Summary
Officially announced back in 2018,Starfieldhad a lot of build-up before its eventual release in September of last year. It’s often the case in the video game industry that too much hype before a game’s release can be detrimental, with fan expectations reaching impossible heights. And, unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened withStarfield.
Though it is far from a bad game,Starfieldstill received a fairly mixed reception on launch. While many fans enjoyedStarfield’s dialogue, story, and universe, some weren’t too keen on the game’s dated technical features, lackluster combat, and its overabundance of loading screens. WhileStarfieldenjoyed an incredibly successful launch, its player-base is declining rapidly, though that might not be as much of an issue as some fans think.
Starfield’s Dropping Player Count Might Not be as Scary as It Looks
Single-Player Games Don’t Live or Die By Active Player Counts
It’s no secret thatStarfield’s active player count is dropping drastically by the day. According to Steam Charts,Starfieldhad an all-time peak player count of 330,597. At the time of writing,Starfieldhas an active player count of just 5,117, and a 24-hour peak of just 7,454. While this is still somehow better thanrecently released games likeSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, which is currently sitting at an absurdly low 630 active players, it’s still just a drop in the ocean compared to Steam’s most-played titles, withCounter-Strike 2currently having 1,198,985 players online, and evenPalworldhaving 338,886 players online at the time of writing.
That being said,Starfield’s lower player count isn’t actually that big of a deal, at least not in the grand scheme of things. Asingle-player RPG,Starfieldwas never designed to be an ongoing, live-service title that receives constant updates, and as such, its metrics for success are different. While games likeCounter-Strike 2,Palworld, andSuicide Squad: Kill the Justice Leagueare all relying on high active player counts to justify further content drops, and to earn more money over time,Starfieldhas already experienced more than enough success.
Starfield’s steep decline in active players may seem more worrying at first due to Bethesda’s past titles, withSkyrimandFallout4still being played years after release. And while it’s odd and maybe even a bit sad thatStarfieldisn’t retaining players likeSkyrimorFallout, it isn’t disastrous.
Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC Could Bring Players Back
Additionally, things aren’t over forStarfield. Arriving sometime this year,Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC expansionhas an extremely high chance of pulling a horde of players back into the game. Along with a major story expansion, Shattered Space will also bring a wealth of gameplay and quality-of-life improvements. All of this should be enough to convince fans to jump back into the pilot’s seat, especially as many have already bought the DLC since it came withStarfield’s Premium Edition upgrade, which a lot of fans bought in order to gain early access to the base game.
Starfield
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
