Starfieldis set to release sometime next year, and plenty of fans are eager to get their hands on Bethesda’s newest IP. One question that’s still very much common online is whetherStarfieldwill come with multiplayer. The answer to that is no, since it will reportedly be a single-player experience, likeThe Elder Scrolls 5: SkyrimandFallout 4. However, that doesn’t necessarily negate the chance of there being a separate multiplayer game set in the world ofStarfield.
Considering Bethesda’s track record with its mainline franchises –The Elder ScrollsandFallout– it wouldn’t be farfetched to expect a multiplayerStarfieldgame sometime down the line. If Bethesda does decide to push for “Starfield 76,” the developer will need to step up and ensure that it doesn’t repeat its past mistakes.
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Starfield is a Great Setting for Multiplayer
Regardless ofBethesda’s history with multiplayer games, it’s hard to deny thatStarfieldpresents the perfect setting for a multiplayer game. The vast galaxy provides more potential for exploration and storytelling than Tamriel or post-apocalyptic America. A much larger, more unpredictable game world also incentivizes players to team up while exploring uncharted planets.
Scale and variety are the setting’s greatest strengths, and when utilized efficiently, they would make for an enjoyable multiplayer experience. This is what makesStarfield’s game world an ideal setting for a multiplayer spinoff. If such a title was in the works, it would need to differentiate itself from similar games, particularlyNo Man’s Sky, which is another multiplayer game set in a huge galaxy of a game world. AssumingStarfield’s multiplayer gametakes features from the single-player title, then both would have an emphasis on player exploration and base-building.
That said,Starfield’s potential multiplayer game needs to do something unique so that it isn’t justanotherNo Man’s Sky. The developers could put more emphasis on roleplaying, for example, but that’s easier said than done in a multiplayer setting. Like withElder Scrolls OnlineandFallout 76, Bethesda could move back in theStarfieldtimeline and have players experience the galaxy before Constellation was founded. The initial campaign could even have players working towards establishing the space explorers’ organization. It’d give the community a worthy goal and a new perspective of the game world.
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Learning from The Elder Scrolls Online and Fallout 76
At this point, it’s worth talking about the developer’s older multiplayer games –The Elder Scrolls OnlineandFallout 76. The common thread is that both of these titles, when first released, were met with mixed, predominantly negative reviews. Though they managed to bounce back afterward, these multiplayer games serve as a cautionary tale should the developer want to work on aStarfieldmultiplayer game.
The Elder Scrolls Onlinecame outin April 2014 and was criticized for its overall poor design and the sheer number of bugs that hindered gameplay. Players weren’t happy about the steep monthly subscription fee, given the lackluster content. In response, ZeniMax rereleased the game with the new subtitleTamriel Unlimitedin 2015. This new version ofThe Elder Scrolls Onlinegarnered more positive reviews as it had taken care of most of the bugs and issues of the initial release. To this day, it’s still getting new expansions, with some of them even winning awards.
Then, in October 2018, the developer releasedFallout 76, a multiplayerFalloutgame. Like the preceding title, it was also criticized for the bad design and bugs, with the steep fees cropping up again as a major detractor. However,Fallout 76took things further thanThe Elder Scrolls Onlinebecause it released the game with no interactible human NPCs. This sparked major backlash among the fanbase. Eventually, the developer managed to patch these issues, but the memory ofFallout 76’s terrible releaseremains. It doesn’t help that the game has faced some new controversies since.
Will Bethesda Make a Starfield Multiplayer Game?
Despite the past multiplayer games’ rocky launches, it doesn’t seem too farfetched to believe that Bethesda and ZeniMax might have plans for a separateStarfieldmultiplayer title. After all,The Elder ScrollsandFalloutfollowed the same pattern. Surely,Starfieldwill follow suit.
Of course, there have been no announcements regarding apotential multiplayer spinoff forStarfield, and multiplayer isn’t a priority forStarfielditself, as Bethesda has established. Perhaps that’s for the best, since in the past, Bethesda has excelled at single-player experiences. Additionally, fans are clamoring for more single-player games, especially following the releases ofThe Elder Scrolls Onlineand thenFallout 76.
Given this, Bethesda fans should probably expect more single-player releases beforeStarfieldmultiplayer – that is, if Bethesda and ZeniMax decide to work on it. At the time of writing,The Elder Scrolls 6has already been teased, causing an uproar within theElder Scrollscommunity. Meanwhile,Fallout 5has been confirmed, and will likely be the next priority afterElder Scrolls 6. In short, Bethesda has a lot on its plate – likely too much to start planning for yet another multiplayer release.
That said, it’s hard to deny that a significant portion of the community is hoping for multiplayer options inStarfield. There’s plenty of hype surrounding Bethesda’s first new IP in a long time. AndifStarfielddoes well as a single-player game, that would only strengthen these calls for a multiplayer spinoff.
The challenge for the developer now is to learn from past mistakes. The community doesn’t wantStarfield76,nor do they want anotherNo Man’s Sky. Given these complications, it seems a multiplayer spinoff forStarfieldwill be a very tall order. If the game does come together, it might be the first Bethesda MMORPG to be met with predominantly positive reviews – the third time’s the charm, after all.
Starfieldreleases for PC and Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
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