In a surprising twist, the narrative surrounding Starfield has taken an unexpected turn. Steam reviews for the expansive sci-fi RPG recently dipped to a “mixed” rating on Valve’s platform, leading Bethesda employees to engage in discussions with players, challenging claims that the game is as uninteresting and lifeless as some suggest.
Discovering developer responses to some of the harshest Steam reviews, X user JuiceHead (formerly known as Twitter) shared them online. These responses weren’t mere fact-checks or brief comments; they were detailed counterarguments resembling a Bethesda customer service representative following a scripted response. For instance, one review posted on November 27 criticized the game’s generic story and claimed that the gameplay becomes monotonous after a while.
Bethesda’s response, presented with a touch of corporate humor, goes like this:
“Greetings,
We appreciate you taking the time to write a Starfield review!
You have the ability to mine, fire, fly, and loot!
A game called Starfield offers hundreds of hours of quests to finish and characters to get to know. The majority of quests will also change according on the choices and abilities of your character, which will drastically change how the game turns out for you. Consider developing distinct personas with histories and traits that contrast with or go against those of your initial persona. It will seem as though you are playing an entirely new game. If you give a character you’ve previously constructed different ability points, you’ll confront whole different challenges and have to make very different decisions.
After spending hundreds of hours playing Starfield, you will discover things you never thought were possible because of its numerous layers.
Your journey continues even after you finish the Main Story! To continue exploring Starfield and everything else available, you can go on to New Game+!
Never stop exploring!
Bethesda Customer Support”
Other responses were more assertive, with Bethesda strongly challenging criticisms of Starfield’s 1,000-planet galaxy as “boring.” Addressing a complaint about landing on seemingly empty planets, another customer service response stated, “We apologize that you find many planets empty and that landing on them bothers you. Even though some of Starfield’s planets are intentionally left barren, it’s still interesting.” The spokesperson then cited an interview in which director Todd Howard said that although the moon is empty, astronauts weren’t bored upon landing there.”