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Following the arrival of Shattered Space, Todd Howard was left questioning whether adding vehicles to Starfield via a free update before the expansion was the right thing to do - and it's all thanks to fan feedback.
Starfield's first expansion launched to mixed reviews. As our own Starfield: Shattered Space review details, it's "a solid expansion that presents lots of choices and exploration, but doesn't really deliver on the horror aspect Bethesda teased." One of the most common complaints about the DLC, however, was its lack of content in the form of new features - and that's why adding the first-ever drivable land vehicle in a Bethesda RPG beforehand felt like it might have been a wrong move.
As Microsoft Gaming lead Phil Spencer reveals in an interview with Game File, Howard was worried the rover's earlier debut as part of a free update was a bad decision on his part. "Todd and I were talking about Shattered Space," states Spencer. "Starfield is a game I put a ton of hours into and really love, but they've had this thing where they've added features throughout the year and then they had an expansion."
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He then delves into fan feedback on Bethesda's approach to Starfield's new content, as well as how it left Howard questioning it himself: "I think some of the feedback on the expansion is: 'We wanted more features.' And he's like, 'Well, should we have waited to put buggies out?'" The Bethesda head figured keeping the vehicle for the DLC could've helped flesh it out more.
Spencer continues: "And so, I think you're trying to tune both development effort and the impact of the expansion. And I think there will always be a balance to managing the game month to month. But not every game will do expansions."
After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she's not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she's probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she's spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur's Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you'll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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