Starfield: Shattered Space Dev Responds to Review Criticisms

Starfield: Shattered Space Dev Responds to Review Criticisms

Key Takeaways

  • Starfield: Shattered Space‘s lead designer Emil Pagliarulo responds to negative feedback.
  • Pagliarulo says he’s “very proud” of Shattered Space and that Starfield fans who haven’t played yet are “missing out.”
  • Starfield’s first DLC currently has a “mostly negative” review rating on Steam with almost 2,500 user reviews.

As a long-time fan of Bethesda Games Studios and their masterful storytelling, I find myself both intrigued and slightly amused by Emil Pagliarulo’s response to the mixed reception of Starfield: Shattered Space. While it’s understandable that developers take pride in their work, it’s always a delight to see them remain optimistic and open to feedback, even when faced with criticism.


Emil Pagliarulo, a key designer and writer at Bethesda Games Studios, has provided an extensive explanation in response to the predominantly unfavorable feedback towards “Starfield: Shattered Space.” Debuting on Xbox Series X/S and PC on September 30, this initial “Starfield” downloadable content swiftly garnered a primarily negative rating on Steam. However, Pagliarulo expresses his great pride in “Shattered Space” and encourages all “Starfield” enthusiasts to experience the expansion.

Despite a significant number of enthusiasts appreciating the game “Starfield: Shattered Space“, the overall response, both from users and critics, has predominantly been negative thus far. The expansion pack offers players an exciting journey to a new, enigmatic planet, complete with exclusive weapons, spacesuits, and fresh equipment. However, at the moment of this article’s publication, the game’s inaugural DLC has garnered nearly 2,500 reviews on Steam, but only about 30% of them have been positive. It appears to be a similar story on Metacritic, with a user score of merely 5.5 out of 10.

In response to criticisms about the game Starfield: Shattered Space, Bethesda developer Emil Pagliarulo has spoken up, addressing a fan’s concerns in a detailed post. Following an interview shared on Twitter, one user voiced their disapproval in a series of ten tweets, labeling the interview as “tone deaf” and criticizing aspects such as the game’s poorly written quests, bugs, and absence of substantial content. The exchange was largely positive and devoid of the typical harsh comments often found on social media. Pagliarulo responded by acknowledging that although he may not fully agree with all of the user’s criticisms, he can understand and value their perspective.

Starfield Dev Responds to Negative Shattered Space Reviews

Following the user’s comment that Emil’s interview seemed like an unwarranted compliment due to the DLC receiving negative reviews, the developer responded by expressing his pride in representing the designers and studio because they truly deserved such recognition for their dedicated work on Shattered Space. He clarified that his enthusiasm about games often comes across in interviews, and he never intended to offend any disappointed fans with his positive comments about Shattered Space.

Afterward, Emil delved into discussing the quests in ‘Shattered Space’, highlighting that numerous new missions and levels were crafted by designers who have contributed to various Bethesda games and DLCs, including those from as far back as ‘The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind’. According to Pagliarulo, they are skilled at their jobs, and it clearly reflects in the game. He also mentioned that anyone who enjoys ‘Starfield’ but hasn’t tried ‘Shattered Space’ is missing out. For those who have played but still don’t appreciate the expansion, he expressed a sense of disappointment, but acknowledged that Bethesda has received positive feedback from many ‘Shattered Space’ enthusiasts.

Following the debut of Bethesda’s expansive space RPG, Starfield, multiple bug fixes and content updates have been rolled out, reflecting their attentiveness to fan input. Emil pointed out that this is all done with the aim of making these games for their audience. However, given Starfield’s vastness, Pagliarulo acknowledged that it requires time for the studio to incorporate player feedback, but they strive to work as quickly as possible. He concluded his detailed statement by emphasizing that there is no ego or arrogance in Bethesda’s games, just a tremendous amount of effort.

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2024-10-09 18:14