Support NeoGAF

[Games of Today]

The biggest flaw of this game is the amount of time you need to spend in the menus and star map.

It should have all been built into the HUD. like a high tech visor or better yet, even like the PIP boy.

 

[Games of Today]

It is pretty normal for a SP games player numbers to plummet. 97% drop isn't much of a story, not one that can really say anything without a lot of data for how other SP games dropped. What isn't normal is that other much older Bethesda RPG's have far more players.

Skyrim - 18.5k
Fallout 4 - 12.4k
Starfield - 4.7k

New Vegas is at 2.7k, it's not impossible Starfield drops below that eventually. The 97% drop isn't really a good news story, but the much lower players than Bethesda's other RPGS while being so much newer is. By Bethesda's standards Starfield was a clear miss.

The fact that there is only a 2K player gap between New Vegas and Starfield is abysmal.

 

[WitchHunter]

This obsession with numbers... look, I have an erection, because it has 150k players 3 months after release. Imagine that pile of mony! And what they do with it... uaaaaa. And it's the second biggest pile of mony evar! But the rats are leaving the ship, it's sinking! This got me so horny, brrrr.

I would understand the overflowing joy if this would be a stock, or some kind of investment, but it's a game. A thing for entertainment purposes.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

How it so quickly turned into "most single player games". Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Fredrik]

Still playing it, passed 300 hours now. There is so much to do and so many ways to play it.

Current playthrough I’ve done 99% melee, power hungry Highlander Connor MacLeod build, I’m at the final artifact fight now and besides a few turrets too high up I’ve slayed everything in this playthrough with axe or sword. First person Bethesda melee combat is like you can expect but it has been an interesting experiment.

Christopher Lambert?

Updates are highly anticipated though, there are so many things that could’ve been better.

 

[mckmas8808]

I would say this is normal for a single player game but there were actually people saying this is the next skyrim that will be played for decades to come. Well, surprise mfers it's not. Currently Skyrim has 3 times more players than it.

Yep. The bolded is the issue. Sometimes it's hard for a game to live up to its hype.

 

[Hudo]

I think Starfield is a solid proof-of-concept. Now they can make the real game with Starfield 2.

 

[SHA]

There should be a sim game of space like a space simulator or something, so we use nasa pictures or videos to create a different view of space better than any other game with lazy old devs wanna make a game on space to cut down npc, characters, acting, scenes or whatever takes effort to make a game in a conventional way with bigger team.

 

[JimRyanGOAT]

Why is Todd still in charge?

 

[sendit]

Starfield isn't a bad game at all. It has bad parts, sure. But the overall game is... I guess I would describe it as "decent". Its main issue is that it was hyped up (by Microsoft, Bethesda, and fans) to be way more impressive than it was.

I agree. I have 100+ hours in Starfield. One of the more enjoyable games for me at least that was released last year. However, it was hyped up to be 'The Game of the Generation'.

 

[Fredrik]

I agree. I have 100+ hours in Starfield. One of the more enjoyable games for me at least that was released last year. However, it was hyped up to be 'The Game of the Generation'.

300+ hours and my GOTY, and I agree. Hype didn’t do this game any good, just made masses of people disappointed and assumed it was a game it never was. For me it was/is a slimmed down No Man’s Sky with better combat and roleplaying. And there are some Mass Effect (crew) and Skyrim (artifacts/”shouts”) in there as well.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

It doesn't have a multiplayer component.

They should offer a expansion with multiplayer and I guarantee the numbers will increase.

Also I think it's going to have bigger success when it releases on PlayStation.

 

[JayK47]

Why wouldn't it go down? People like me played it when it came out and are done with it for now. Waiting for any possible DLC and more mods. Will go back and play in a year or so. Player count may jump with a price cut or added content.

 

[Crayon]

GOTM

 

[Jaybe]

I gave it a 3-hour try on Game Pass when it came out. Just terrible. None of that getting out of the vault/prisoner wonder of other Bethesda games. Menus upon menus, bad space combat, hideous graphics, trash characters.

 

[damidu]

went out like a fart in space, starfart

 

[Esca]

We will see what the legs are on this game once modding tools are out for a bit. That'll show where it's future is at this point

 

[reinking]

How it so quickly turned into "most single player games". Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Panajev2001a]

That’s what I’m saying. It’s not really fixable. Cyberpunk was fixable.

You do not get it… it is the magical game where it does not matter how much it sells, it does not matter how it reviews for (critic: and users wise), it does not matter how many people are playing it, etc… notice the pattern ? You take one and use the others to deflect, etc… .

The game is not even bad, just not what I expected out of a Skyrim in space that was under development for so many years and has been under big money MS’s wings for a while…

 

[Negotiator101]

went out like a fart in space, starfart

I have to give it to you, that's pretty funny

 

[DiddyInAHellcat]

Because it's boring

 

[StereoVsn]

What needs to be fixed in Starfield that can realistically expected to be fixed?

Cyberpunk fixed many bugs, but much of the core gameplay was still the same.

Starfield's biggest problem IMO was that the took out the exploration aspect of it and replaced it with landing on a planet with randomly generated terrain, randomly generated structures. Fallout and Skyrim's best strength was wandering off the beaten path and into new area leading to new Questlines. That was Bethesda's magic that enabled everyone to put up with the kank/bugs. Starfield had almost none of that. It would have been a FAR better game with more fleshed out areas and far less of them. Can't fix that with an update. The game is what it is.

I mean they “could” fix it with a full on redesign, Atlus style. Starfield Royal, now with actual exploration.

 

[{insert code here}]

At this point even a PS5 release won't be able to save this game. Maybe they can pull a CDPR and release an expansion pack that pulls people back in but I just don't see that happening. Bethesda clearly does not possess the same talent that produced Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Fallout 3.

 

[Shut0wen]

And? I dont get the point of these threads, i could understand if its a multiplayer title but every single player game looses momentum, these numbers mean nothing and will more then likely skyrocket once modding tools and dlcs are released

 

[CLW]

Bethesda jenk

 

[Topher]

Still playing it, passed 300 hours now. There is so much to do and so many ways to play it.

Current playthrough I’ve done 99% melee, power hungry Highlander Connor MacLeod build, I’m at the final artifact fight now and besides a few turrets too high up I’ve slayed everything in this playthrough with axe or sword. First person Bethesda melee combat is like you can expect but it has been an interesting experiment.

Christopher Lambert?

Updates are highly anticipated though, there are so many things that could’ve been better.

I'll catch up once the expansion releases.

 

[Hawking Radiation]

At this point even a PS5 release won't be able to save this game. Maybe they can pull a CDPR and release an expansion pack that pulls people back in but I just don't see that happening. Bethesda clearly does not possess the same talent that produced Skyrim, Oblivion, Morrowind, Fallout 3.

I mean look at the PS5 userbase is at 46 something million and the overall number for all platforms stands at 108 million. You look at the chaos on here when it was announced StarField was going to be exclusive to Xbox and that should give you an indication how keen the PS community is to jump into the game.

Not saying it will set the sales chart alight with a launch on PS but it won't be dog shit either. Ti will definitely help the Starfield brand. I must be the only one here thinking Xbox game launches on other platforms will bring them some success in terms of sales.

 

[EDMIX]

The lolz, look....I don't think this is that odd and maybe folks are kinda exaggerating this a bit.

This is sorta what happens to most single player titles btw. Look at RE4 remake, fucking amazing game, put 60 hours in it, several playthroughs and I moved on within 2 weeks, I have other fucking games to play, that doesn't mean anything is wrong with it and I'm sure LOTS of hardcore RE fans do something like this.

Play hardmode, collect all the shit and then move on, so to say "hey, 6 months have passed and damn near 97% of the players was LOST" isn't some wild fucking thing lol Who on Earth is playing some single player game, continuously for months? Most gamers do not do this, in fact statically they move on.

So I say, maybe this is pushing it and making it sound as if something wildly unusual is happening, but to understand this metric, compare it to other titles that released last year and you'll see this isn't some unheard of thing or something.

 

[Zannegan]

For comparison

And to think, they spent all that time and all those resources trying to build out a third pillar instead of making a sequel to Skyrim.

 

[bender]

And to think, they spent all that time and all those resources trying to build out a third pillar instead of making a sequel to Skyrim.

Skyrim 2: The Skyrimming

 

[James Sawyer Ford]

The lolz, look....I don't think this is that odd and maybe folks are kinda exaggerating this a bit.

This is sorta what happens to most single player titles btw. Look at RE4 remake, fucking amazing game, put 60 hours in it, several playthroughs and I moved on within 2 weeks, I have other fucking games to play, that doesn't mean anything is wrong with it and I'm sure LOTS of hardcore RE fans do something like this.

Play hardmode, collect all the shit and then move on, so to say "hey, 6 months have passed and damn near 97% of the players was LOST" isn't some wild fucking thing lol Who on Earth is playing some single player game, continuously for months? Most gamers do not do this, in fact statically they move on.

So I say, maybe this is pushing it and making it sound as if something wildly unusual is happening, but to understand this metric, compare it to other titles that released last year and you'll see this isn't some unheard of thing or something.

This was hyped up to be the game of the forever.

Skyrim was an evergreen title, just like GTA. They are rare in the single player space, but do exist. (GTA isn't fully SP, I realize).

 

[Zannegan]

Skyrim 2: The Skyrimming

The Eldest Scroll
*cue Skyrim theme, played in a minor key on piano at half speed

"Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll?"

 

[bender]

The Eldest Scroll
*cue Skyrim theme, played in a minor key on piano at half speed

"Let me guess, someone stole your sweetroll?"

Sorry, I just chuckled when you said Skyrim sequel instead of TES sequel. I'm weird like that....and many other...nevermind.

The Bethesda acquisition would have been a lot more fruitful had TES been further into production and released before Starfield. I do think if I were Microsoft and wanted to meddle with something, I would have shifted Obsidion's focus to a Fallout project like New Vegas as soon as Zenimax was acquired.

 

[reinking]

Still playing it, passed 300 hours now. There is so much to do and so many ways to play it.

Current playthrough I’ve done 99% melee, power hungry Highlander Connor MacLeod build, I’m at the final artifact fight now and besides a few turrets too high up I’ve slayed everything in this playthrough with axe or sword. First person Bethesda melee combat is like you can expect but it has been an interesting experiment.

Christopher Lambert?

Updates are highly anticipated though, there are so many things that could’ve been better.

I was playing it a lot, warts and all. I jumped through the void several times but then lost an entire Starborn playthrough due to a save bug. I think that was my fourth (fifth?) run and it rolled me back to my previous just before the void. Either way, I stopped playing at that point and decided to wait for the expansion before going back. IMO, it is not the best game, but it was something to grind and to treat each playthrough a little differently.

 

[Nydius]

So I say, maybe this is pushing it and making it sound as if something wildly unusual is happening, but to understand this metric, compare it to other titles that released last year and you'll see this isn't some unheard of thing or something.

This would be fine, except the game was hyped up to be Space Skyrim, a game that lasts 10+ years. Not by fans, mind you: By Bethesda themselves. Especially Todd Howard.

It was going to be a game we’d need years to fully experience, the game he always dreamed of making, the game that was a passion project for the whole studio, et cetera, et cetera.

In that regard it has to be compared not to just an average single player game that came out last year but against Skyrim and Fallout. It turned out to be less content rich - not to mention more soulless - than either at launch.

I enjoyed it for about a month and a half which would have been great if it had been any other random game. But it was billed by their creators to be a generation defining game.

All it did was make me want to play Skyrim again.

 

[EDMIX]

This was hyped up to be the game of the forever.

Skyrim was an evergreen title, just like GTA

This would be fine, except the game was hyped up to be

None of that matters btw.


Its a moot point as no company is going to be out here marketing their game to be bad, meh, mediocre etc What I'm saying is, do we have the numbers on Skyrim's player 6 months after release?

This is not a wild thing as many are making it out to be and before I jump down that rabbit hole, I need at least some data to argue this is a unusual occurrence, not some idea that "game was hyped" well sure, they are marketing a game, but I don't believe anyone there made some exact claim of 100% will be playing it for years or something wild like this to see it as a claim that didn't live up to something.

We first need to see what is the norm, before to go into this idea that this is unusual.

(Keep in mind, I'd do the same thing if someone was telling us Starfield moved 3 million in so and so time frame, I'd first question how often that happens, did that happen to them in the past before etc)

Although not a playercount, mere months after release GTA V literally dropped 80% in sales

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/fifa-14-knocks-gta-5-2326187

We now know it to be one of the best selling games in history.

So I don't know how much of this data is a "WOW OMG, THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE" orrrrr just the norm of single player games.

Not saying anyone is wrong here, merely we need some comparisons to have a solid foundation to speak on.

edit. Nydius I too wish to play a new game in Skyrim lol

 

[Fredrik]

I was playing it a lot, warts and all. I jumped through the void several times but then lost an entire Starborn playthrough due to a save bug. I think that was my fourth (fifth?) run and it rolled me back to my previous just before the void. Either way, I stopped playing at that point and decided to wait for the expansion before going back. IMO, it is not the best game, but it was something to grind and to treat each playthrough a little differently.

I was so pissed off from losing everything I had created after my first NG+ that I started over from scratch and avoided even doing main quests. Just went on to build outposts and doing factions and side quests instead, built my own crew etc.

This time, with the space Highlander, I’m skipping all creative elements and just push through doing Unity runs to gain power. I want to see where they go with that, heard so many things online but experienced nothing myself. Probably take 20 hours plowing through it though, it’s too much I think, long ass rouguelike. But I enjoy the combat and looting etc, grinding is fun, so I’ll keep going. Strange game but I like it a ton.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

How it so quickly turned into "most single player games". Hindsight is 20/20.

 

[EDMIX]

lol GOD DAMN! My mans got receipts

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

lol GOD DAMN! My mans got receipts

I don't even have a horse in the race but that post was hilarious lol

 

[Z O N E]

400 hours.. wut. I mean its cool that you enjoyed the game but Jesus man. I'd rather watch paint dry lol.

I enjoy taking my time with open world games. Exploring areas and whatnot.

That's why I put the same amount of time in Cyberpunk. Definitely enjoyed that more though as I love the whole aesthetic of the game.

 

[Ar¢tos]

.

And? I dont get the point of these threads, i could understand if its a multiplayer title but every single player game looses momentum, these numbers mean nothing and will more then likely skyrocket once modding tools and dlcs are released

Baldur's Gate 3 is also single player, doesn't have mods and didn’t drop 97%.
Maybe it means Starfield is not as good as it has been endlessly promoted by MS and fans.

 

[Fredrik]

I enjoy taking my time with open world games. Exploring areas and whatnot.

That's why I put the same amount of time in Cyberpunk. Definitely enjoyed that more though as I love the whole aesthetic of the game.

I’m the same, 300 hours in Cyberpunk, 300 in Starfield, 500 in Elden Ring, 500 in No Man’s Sky. Nope linear short games is not my thing lol

And in Starfield I could easily double that just building outposts and spaceships. It’s not a linear story focused game to go through fast unless you deliberately just go from quest marker to quest marker and miss 90% of the game. I still have game mechanics I’ve barely touched yet.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I played for about 2 hours, I did my part.

 

[TheDreadLord]

This was expected to have happened since modders didn’t seem excited to move on from Skyrim and the game’s mod support isn’t that great to begin with.

 

[noise36]

Its a single player game, you play it until you get bored or finish it and move on, I have been gaming that way for decades.

 

[vaibhavpisal]

Baldur's Gate 3 is also single player, doesn't have mods and didn’t drop 97%.
Maybe it means Starfield is not as good as it has been endlessly promoted by MS and fans.

Was 3 years in early access, built upon format they been building for 10+ years.

Starfield is new concept, never seen before. Needs some work. If you will play it you will see Bethesda have been busy for 8 yrs minimum, still game isnt finished.

So completely incomparable situations.

With that said, I think Starfield will have that exploration magic Bethesda games have by the time they have released all expansions/updates.There are couple of features I have seen in game that are incomplete. Those will ensure that once implemented.

 

[Ar¢tos]

Was 3 years in early access, built upon format they been building for 10+ years.

Starfield is new concept, never seen before. Needs some work. If you will play it you will see Bethesda have been busy for 8 yrs minimum, still game isnt finished.

So completely incomparable situations. With that said, I think Starfield will have that exploration magic Bethesda games have by the time they have released all expansions/updates.

There are couple of features I have seen in game that are incomplete. Those will ensure that once implemented.

 

[Panajev2001a]

Was 3 years in early access, built upon format they been building for 10+ years.

Starfield is new concept, never seen before. Needs some work. If you will play it you will see Bethesda have been busy for 8 yrs minimum, still game isnt finished.

So completely incomparable situations. With that said, I think Starfield will have that exploration magic Bethesda games have by the time they have released all expansions/updates.

There are couple of features I have seen in game that are incomplete. Those will ensure that once implemented.[..]

I think you missed a sentence there at the end while copying and pasting from the script mate .

 

[Three]

What I'm saying is, do we have the numbers on Skyrim's player 6 months after release?

On steam it was 60K even a year after release. You can look at the non anniversary edition on steamcharts:

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Steam Charts

An ongoing analysis of Steam's player numbers, seeing what's been played the most.

steamcharts.com