Review
Starfield news has been quite stale lately, as Bethesda has remained silent since the launch of its first DLC last fall. Shattered Space, a cosmic horror-inspired expansion, failed to pull in a lot of players, leaving Starfield in a tough situation with its next DLC. This leaves Starfield in a similar situation to Diablo 4, as the latter also faced heavily mixed reception with its first expansion, Vessel of Hatred.
On the surface, Starfield and Diablo 4 are vastly different games, but both franchises had similar post-launch aspirations. Annual expansions were the original plan for developers Bethesda and Blizzard. But, after Vessel of Hatred wasn’t the hit that Blizzard expected, the next Diablo DLC has been delayed until 2026. This throws a wrench into Blizzard’s initial Diablo 4 plans, but it’s ultimately for the best, and Starfield should suit.
Starfield ing in Diablo 4's Footsteps by Delaying its Second Expansion May Be the Best Path Forward
Shattered Space's Interesting Premise Failed to Stick the Landing
- Shattered Space finally introduced the mysterious House Va’ruun.
- House Va’ruun is a theocratic faction that worships a deity known as the Great Serpent.
In the base game, House Va’ruun is simply hinted at. Companion Andreja was once part of the mysterious religious group, but many of the details surrounding the faction were kept in the dark. That’s what made the promise of Shattered Space so fascinating. While the DLC dove deeper into the lore and culture of House Va’ruun, the story and its teased horror elements fell flat. Critiques of the expansion mentioned the short length as another big issue with Shattered Space, and although the next Starfield DLC could be far more satisfying, allowing it to have extra time in the oven may be the best way to actually guarantee success.
The average time to beat the main story of Shattered Space is around 7 to 10 hours.
Bethesda Shouldn't Rush Into Expanding Starfield
The base version of Starfield faced a rocky launch, as well. After mixed reviews for both its core story and Shattered Space, Bethesda can’t really afford to rush its next chapter of the sci-fi game. Despite the game’s divisive nature, Starfield still has plenty to offer for sci-fi lovers, but taking the time to ensure that Shattered Space‘s -up is stronger will only be beneficial in the long run.
No expansion for Diablo 4 this year stings a little bit, but it’s worth the risk if it means players get the expansion they have hoped for. Delays aren’t necessarily fun, but if it means a game ultimately gets to be stronger, then waiting longer for more content can be a lot more rewarding. Bethesda has bold ambitions for Starfield, and if the developer wants to see those goals met, then being flexible with post-launch plans is a must.
There have been rumors suggesting Starfield could be coming to the PS5 sometime in the future, but this has yet to be officially confirmed by Bethesda or Microsoft.
June 8 Could Shine a Light On Starfield's Future Plans
- A new Xbox Games Showcase is scheduled for June 8.
- Microsoft has teased updates and announcements for the event.
Right now, there’s no telling what the Xbox Games Showcase 2025 has in store for fans, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Starfield was present in some way. Even if the next DLC is announced at this event, it could still very well be revealed that it has been pushed back.
Of course, only time will tell. Bethesda may have the release date for its next expansion already locked in. Whatever path Bethesda chooses to take with Starfield‘s second DLC, it will be interesting to see what the expansion’s story will be about.
