months after release.

Elden Ring and souls games have an enduring fanbase. I don't know if Bethesda has good will left for that. First Fallout 76 went poorly, then Starfield. Now? Bethesda is Microsoft property.

To me, that reads as a practical way of dealing with what Todd and others probably saw: there's not enough long tail left, and game studios without strong culture seem to fall apart after a while. Bethesda is no exception.

[1] https://www.gamespot.com/articles/zenimax-entering-starfield...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elder_Scrolls_V:_Skyrim

justinclift7• 2 years ago

Fans will buy multiple copies of a game they love.

Why would someone do that?

Asking because I've bought many games over the years.

Not sure why I'd need to re-buy something I've already bought though.

jerlam• 2 years ago

Usually it's on different platforms, but re-releases can also have graphical upgrades, extended plot options, or even total engine remakes.

mdekkers• 2 years ago

I have bought Skyrim a few times, for different platforms and some special edition stuff

tills13• 2 years ago

Starfield was really good, imo. I played the game, I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I, as the article suggests, moved on with my life. If they have good DLC, I'll be back.

I think people are too hard on games like this.

nitwit005• 2 years ago

In general I'd agree a dropoff is normal for single player games.

But, I'm not sure it's accurate to say it isn't a live service game, as it's been clear they've wanted to introduce paid mods.

yellowapple2• 2 years ago

Paid mods have been a thing for Bethesda games for a long while; that's effectively what the Creation Club is.

In any case, they haven't introduced paid Starfield mods yet (nor have they introduced official support for Starfield mods at all), so until that happens it ain't (yet) a live service game.

ViktorRay2• 2 years ago

It does absolutely matter because Bethesda’s older games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 have higher player counts than Starfield.

Starfield is only a few months old. Why is it less popular than those games? Clearly something went wrong with Starfield.

You see this in Steam reviews too. Skyrim and Fallout 4 have positive Steam reviews overall. Starfield is mixed overall indicating severe dissatisfaction with the game. This dissatisfaction is reflected in Starfield’s low player counted compared to the older Bethesda games.

geoffpado• 2 years ago

I don't have a dog in this fight (I haven't played Starfield or any of the Elder Scrolls games, and the last Fallout game I played was pre-Bethesda), so take this question as more curious than dismissive:

My understanding is that these games have been improved over time by both the developers and by third-party modders. Isn't a possible explanation for the older games being more popular that they're better games, not because something went wrong with Starfield, but rather that the earlier games have had much more time to be polished into what they are today? Isn't it a bit early to write Starfield off given the histories of these other games? I remember most of the Fallout games being written off as bug-filled, boring messes at launch, and now they're the "popular" games being compared against.

ViktorRay2• 2 years ago

That is a good point you made

I will say though that one difference is that Skyrim and Fallout 4 were deeply beloved by most Bethesda fans when they released. Starfield on the other hand seems to have had a more negative reception than them.

That being said....everything you said could very well be true! I guess we shall see what happens.

One final point: Other Bethesda games are known to have highly memorable atmospheres. I strongly remember the emotions I felt when I played Bethesda's other games. Starfield, on the other hand, has a very bland atmosphere unfortunately. That was the biggest dissapointment I had with it. I don't know how Bethesda can"fix" this issue even if they fix all the other issues with Starfield.

justinclift7• 2 years ago

Wonder what full conversion mods like Enderal (for Skyrim) show up like in the stats?

https://store.steampowered.com/app/933480/Enderal_Forgotten_...

pangolinja• 2 years ago

do you want to explore the vastness of space and find nothing but grind? we're here for you.

want the seamless experience of flying from planet to space and beyond? play another game.

StarField is a series of loading screens with minigames between then.

whythre• 2 years ago

lol Kotaku carrying water for Bethesda’s ineptitude.

Starfield, while not completely horrible, has had the cultural impact of a fart in the wind.

Six Months On, Starfield's Player Count Shouldn't Matter

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