Highlights
- Bethesda's approach to Starfield shows that it has learned from past mistakes, particularly with Fallout 76's disastrous collector's edition.
- Fallout 76's collector's edition controversy over a misleading canvas bag and inadequate compensation caused a massive PR nightmare for Bethesda.
- Starfield's Constellation Edition, on the other hand, includes high-quality physical and digital goodies, such as a Chronomark smartwatch, showing that Bethesda has remedied its mistakes.
Bethesda has created some of the greatest RPGs of all time, but the developer is far from perfect. For a while in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Bethesda could seemingly do no wrong. The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind put Bethesda Game Studios on the map in 2002, and Oblivion cemented the developer as a true star of the industry. Fallout 3 proved that Bethesda was capable of making great games that weren't just fantasy-based, and Skyrim turned Bethesda into a world-renowned, household name. But Bethesda hasn't had the best luck in recent years, and the pressure is really on for Starfield.
Now just a few days out from launch, Starfield fever has reached an all-time high, and while that's unfortunately sparked some disappointingly redundant console war debates, it won't be too long before gamers can actually get their hands on the game and decide for themselves whether it lives up to expectations. And while those expectations are pretty lofty, a lot of Bethesda's approach to Starfield has been a welcome change for fans, and Starfield's Constellation Edition is the perfect example of Bethesda learning the right lessons from its past mistakes.
Bethesda Has Clearly Learned From Fallout 76's Disastrous Collector's Edition
Fallout 76 had a disastrous launch, and that's putting it mildly. While Fallout 76 had no shortage of criticisms and controversies before, during, and after its launch, one of its most infamous shortcomings revolved around its misleading collector's edition. Named the Power Armor Special Edition, this $250 version of Fallout 76 was set to come with a number of physical goodies. All the usual premium edition stuff was there, including a steelbook case and some digital in-game cosmetics, but Fallout 76's Power Armor Special Edition also came with a handful of wholly unique items.
A glow-in-the-dark map of the in-game world, some collectible figurines, and a full-size wearable Power Armor helmet were all present in Fallout 76's pricey collector's edition, but the issue didn't lie with those. It was Fallout 76's special edition canvas duffel bag that caused the real controversy, as when players received their expensive collector's editions, they noticed that the bag wasn't canvas at all, but nylon. Though Bethesda's website quickly changed the promotional description to say the bag was nylon, countless outlets and fans pointed out the blatant change, and Bethesda eventually yielded, saying that the change in material was due to an unavailability of resources.
But the controversy didn't end there. As compensation, Bethesda offered those who purchased the special edition 500 Atoms, Fallout 76's in-game currency. This was roughly equal to about $5 at the time and only served to show just how ludicrous Fallout 76's in-game shop was, with players not even being able to afford an in-game postman outfit that infamously came with a canvas bag. It also didn't help that fans found out that influencers were given canvas versions of the special edition bag. Though Bethesda would eventually send out canvas bags to those who were owed them, it was a massive PR nightmare at the time, and it's not one fans have forgotten about.
Thankfully, though, it seems as though Bethesda has learned its lesson. Starfield's Constellation Edition is finally making its way into consumer's hands, and by all accounts, it's a worthy collector's edition. While there are a ton of both physical and digital goodies in this edition, it's the Chronomark smartwatch and its accompanying Sci-Fi case that are the real scene-stealers. According to early reviews, Starfield's Constellation Edition gives fans everything they were expecting, and what's included is all of a suitably high quality. It seems as though Bethesda has learned from Fallout 76, and that'll probably be apparent in Starfield itself.
Starfield early access kicks off on September 1. The standard version launches on September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.