10 Bucks For A Quest? Starfield's Latest Monetisation Faces Backlash

Players question the value of paying extra for in-game content.

Starfield Grendel
Bethesda wants to know how far they can go, and what the playerbase is willing to accept... | © Bethesda

Starfield's latest update has brought us the Trackers Alliance, but it's not all smooth sailing. Some gamers are pretty fired up over how Bethesda is selling parts of this new content. Here's the lowdown on what's got the community buzzing.

Paying For Quests Rejected By Community

Bethesda has introduced the Trackers Alliance, where players can join as bounty hunters and explore new missions. Sounds cool, right? Well, here's the catch: while some basic hunting missions are free, the juicier, story-driven quests come with a price tag—each! This has left a sour taste in many players' mouths, sparking a lively debate on whether this kind of pricing is fair.

Think about your favorite games and their complete quests and storylines, all included in the one price you paid at the start. Now, imagine if you had to shell out extra cash for every single one of those main quests. That's the comparison some players are making with Skyrim’s famous guilds like the Dark Brotherhood. If each of their missions had a price, gaming would quickly get expensive, right?

The worry among gamers goes beyond just the Trackers Alliance. What if this becomes the norm? Today it's a few dollars for a mission; tomorrow, could we be paying extra for every cool weapon or spaceship we want? That’s the fear—that this piecemeal approach could lead to a future where games are chopped up and sold bit by bit, rather than as whole adventures.

Trackers Alliance sets a dangerous precedent. by u/The_IrishTurtle in Starfield

The message from the community is pretty clear: they'd rather see a single, one-time fee for DLC that includes all the related content, not a pay-as-you-go model. It keeps things simple and feels fairer to the players who’ve already forked out cash to buy the game.

As this debate heats up, Bethesda's next moves will be under scrutiny. Will they stick to their guns, or could fan feedback lead to a change in strategy? Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure—the community is watching, and they've got plenty to say about these kinds of practices...

Ali Kanaan

As a political science student, Ali has always liked historical games like Assassin's Creed and strategy games like EU4....