Starfield Gets a Thumbs Down from Steam Users for Christmas

• Starfield's user ratings on Steam plummeted during holiday season of 2023.
• Post-launch criticism of Starfield focused on shallow narrative and disjointed presentation.
• Starfield's rating on Steam dropped to "Mixed" with decrease in active players.
• Negative Steam reviews impacted Starfield's standing among its player base.
• Starfield's journey underscores the importance of meeting pre-launch hype expectations.

A Cautionary Tale: The Fall of Starfield

There's a helmet on a shelf, its visor sporting a piece of tape with the words "Don't use". This might as well be a metaphor for the recent plight of the much-anticipated space RPG, Starfield.

As the holiday season of 2023 came to a close, Starfield's user ratings on Steam plummeted into the "Mostly Negative" category, a disappointing outcome for such a highly-anticipated title from one of the most acclaimed developers of our time.

Starfield's Highs and Lows

Starfield, announced in 2018, had high expectations leading up to its September 2023 release. As the first original IP from Bethesda in years, fans of the studio's open-world games were eager to dive into an epic space opera featuring over 1,000 explorable planets.

However, the months following the game's launch saw Starfield facing a wave of fan and media criticism. Complaints ranged from its shallow narrative to the disjointed presentation of its galaxy, and a sense of aimlessness on its visually appealing but barren planets.

Starfield's Struggles on Steam

Starfield's troubles on Steam began weeks before, with its rating status dropping to "Mixed" in November. The game also saw a significant decrease in active players, a trend that is notable given Bethesda and Microsoft's insistence that the game was designed for long-term, consistent play.

The game's sinking review status caught the attention of the r/Starfield subreddit around Christmas, when the game received an influx of 245 negative reviews on Steam. The successful revival of Cyberpunk and the acclaim received by Baldur’s Gate 3 at the Game Awards only seemed to deepen Starfield's woes.

Steam Reviews: A Sour Note for Starfield

One of the top Steam reviews for Starfield currently reads, "Just buy Cyberpunk." Other players have unfavorably compared it to previous Bethesda games, expressing disappointment with the game's lack of meaningful content and its "excess of nothingness".

Negative Steam reviews aren’t anything new for Starfield. Bethesda has even begun to officially respond to individual reviews on the platform. However, this has done little to improve the game's standing among its player base.

In conclusion, Starfield's journey serves as a cautionary tale for game developers and fans alike. It underscores the importance of delivering a game that not only meets but exceeds the high expectations set by its pre-launch hype.

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