Despite Ungodly Setbacks, Todd Howard’s Starfield Broke a Cosmic Record That Even Fallout and Elder Scrolls Couldn’t

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Despite Ungodly Setbacks, Todd Howard’s Starfield Broke a Cosmic Record That Even Fallout and Elder Scrolls Couldn’t

When Starfield debuted all the way back in 2023, Bethesda welcomed longtime fans to a brand-new IP after 25 years and yet another open-world RPG filled with hours of content. The game was supposed to be Todd Howard’s biggest project to date, and he promised that it would be revolutionary.

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is still making waves in the gaming community. (Image via

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Unfortunately, Starfield was nothing but a mess. Not only did the game receive criticism from both fans and critics alike, but Bethesda’s attempt to save the game with post-launch additions only added fuel to the fire. You might think that Starfield is a lost cause, but the game has broken a record for Bethesda that even Fallout and Elder Scrolls couldn’t.

Starfield allowed Bethesda to reach new heights

It’s fair to say that Starfield is one of the most controversial things to ever come out of Bethesda. While the game initially had positive reviews, gamers soon realized its inherent flaws. It’s a space exploration game but everything feels shallow.

Seriously, Starfield is one of the most painful games to grind out there, and when you factor in the endless loading screens, things get even worse. Despite the title’s flaws, it has set new heights for Bethesda and Todd Howard.

At the end of 2023, Starfield

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a roadmap for the future, revealing everything that will be coming to the game. These updates brought tons of new things, such as ways to travel, difficulty options, city maps, story expansion, and much more.

Bethesda also revealed some player stats to round up the game’s launch year, and they were shocking. According to the studio, 13 million players adventured into Starfield in its launch year, with 22,284,331 days played or an average of 40 hours of playtime.

These figures make Starfield one of the best and most successful launches in Bethesda’s history, surpassing Elder Scrolls and Fallout by a long shot. However, the game probably managed to hit these numbers thanks to its availability on Xbox Game Pass.

On the surface, the sci-fi game might feel like a flop, but it was truly a success story for Todd Howard and his team. Even though the studio is working on the Elder Scrolls 6 right now, rumors suggest that major updates are on the way for Starfield, which could push these numbers even higher if Bethesda manages to fix the core issues of the title.

Starfield developer believes gamers are tired of long games

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The majority of gamers enjoy an endless number of things to do in video games, as proven by Starfield. However, there’s a section of the player base that demands a shorter experience.

While chatting with

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, former Starfield developer Shen chimed in on long games and provided his take on the matter. According to Shen, gamers are getting tired of long games that are filled with dozens of hours of content.

Even though titles such as Skyrim managed to set a trend for the evergreen side of gaming, the industry has reached a point where long games feel like a “tall order”. Shen suggests that the majority of the players don’t complete games that are more than 10 hours long, and according to him, completion is necessary for engagement.

Shen has also noted that the long-game trend has led to a resurgence in shorter games. He highlighted Mouthwashing‘s success and stated how crucial short duration is to the game. According to the ex-Bethesda developer, the indie horror’s runtime was a major reason why it succeeded against all odds.

With that said, do you think Bethesda did a good job with Starfield? Let us know in the comments below.