Starfield‘s continued decline and the near-sealed fate of becoming the most controversial Bethesda game ever shows no signs of stopping. Despite almost turning things around for itself after the recent Xbox Games Showcase, the game has fallen back hard yet again due to what can only be described as one of Bethesda’s most tone-deaf decisions.
With their decision to introduce paid mods into the game, Bethesda has lit a fire within its community, causing an uproar that it should already be familiar with. It has long been said that the company has a somewhat flawed understanding of its fans’ desires, and given what it just did, perhaps it rings true after all.
Bethesda Is Introducing Paid Mods Into Starfield, and People Are Not Happy About It at All
After changing people’s perceptions of Starfield with the trailer for the upcoming DLC, Shattered Space, Bethesda tried to sneakily introduce paid mods via Starfield – Creations into the game.
As one would expect, the move has received immense backlash, resulting in a review-bombing campaign that has pushed the game’s rating into the mostly negative category on Steam.
While people are more than happy to support modders for their work, one of the main points of contention amongst the community is the mods’ pricing, as it is a little off-balance and unfair. Twitter/X user @Starfield_Count shared their thoughts on this, encapsulating the same:
One of the better points was made by user @LastdayerP, which aligns with the need to support the modders:
It is quite surprising to see how widely differentiating the reactions to the decision are compared to the unanimous outcry that Bethesda’s previous attempts at doing the same faced.
What’s just as fascinating is how, unlike the mixed bag of opinions people hold concerning paid mods on social media, reactions on Steam are completely negative. The review posted by AsyxA sums up the overall opinion on that side:
Although Bethesda has made bad decisions like this before, it is concerning how it will affect Starfield‘s future, especially now that Shattered Space is right around the corner.
What Could This Backlash and Review-Bombing Mean for Starfield’s Upcoming DLC?
Despite the promise held by Shattered Space, some of the excitement has indeed been dampened by Bethesda’s decision to reintroduce paid mods into its most promising game yet.
Given the history with Skyrim and Fallout 4, it is perplexing why Bethesda chose this very moment, right when Starfield was on the verge of a potential comeback, to implement such a controversial feature.
The community’s reaction, especially on Steam, points to a probable future in which this decision will negatively impact sales and the success of Shattered Space. Right now, many believe the best decision to avoid such a situation would be to either reduce the mods’ prices or remove the paid aspect altogether.
But that said, what are your thoughts on having paid mods in Starfield? What change would you recommend Bethesda implement to Creations? Let us know in the comments below!
