Why Shattered Space Doesn't Need to Be Starfield's 'Phantom Liberty'

Comeback kid stories in gaming may not be rare, but CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most memorable on record. The developer turned the fortunes of its horrid launch around with slightly incremental improvements and finally through an impressive expansion in Phantom Liberty last year. The surge in Cyberpunk 2077‘s player count in the aftermath of the DLC reaffirmed an unspoken belief in the industry — additional content, if done right, can completely revolutionize a game’s outlook. However, while Phantom Liberty‘s achievements are now viewed as the golden standard, not all DLCs need to live up to their savior billing. In Starfield‘s case, while Shattered Space should continue the base game’s good work, it’s one of those that doesn’t need the burden of Phantom Liberty-esque expectations.

There’s hardly a Bethesda game that doesn’t have some form of post-launch content, so the developer’s announcement of Starfield‘s DLC at Summer Game Fest 2024 surprised few. Shattered Space is primarily concerned with furthering the intergalactic tale that Starfield‘s base game began, as opposed to bug fixes. With that in mind, Shattered Space doesn’t necessarily have to break new ground and become Bethesda’s version of Phantom Liberty.

Phantom Liberty And Shattered Space Have Different Contexts Behind Their Release

One of the marked differences in expectations for Phantom Liberty and Shattered Space is the meta of the base game the expansions have to spruce up. While Starfield‘s launch wasn’t free of its fair share of performance issues and nagging bugs, Bethesda didn’t experience even a fraction of the heat CD Projekt Red came under for Cyberpunk 2077.

Such was the urgency of the latter’s situation that Sony pulled the game from its PlayStation Store and offered refunds on purchases, highlighting the extent of criticism
Cyberpunk 2077
faced.

Given the disastrous launch, everything was on the line for the developer, and the Phantom Liberty update needed to overhaul almost the entire base game. The process took nearly three years to complete, as Phantom Liberty revamped several core mechanics in addition to new content and playable areas. DLCs are traditionally viewed as extra material, but in Cyberpunk 2077‘s case, it became a redemption story and a second chance to deliver on its original vision.

Starfield’s Launch Reaction Gave Bethesda the Platform to Gradually Improve, Not Overhaul

Starfield, on the other hand, had a smooth ride compared to its CD Projekt Red counterpart. Granted, it had a lot of mixed reviews, although that was to be expected given the ambitious heights Bethesda was attempting to scale. While criticism surrounded its navigation mechanics, maps, and a perceived lack of content in several of its planets, minute details like Vasco the robot companion’s near-human interactions formed slivers of light amidst the clouds of annoyance that Bethesda could build upon.

As a result, Bethesda didn’t have to don a firefighter brigade approach to stop its prized ship from sinking the way CD Projekt Red was required to. Where Phantom Liberty was a herculean make-or-break effort, Starfield can afford to incrementally improve its experience with its DLCs — as the post-launch gimmick was initially intended. Even before Shattered Space‘s public announcement, updates had elevated the base game’s offerings considerably.

Bethesda’s Piecemeal Approach To Addressing Issues Eliminates the Need for a Phantom Liberty Encore

For example, one of the community’s early complaints about Starfield was the lack of a detailed map and the complexity of planet exploration. In response, Bethesda released an updated map with new features like 3D renders of interior spaces and markers for locations of interest like shops, giving players the option of fast traveling to them. This addition was a significant quality-of-life improvement over the uninformative swarm of blue dots that previously dominated the map.

Bethesda also introduced the REV-8, the first land vehicle in Starfield, which addressed the bulk of the planet exploration issues players encountered by traversing on foot. With the developer’s piecemeal approach to fixing Starfield‘s issues in full glare, there’s hardly any pressure on Shattered Space to perform in any capacity other than story-building. Instead, it can focus on enriching Starfield‘s lore as players make their way to Va’ruun’kai to uncover the mysteries of House Va’ruun.

Additionally, there are also hints of more Starfield DLCs planned in the future, so the weight of expectations for improvements should be distributed evenly, instead of resting squarely on Shattered Space’s shoulders, akin to Phantom Liberty.