Almost two years after its launch,Starfieldis somehow still here, although it sometimes feels more like that distant relative who occasionally shows up at the front door with a plate of brownies and a brief update on their life. What was originally touted as something that would compare toThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimin terms of longevity has since proven itself to be far from that, despite some substantial updates and the launch of the Shattered Space expansion. Even with the occasional reason to return to the game,Starfieldstill lacks what gaveSkyrimthe ability to stand the test of time, and that couldn’t be more evidenced than by its current player count.
At the time of writing,Starfield’s Steam player count is only in the few thousands, which is a massive downsizing from its all-time peak of a few hundred thousand. This is even more noticeable in comparison toSkyrim’s current player count, which is nearly 20,000, and that’s with an all-time peak of almost 70,000. If this is any indication of what the console player count is forStarfield(and it likely is), then it’s hard to believe Bethesda’s long-term plans for the game will actually spark some sort of revival or even come to fruition at all. And that’s an especially glaring reality in the face of the developer’s recent comments that"exciting things" are on the way forStarfield.
Starfield’s Declining Player Count May Undercut Bethesda’s Long-Term Plans
Starfield’s Player Count Shows Players Aren’t Sticking Around
Player counts may not be the sole variable involved in checking a game’s pulse, but they do still offer a fairly accurate outlook on how players feel about the game. These numbers often rise and fall, especially as updates are released for games that are intended to be played long-term and those fresh highs then eventually dwindle back down to a steady, committed few. However, in light of thehurdlesStarfieldhas had to overcomesimply to stay relevant, its player count is a bit more telling of where the followers it once had are currently at.
For a game that was marketed as something that gamers would play consistently for many years,Starfield’s player count sure is low, but that’s not even really the issue. The issue is that, despite what the game has done to renew interest in itself, those attempts have not been enough to keep players around for the long haul — at least, not in the way thatSkyrimhas. Maybe Bethesda really is okay with players only occasionallyreturning toStarfieldfor brief periods, but that also goes against its initial plans for the IP. Perhaps those plans have changed, but it certainly doesn’t look like that on the surface, given the developer’s plans for the game’s future.
It’s Increasingly Hard to Believe ‘Exciting Things’ Will Actually Change Things
These “exciting things” that Bethesda has planned forStarfieldcould be any number of things, but they could also be nothing at all, with that statement serving as a probe more than anything else — an opportunity for the developer to gauge interest ahead of any plans actually being set in stone. There have been reports that asecond DLC expansion forStarfieldis in the works, but after Shattered Space failed to bring players back for good, it will need to do far more in order to stick the landing.
The issue is that, despite what [Starfield] has done to renew interest in itself, those attempts have not been enough to keep players around for the long haul — at least, not in the way thatSkyrimhas.
Somehow,Starfieldneeds to get players more involved, more committed, if it hopes to achieve its original vision of being played for a long time. Unfortunately, it’s looking more and more like whatever comes next is already too late, and even if it had arrived yesterday, it still might have been too late. With its current player count as low as it has ever been, it’s doubtfulStarfieldwill be able to pull off a home run that captures the attention of fans it once had. Even so, doubts aren’t definitive, so maybe it will take off after all.
