Last year, Bethesda Softworks launched its first original IP in over two decades, the space opera Starfield. While the game received generally positive reviews, many other fans were left wanting more. However, the team has shown repeatedly that they are constantly working to improve their games by listening to feedback.
While the game made record sales, Bethesda surprised dedicated fans with an impressive update that polished the final project, improved modding, and added new content. Here is a breakdown of Starfield’s latest version.
Starfield’s Latest Patch
According to IGN, the open-world space opera Starfield received a new patch from its developer, Bethesda Softworks, that renewed interest in the game. With their new update, 1.14.74, they went to great lengths to improve the base game. By the time the developers released the update, the game had reached 15 million players, giving hope for the game’s future.
This latest patch contains several huge additions to the game. The biggest was an enhanced “Creations” section, allowing players to download paid and free mods from Verified Creators. Furthermore, these new Creations are achievement-friendly, even with previous saves. Another inclusion is the powerful ground vehicle, the Deimog, which is used to explore rough terrain. Yet another quest is the festive, Thanksgiving-themed “The Perfect Recipe,” which involves a legendary chef returning to his art.
Dozens of quests were updated and polished, such as The Starjacker, Zealous Overreach, and Legacy of the Fang. Furthermore, several quality-of-life improvements were made, such as increasing the Xbox framerate, fixing glitches, and improving the Trackers Alliance missions. Overall, this update gave Bethesda the chance to fine-tune their project.
Redeeming Broken Launches
Given that Starfield is a new franchise from such a respected developer, it’s good that they would try to make its game the best it could. As stated above, the game will now have a much larger modding network, which has always helped Bethesda’s more dedicated fans express themselves and keep the fanbase alive, as shown by Skyrim’s longevity. As the first DLC, Shattered Space, released barely a few months ago, the team likely has no plans to stop anytime soon.
Besides Starfield, many other games have redeemed themselves after troubled launches. One example was Bethesda’s Fallout: New Vegas, which was mired with huge bugs before the team removed those hurdles and let gamers experience the full game. Other examples include No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077, which had massive hype surrounding their releases that their developers regained through hard work and listening to critics.
Bethesda’s Latest IP
Bethesda Softworks has relied on its two central franchises for the past few decades: the fantasy Elder Scrolls and the post-apocalyptic Fallout. These games used similar engines, themes, and open worlds and are often considered sibling series. However, the massive studio has taken a shot at creating a new IP, Starfield. While the game was originally announced in 2018 alongside The Elder Scrolls 6, it saw several delays.
Described as “NASA-Punk” and “Skyrim in space,” the game follows a player and crew searching the galaxy for ancient alien artifacts. The game combines many elements from the previous two franchises, such as its vast open world and use of numerous factions. Naturally, as the game takes place on a galactic scale, it has the largest map of any Bethesda game and one of the largest in gaming, with endless customization options for their spacecraft.
Conclusion
To summarize, Starfield’s latest update proves Bethesda’s ability to adapt. Given the game’s scale, Bethesda naturally had to go to great lengths to bring the project to its best form, and the game is closer to that with all these updates, tweaks, and fixes. While The Elder Scrolls and Fallout franchises are classics, the developers made the right choice in trying to start a new series. Given its impressive fanbase and sales after one year, this could be their new big thing.
