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In case you missed it, Bethesda announced long-term plans for its various beloved franchises, and Starfield was also there.
In addition to sharing what's coming next for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, the company highlights player numbers for its youngest IP, and commits to developing it further with more expansions and updates.
Starfield has reached "over 17 million players" according to Bethesda, who have logged almost "a billion hours" of game time in the sci-fi RPG.
While the reception to the game has been somewhat mixed, it's clearly popular enough that Bethesda is willing to commit to further improvements.
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"As we enter Year 3, we'll continue expanding the Settled Systems with new stories, targeted gameplay improvements, and additional updates, while preparing for the launch of new Starborn content next year," Bethesda writes. "More than 40% of players already customize their experience through Creations, and we'll continue investing in creators and giving players new ways to make Starfield their own."
The game made its debut on PS5 earlier this year, and has since received multiple updates fixing a number of issues.
It's good to hear the team is sticking with it, as there is clearly potential in Starfield's premise. I think this is a perfect example of a game that almost needs a sequel; I imagine the lessons learned on the first game will mean a potential follow-up will be much improved.
We'll have to wait and see on that, because it sounds like Elder Scrolls VI is next in line, with Fallout 5 on the horizon after that, not to mention various other Fallout projects — including one from Obsidian.