I still don’t know how to feel aboutStarfield. When I playedBethesda Game Studios’ latest RPG for the first time, it absolutely floored me. Compared to the relatively restrictiveFallout 3andSkyrim, it seemed as if Bethesda had delivered on its big promise of a fully-explorable solar system.
But as the story progressed, it became clear that each planet, city, and outpost was siphoned off into a disparate selection of locations kept apart by an endless stream of loading screens. It was only so big because it was so empty.
Everything about it felt needlessly fragmented, like it was designed to sap away your sense of immersion at every turn, kept further constrained by a gameplay engine and mechanics that felt outdated at the time of Skyrim’s release, let alone trying to keep them afloat more than a decade later.
Starfield could have been the next big thing, instead it was a significant disappointment that leaves Bethesda with more to prove than ever. Its one and only major expansion -Shattered Space- arrived last year to positive reviews as Bethesda introduced a number of new features to the RPG, but it wasn’t enough to immerse an audience which, for the most part, had already walked away. So, what’s next for Starfield?
Starfield Deserves A Second Chance On PS5
Bethesda has been silent about Starfield for months now, largely because there isn’t all that much to say about a game that nobody is playing and isn’t receiving regular updates. I have to imagine the studio has shifted entirely onto The Elder Scrolls 6 and other projects.
However, the studio broke silence with a brief Steam post accompanying Update 1.15.222:
“Looking ahead, we’re continuing work on future updates and will share more about the exciting things we have planned for Starfield in the coming months.”
This doesn’t tell us much, but it does indicate that Starfield hasn’t been thrown into the trash just yet, and either new content is in the works for the space opera or perhaps the rumoured PS5 port is finally gaining ground. For over a year now, Xbox has been slowly porting major titles to rival platforms, withHi-Fi Rush,Grounded,Forza Horizon 5, and more having made the jump already to PlayStation.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2will follow in its footsteps later in the year, and I wouldn’t be surprised if multiplatform releases will become standard for Xbox in the years to come. As the losing platform holder, this is the best way for it to break even and reach new audiences. So, what is taking Starfield so long?
Starfield has reached 15 million players and counting since it first released, although this will be across Xbox Game Pass and premium copies sold. It also didn’t really light the cultural landscape on fire likeBaldur’s Gate 3or evenDragon Age: The Veilguarddid in terms of community discussion.
I’m not claiming that Starfield coming to PS5 is suddenly going to change how millions of us already feel about this middling RPG, but it does mean it will reach a bigger audience made up of casual and hardcore players alike, many of whom will likely purchase the game and enjoy it without asking the same critical questions I and many others did. A massive new game from the creators of Fallout 3 and Skyrim, which chose Xbox exclusivity over the promise of success when Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft? Sign me up.
Forza Horizon 5 is one of the best-selling PS5 games of the year so far, and it’s a port of a racing title which came out on Xbox and PC several years ago. There’s a huge audience for ports like this on rival platforms, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Starfield shift millions of additional copies through this sort of transition. And if it does rear its head this year, I want to use it as an opportunity to give Starfield a critical re-evaluation of my own.
Is Starfield Really That Mid, Or Does Bethesda Deserve More Credit?
Like I said earlier, despite its outdated gameplay systems and middling gunplay, there is still something quite magical about Starfield. Its aesthetic is surprisingly grounded, envisioning a future in which you may make direct connections to our current world and how our ambitious technology might evolve to reach the stars one day. How a handful of major corporations will end up calling the shots while the rest of us are forced to make ends meet however we can.
But this also opens up an opportunity for intergalactic pirates, dubious mercenaries, or folks like the player who assembled distinct crews to travel the galaxy in search of purpose. When you’re considering these basic building blocks, Starfield is a wonderful experience and the best way to set up a sprawling RPG. Unfortunately, it constantly got in its own way, stubbornly refusing to evolve when other masterpieces in the genre had long since moved on.
I wanted this universe to feel like my oyster, but instead it felt like a neverending maze made up of compartmentalised locations and stories, where only a small percentage of them really mattered. Starfield has several moments of wondrous awe, but finding them is so hard I can’t blame players for refusing to stick around. This wasn’t the next Fallout or Skyrim, but instead a damning indication that Bethesda needed to evolve its formula before it was too late.
There is greatness to be found within Starfield though, and a sense of place that everyone is capable of experiencing by approaching it with the right mindset. As the inevitable PS5 version is preparing to be unleashed upon the world, I hope more people are willing to give it a first or second or even third chance. Even with my reservations, I will be.
