Starfield: Shattered Space Drops To "Mostly Negative" Reviews On Steam

Summary

• Starfield: Shattered Space has dropped to "Mostly Negative" reviews on Steam after launching to a "Mixed" score earlier this week.
• Many reviews pouring in criticise the $30 price tag, saying that they feel ripped off.

Starfield: Shattered Space launched earlier this week to "Mixed" reviews on Steam as even the positive reviews lamented the Chosen One narrative, lack of substantial companions, underdeveloped Andreja arc, and shorter length. But things have only gotten worse as more reviews pour in.

The $30 Price Tag Is Proving Controversial

Right now, Shattered Space sits at "Mostly Negative" with nearly 1,300 reviews. The newer comments mostly repeat similar grievances with the DLC as those at launch, but there's another complaint that's gaining traction — the $30 price tag.

Why [does] this four quest cost half of the [base] game's price, Bethesda?

"How is this $30 of content? How can this be considered an expansion?" asks one review. "I don't recommend the DLC for $30," a positive review reads. "Do not buy this at more than $10, maximum," another says.

A major concern fans have raised on the game's forums and across Reddit is how genuine some of these reviews are. Steam doesn't display 'hours played' for expansions because it can't be distinguished from the base game under the current system, so anyone who bought Starfield's Premium Edition at launch can review the DLC without ever playing it.

This creates a problem, as they can easily leave negative reviews just to drag the overall score down without ever needing to so much as open Starfield. Most appear legitimate, complaining about the bugs, storyline, price tag, and uninteresting dialogue. However, there are still plenty of reviews declaring, 'I haven't played it, but Starfield sucks', which will inevitably leave a mark on the overall score.

Bethesda's Lead Writer Says Starfield Is The Best Game The Studio Has Ever Made

He calls Starfield a "technical marvel."

Outside of reviews, Starfield's stats aren't faring much better. The DLC saw a peak player count of 21,000. For comparison, Skyrim: Special Edition has a monthly peak of 30,000 players, while Fallout 4 just beat out Bethesda's tentpole RPG with 23,092. Considering Starfield dropped a new DLC this week, being outfoxed by decade-old games isn't great.

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.