Highlights

  • Starfield's official mod storefront launched on June 9.
  • Some fans are already pushing back against the platform, labeling its prices as "excessive."
  • A number of players have also criticized the store's use of virtual currency, as well as Bethesda's ostensible decision to prioritize paid mods over the Shattered Space expansion that many fans have already purchased as part of the game's $100 edition.

A vocal segment of the Starfield fandom is unhappy with the game's Creation Club, having said as much following the platform's debut. The ongoing criticism is largely centered on the pricing of the newly introduced Starfield mods, though some players have also shared other grievances.

Now called Creations, the latest version of the Creation Club launched as part of a surprise Starfield update on June 9. Its release marks Bethesda's third attempt to systemically monetize community-made mods. The developer previously implemented the Creation Club into The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and Fallout 4, both of which received it in 2017.

A screenshot from the teaser trailer for Starfield: Shattered Space.
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Starfield Fans Denounce 'Excessive' Pricing of Paid Mods

And while the Starfield version of the storefront is not even 24 hours old yet, the platform is already receiving some pushback from the player base. E.g., there is currently no shortage of social media reactions denouncing the storefront's prices, which a number of fans have labeled as "excessive." The newly introduced Tracker's Alliance quest called "The Vulture" attracted a lot of that ongoing barrage of criticism; "$7 is too much for a quest," says one widely shared Reddit post, concluding that even half that price would be a tough ask given how short the mission is.

Fans Criticize Attempt to Sell Chopped-Up Starfield Questlines Mission by Mission

Meanwhile, some other players have taken issue with the fact that Bethesda has seemingly prioritized putting out paid quests over the Shattered Space expansion that they already paid for as part of Starfield's $100 Digital Premium Edition. For clarity, while The Vulture is sold alongside community-made mods, this particular add-on was actually made by Bethesda itself. Whether the premium quest was actually developed by the same team in charge of Shattered Space, thus possibly slowing down the expansion's development, is currently unclear.

But charging $7 for such a brief quest "sets a dangerous precedent," argued Reddit user The_IrishTurtle in another popular post criticizing the platform, concluding that something like The Vulture should have been part of the game from the beginning. The fan also rhetorically wondered what's next for the space-faring RPG, and whether Bethesda will perhaps attempt to sell more chopped-up Starfield questlines mission by mission, like it seemingly plans to do with the Tracker's Alliance content.

The fundamental concept of the mod storefront has also incurred some criticism, largely due to the platform's use of virtual currency. E.g., even those willing to pay $7 for The Vulture first need to purchase $10 worth of in-game currency. Some Starfield players have labeled this "Bethesda bucks" system as predatory. The good news for those who share this sentiment is that the June 9 update was accompanied by the first public release of Creation Kit 2. With Starfield's official modding tools finally being out, it shouldn't be long before players have a wealth of free mods to download.