Starfield Lead Writer Responds To Shattered Space Backlash

Summary

• Shattered Space hasn't done much to win back Starfield's reputation, dropping to "Mostly Negative" on Steam with an aggregate OpenCritic score of just 59.
• One fan even levied many of the community's complaints to lead writer Emil Pagliarulo on his Twitter in a surprisingly level-headed thread, which Pagliarulo responded to in kind.

Starfield: Shattered Space launched to "Mixed" reviews on Steam before quickly dropping to "Mostly Negative" that same week. The community was mostly disappointed by its narrative and price tag, but critics also disparaged the expansion for being "unstable" and "weighed down by bugs", leaving it with an aggregate score of just 59.

In short, Shattered Space has been a disaster. Many are so dissatisfied with the DLC and the Bethesda formula as a whole that they're losing faith in all future games from the studio.

This is a sentiment that one player shared with lead writer Emil Pagliarulo on Twitter in a surprisingly level-headed thread, writing that they don't want to see Starfield fail, and that they "don't doubt the passion" of the developers, but that the community wants "to feel like their concerns are not being dismissed".

What Pagliarulo Had To Say

Pagliarulo responded to this thread with his own, addressing much of the backlash directly: "I'm very proud of Shattered Space. We all are. Most of the quests and levels were done by designers who have worked on previous Bethesda games and DLC, going all the way back to Morrowind. They're good at what they do, and it shows.

"If folks haven't played Shattered Space, and they like Starfield, I think they're missing out. If folks have played Shattered Space and still don't like it, that makes me sad, honestly. Just know that we've also been hearing from plenty of people who love it. Maybe it's a game of expectations. Fans want a lot, and we do all we can to accomodate them. Here's what I can tell you - nobody, and I mean nobody, at Bethesda is patting themselves on the back while ignoring our players."

The Elder Scrolls 6 Needs To Be Completely Different After Starfield

The Bethesda formula has long overstayed its welcome, and Shattered Space proves The Elder Scrolls 6 needs to shake things up.

He went on to explain how Bethesda has spent the past year improving Starfield based on criticism from fans and critics, such as the confusing map and lack of driveable land vehicles. But a key concern he points out is that, "with a game as big as Starfield, every fix could potentially break something else."

Pagliarulo then ends the thread by saying that he is a big Bethesda fan himself, having played its games since the '95 Terminator FPS, and that all anyone at the studio wants to do is "make those games and then make them better".

Shattered Space is the first DLC for Bethedsa's space RPG Starfield. It expands the core story, adding a horror-like twist as players head to the homeworld of House Va'ruun.