Howard admits that they “listen to the players” whatever they have to say, and therefore act accordingly
Bethesda is far from abandoning Starfield to focus on its future releases. Todd Howard made it clear during the Xbox Game Showcase with the shadowdrop of the Creation Club of its open world, and reaffirmed it with the Shattered Space launch window by the end of the year. However, the company has also faced recent controversy by include a paid mission for about 7 euros, something that has led Bethesda to reconsider your post-launch content.
If you’ve been oblivious to what happened, the controversy in question arose with the release of the Starfield creation kit, which included a mission in which players can become bounty hunters for the Trackers Alliance faction. It was with the second mission, “The Vulture”when the surprise came, since this is only available as a paid add-on that costs 700 Starfield Creation Creditsequivalent to 7 eurosin a 100-1 conversion.
As expected, and taking into account that we must spend 10 eurossince that is the minimum amount of credits that can be bought in the store, the measure was not well received. Many players were quick to remember Bethesda’s failed attempts to release paid mods for Skyrim in 2015, something it repeated in 2023 with the restructuring of the Creation Club in Skyrim. Many others compared this mission unfavorably to updating the starfield premium editionwhich includes the complete Shattered Space expansion with dozens of hours of content, the Constellation skin pack, a digital art book, the soundtrack, and 1,000 Creation Credits per 34.99 euros.
Bethesda mulls paid content in Starfield
Aside from the complaints on social networks and mentions of Bethesda, the anger of the players was felt on Steam with a wave of negative reviews which have led the open world to drop to 59% overall positive reviews. Therefore, the logical consequence has been Bethesda’s mention of this matter, especially Todd Howard.
The creative explained that the intention with this payment mission was add value to the players who complete it with a Trackers Alliance suit and weapon, a weighty content instead of the typical cosmetic additions. This, which was initially interpreted as content cut from the game and shielded behind a paywall, was, according to Howard, a misunderstanding. “Always we’re trying to see what else to dowe want to make sure we’re giving everyone value,” Howard said in a recent interview with MrMattyPlays.
However, the creative himself accepted his mistake and assured that if they don’t get something right, they will act accordingly. “We heard the feedback,” Howard responded when asked if Bethesda will change the way it publishes content similar to this quest in the future. “Need reevaluate priceswhat we offer for free, how we communicate what’s in something and really listen to the community“he continued stating.
Additionally, he took time to mention the importance of paid mods as a way of thank the creators of these modifications, while still advocating for those who prefer a completely free approach. “Our view is that a lot of modders have gone from being amateurs to being professionals, and it’s part of our job to make sure that they can do that, that they get paid, and that they see the monetary rewards if they do amazing things,” Howard concluded.
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