Since its release and despite its qualities, certain choices by Bethesda have tended to irritate players and the community. This is precisely what has just happened once again.
Starfield, the space role-playing game developed by Bethesda, is at the heart of a controversy. As is often the case during such controversies, players do not hesitate to express their discontent by any means possible. This time, it’s mostly about money rather than game mechanics. We’ll explain everything to you in detail and would like to know your opinion.
Starfield rages
A new controversy has just arisen on Starfield following the introduction of paid downloadable content. Starfield’s Creations platform, although offering free creation kits, now allows the purchase of additional missions, an initiative which has not failed to arouse the reaction of players.
The mission in question, called The Vulture, is sold for around 6.30 euros (or around 700 Starfield Creation Credits), which caused a wave of negative reviews on Steam. In fact, more than 500 unfavorable comments were published in less than 48 hours following the launch of this new feature. This dissatisfaction is exacerbated by the fact that the credits needed to purchase the mission are only available in predetermined bundles, forcing players to spend more than the cost of the mission itself, with credits remaining unused. In short, it’s really annoying.
Players mainly criticize the cost as excessive for a single mission, especially since The Vulture is the second mission in a series called Trackers Alliance, the first being free. This pricing strategy raises concerns about the future of additional content in Starfield. Some players fear a proliferation of microtransactions which could alter the overall gaming experience. This recalls a very dark period in Bethesda’s history: the famous paid horse armor in Oblivion. Although the times were different, it created a huge earthquake at the time.
The frustration is all the more palpable as many players compare this paid content to modifications created by fans. Often available for free and sometimes of better quality, according to some feedback. These criticisms highlight a gap between players’ expectations and the commercial strategy adopted by Bethesda. Perceived as an attempt at excessive monetization.