Summary
Starfieldmay not have received the stellar reception that developer Bethesda was hoping for upon initial launch in 2023. Though it performed well in terms of sales, going on to become the 11th bestselling game that year, reviews and fan reactions to it were largely mixed, and it is currently ranked at that exact rating on Steam.Starfield’s design and presentation compared to the studio’s more established IPs, and open-world RPGs in general, have been a point of discussion and contention since its release.
Bethesda has put out a number of patches and QOL updates forStarfield, along with its first major expansion. And although theShattered Space DLChad some cool ideas, it was also thought to be lacking in some of the same areas as the base game, and didn’t do enough to evolve or shake up the formula in notable ways. Even so, Bethesda has reiterated that it remains committed to continuing support and creating further content forStarfield. It thus may want to take a note from one of its other properties and its recent successful adaptation to potentially giveStarfieldthe push needed to break out of its inertia.
Starfield Getting a Movie or Show Adaptation Like Fallout Could Help Reignite Interest
The Fallout TV Show Gave the Franchise a Huge Boost
Announced in 2020 and premiering on Amazon Prime TV in April 2024, the live-actionFalloutshow quickly became a big hit due to its strong character work, storytelling, and faithful depiction of the iconic Wasteland. Longtime fans and new viewers alike were drawn in by the high quality of its production. Thesecond season of theFalloutTV showwill arrive late this year in December, and has already been renewed for a third season.
The adaptation also inspired many to eitherreturn to theFalloutgamesor jump into them for the first time, with the most recent entry,Fallout 4, experiencing a big spike in player count following the series. Season two ofFalloutwill feature locations and possible plots from the belovedNew Vegas, and excitement is already building for how it will handle these and its existing threads. WithStarfieldstill struggling a bit to capture the attention of fans, at least compared to Bethesda’s older staples likeFalloutandThe Elder Scrolls(which was recently bolstered by the shadow drop ofOblivion Remastered),Starfieldpotentially following in the former’s footsteps could be a good way for it to regain traction.
How Bethesda Could Give Starfield Its Own Live-Action Version
The roadmap forStarfieldin 2025 is currently looking rather sparse. While there has been talk of a second major DLC possibly being announced this year, nothing official has come from Bethesda so far. And while there obviously have also been no plans for any kind of live-action version, it is something that Bethesda could consider given the success of theFalloutshow.
Though unconfirmed, rumors suggest that Bethesda may be planning to releaseStarfieldon PS5at some point, which would likely bring in new audiences.
A potentialStarfieldTV series actually already has a good template should the studio wish to pursue this course.The Expanse, which shares some overall themes and traits withStarfield’s NASA-punk vision of the future, also happens to be on Amazon and is one of the most popular hard sci-fi series in recent memory. In a similar way, aStarfieldadaptation that fills out more of the solid world-building and touches on items from the game that are ripe for mining material, like the formation of Constellation orThe Colony War, would be a great way to present and expand on its setting and story.
Alternatively, if not an episodic format, then perhaps a feature-length film that covers some of the major ground and fleshes out more of theevents ofStarfieldmight also be a worthwhile hypothetical endeavor and could resonate with audiences. Either way, there is a lot of potential in such a project that could be the catalyst to bringingStarfieldinto a stable orbit for the future of the IP.
