After Starfield’s Ending, Future Releases Are at a Crossroads

Highlights

• Starfield’s unconventional ending makes it memorable
• New Game+ offers the chance to explore different outcomes
• Bethesda must balance innovation with repetition in future releases

Spoilers for Starfield are ahead.

Starfield is a space game by Bethesda that has players searching the cosmos for strange artifacts that seem to hold many secrets. It’s a game that has players questioning science and spirituality, and it features plenty of exploration and action-packed combat sequences. It also has an interesting ending that encourages players to jump into New Game+.

Starfield’s convention-defying ending makes the game a memorable one. However, this is not a trick Bethesda can employ multiple times, lest the huge twist becomes predictable. Consequently, the studio needs to come up with ways to keep future Starfield releases fresh without returning to old tricks.

Starfield’s Weird Ending Explained

Starfield has a storyline that pushes the boundaries of logic and reason and makes players question the nature of reality. It all begins with the player finding a strange artifact at the beginning of the game. Upon touching the artifact, the player’s character is struck by a mystical vision of the cosmos. This spurs the exploration group Constellation to search for more artifacts.

The hunt for the artifacts has players crossing paths with the Hunter and the Emissary, who oppose each other. The Hunter believes in might, and he insists that whoever is strong enough to claim all the artifacts should be the one to experience the Unity, regardless of who it is. In contrast, the Emissary believes the Unity should be guarded by a Starborn. It is up to the player to decide who they will side with.

Regardless of who the player chooses as their companion, the game ends with the player entering the Unity and becoming a Starborn. With this, the player leaves their universe and starts the story from the beginning in a parallel universe. The parallel universe isn’t a carbon copy of the original one, however, and there are minor changes as the player goes through Starfield‘s New Game+ again and again.

Do Things Differently in Starfield’s New Game+

With New Game+, players have the chance to make different choices and discover new outcomes. One of the biggest opportunities that comes with New Game+ is the chance to save all members of Constellation when The Eye is attacked by the Starborn. This is impossible during the first playthrough and players have to choose between someone dying at The Eye or The Lodge.

By starting New Game+, players can also claim useful items, such as the Starborn Guardian spaceship and the Starborn Spacesuit Astra. The spacesuit is highly coveted as it is arguably the best in the game thanks in part to its high defense.

Future Starfield Releases Must Perform a Balancing Act

Starfield did something very interesting with its ending, giving players a reason to explore New Game+ more than once. This raises the bar for future Starfield releases, and players will be waiting to see if Bethesda can pull off an innovative ending yet again. However, the studio should be careful not to repeat the same trick over and over again, as it could get stale quickly.

On the other hand, a traditional ending may not be satisfactory after Starfield‘s exploration of the multiverse. This puts future Starfield releases at a crossroads, and a careful balancing act must be performed to ensure fans are not disappointed. One of the ways the IP can navigate this dilemma is by focusing on the game’s beginning rather than the ending. For example, DLCs could take into account the choices the player made in the base game to include different introductions.

Starfield Will Receive DLC Soon

Players will get to see how Bethesda handles future Starfield franchise endings with the upcoming DLC titled Shattered Space. From the reveal trailer, it appears that the game will be focused on the House Va’ruun, and there will be heavy horror themes. It is not known yet whether the choices made in the base game will affect how the DLC plays out.

Starfield is an important IP for Bethesda as it is one of the first big releases from the studio following Microsoft’s acquisition of the studio, in addition to being the first new IP from the studio in 25 years. Fortunately, it seems to have found an audience, which hopefully means fans will be seeing more of the Settled Systems in the future.