What's next for Xbox's Starfield? Bethesda's Todd Howard says it's not "Starfield 2.0," but more is "coming soon" — "We think you're gonna love this"

The Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda may be full steam ahead on The Elder Scrolls 6 right now, but that doesn't mean it's stopped working on its Xbox and PC space exploration RPG Starfield. In fact, the studio is gearing up to talk about its next big content update for the game soon, according to its game director Todd Howard.

Early last year, Bethesda teased big things for Starfield before going dark, with only a few more hints coming later in 2025. Then, amid reports of special preview event that showed attendees what's next for Starfield, rumors began to circulate that it would get something of a "Cyberpunk 2.0" moment in 2026, with some comparing it to the way the Phantom Liberty DLC massively overhauled Cyberpunk 2077.

Now, speaking with Kinda Funny Games in a new interview, Howard has revealed that more news about what Bethesda has in store for Starfield fans is "coming soon" — and that it's not "Starfield 2.0" in terms of overall scope.

"I can tell everybody we're gonna be talking about it really soon. We're moving into a phase where we're ready to talk about Starfield, and really show that in the right way, and what's coming to the game. We've been doing a lot of work that we like a lot," he said. "It is not 'Starfield 2.0' — you know, I've seen some of that ... for expectation setting, I think it's the kind of thing where if you love Starfield, we think you're gonna love this. It's updates that change the game not in an isolated way, but sort of, you know, meta, using outer space and things in ways that we haven't."

"But look, if Starfield's something that didn't connect with you right away, or you bounced off it, or found it boring in places, I don't think this is gonna change that fundamentally, but if you're someone who loves Starfield ... we're really happy with it, we like it a lot," he continued.

When asked how close Bethesda is to unveiling what it's been working on, Howard confirmed that "It's soonish, it is soonish. I don't wanna spoil the day, but it's coming soon, yep."

The news that Starfield isn't getting a big game-wide revamp will certainly disappoint some. It definitely disappoints me; I very much did not like Starfield and how bland and empty it felt compared to Bethesda's other RPGs (thankfully, Howard said The Elder Scrolls 6 will be a "classic" Bethesda game).

If you enjoyed Starfield more than I did, though, it sounds like you'll enjoy what Bethesda is announcing soon, too. Whatever it is, Howard's comments reveal it's going to utilize outer space in some new ways.

As for what it is exactly, the most likely answer is Starfield's next DLC expansion, which has been confirmed to be in development. The first one, Shattered Space, was met with a pretty lukewarm reception, so hopefully the next one does more to impress and move the needle. I also expect that Bethesda will continue supporting Starfield with free updates.

As always, only time will tell — but Howard's comments suggest the wait won't be long at all. Perhaps we'll finally get to see what's next for Starfield in March, which is notably the same month Bethesda began to tease what's coming last year.

Note that in addition to being available for direct purchase on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (it's just $38.59 at Loaded thanks to a nice deal), Starfield is also accessible with an active Xbox Game Pass membership.

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Starfield (PC, Steam): was $69.99 now $38.59 at loaded.com

Starfield is the latest single player RPG from Bethesda Game Studios, and takes players to a far future in which humanity has colonized the stars. It's available to play through Xbox Game Pass, and there are noteworthy deals on copies of the game as well.

Xbox version: $47.01 at Amazon
Premium Edition: Xbox | PC

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What's your opinion of Starfield? How about Bethesda's other games, like The Elder Scrolls and Fallout? Would a new DLC expansion motivate you to come back to Starfield, or check it out if you haven't yet? Hit me with your take in the comments.

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