Bethesda Teases Starfield 2027 DLC as Ex-Developer Blasts 1,000-Planet Design
Updated
Updated · IGN · Aug 10
Bethesda Teases Starfield 2027 DLC as Ex-Developer Blasts 1,000-Planet Design
2 articles · Updated · IGN · Aug 10
Summary
2027 Starborn DLC is now Bethesda’s next major Starfield beat, with the studio saying the game remains “an important part of our future” as it enters Year 3.
17 million players and nearly 1 billion hours give Bethesda a case to keep investing, even after the 2023 release and later updates failed to fully reverse mixed fan sentiment.
Nate Purkeypile, a former Starfield lead lighting artist who left in 2021, said he warned internally that building 1,000 planets would force repeated locations and weaken the handcrafted exploration that defined Skyrim and Fallout.
120 systems in the shipped game had already drawn similar internal skepticism: former designer Bruce Nesmith said in 2023 he had proposed roughly two dozen systems instead.
Xbox layoffs still hang over the backdrop—about 1,600 gaming jobs were cut and another 1,600 are due this financial year—though Bethesda says The Elder Scrolls 6 remains unaffected.