Starfield design director says players trust Bethesda after rough Fallout 76 launch

players can unlock a skill that is reminiscent of the iconic VATS mechanic. This ability can be a game-changer in heated combat encounters, affording players a better opportunity to line up their shots for a chance at a critical hit. This similarity is one of the many details that highlight the shared DNA of Bethesda’s games and how mechanics evolve or change to better fit the narrative of the title in question. Plus, it’s a convenient skill for players who are well-versed in the combat gameplay of the recent games.

Mortal Kombat 1 has officially launched on PC and console, but the Nintendo Switch version appears to be missing key content. 

During the E3 presentation in 2018, Bethesda took to the stage and teased an open-world RPG set in space and called it Starfield. It would be the first IP developed by Bethesda in over 25 years. After years of anticipation, the developer finally launched Starfield on September 6 exclusively for the Microsoft Xbox and Windows. Despite not even one month elapsing since it was launched, Starfield is already being lauded as the game of the year by many, with high critic scores and rave reviews from players.

Starfield has officially hit 10 million players, according to Bethesda.

Bethesda Game Studios has announced that Starfield has surpassed ten million players across all platforms, reinforcing its status as the biggest launch ever for the developer.

Starfield got off to a predictably stellar start upon its release earlier in the month, becoming Bethesda’s biggest launch ever with over 6 million players and seeing over 1 million concurrent players across all platforms on the day of its release. Unsurprisingly, the sci-fi RPG has continued to see similar success in the days since then.

For reasons I won't get into here because it may constitute a little bit of a spoiler, the planet Earth in Starfield is a bit of a wasteland. But what if it was The Wasteland—that is, the post-nuclear hellscape of Bethesda's other big sci-fi-ish game series, Fallout? In an interview with The Washington Post, creative director Todd Howard said developers actually gave thought to the idea.

Bethesda Game Studios RPG have a tendency to be mind-bogglingly massive experiences even at launch, and continue to only grow in size with significant post-launch support in the form of various updates and expansions. The recently-released Starfield very much seems to be following that same trajectory- but though we know Bethesda will release DLC for the sci-fi RPG, when exactly can we expect that DLC?

Starfield has set a new record as the most successful game launch for Bethesda yet, overtaking the likes of Skyrim and Fallout with over six million players, according to the developer.

Bethesda’s sci-fi epic Starfield has managed to cross over six million players in less than a week. Xbox confirmed the news on X (Twitter) Thursday morning. The company said that it’s the “biggest Bethesda game launch of all time.”

Starfield director Todd Howard has addressed the space RPG’s lack of ground vehicles and explained that the decision was made so that the developers could focus on on-foot exploration. 

Starfield has surpassed six million players on launch day, making it the biggest Bethesda launch of all time.