Why you should wait for reviews and then pre-order Starfield

Pre-ordering has become a real point of contention in the gaming world. Companies have begun offering small treats to players who are willing to invest their cash into an unreleased and often unreviewed game. This has led to a number of new pressures and problems within the industry. However, a lot of people will still happily buy a game before knowing the first thing about its success or playability. A number of times in the past, this has caused some serious disappointment. Now, with the latest submission from Bethesda on the horizon, this is why I think you should wait for reviews and then pre-order Starfield.

Take a look at Cyberpunk 2077

Need I say more? This was a monumental shift in pre-ordering as it hit an astounding 8 million pre-orders before its release. The resulting mess had CD Projekt Red refunding an estimated $51 million of game copies. The game was unfinished, nothing close to what was promised, and in a lot of cases, simply unplayable.

Image via CD PROJEKT RED

The Crunch

However, these problems may have been brought about, in part, due to the pre-ordering frenzy. With so many games pre-ordered and a destined release date, the pressure to have the game ready for the players becomes overwhelming. The backlash from delaying, yet again, is only accentuated by the amount of money riding on a release. If the game was not pre-ordered, they could simply apologize and keep working. However, with people’s money on the line, the promised completion date becomes much more real.

Pre-ordering Starfield only puts pressure on a studio to release on a set date. This shouldn’t be how production is done. A game should not be released until the developers are completely happy with their finished product. A pre-order pressure on a game to release means the developers will cut, rush, and half-job. Therefore their final product will suffer rather than having the time taken to ensure it is polished.

The pre-order value

Screenshot via Bethesda

For some, the value of a pre-order, such as the one with Starfield, is in the optional extras you also get. With the most basic pre-order of Starfield, you are given early access for five days and a few cosmetics thrown in. At the top level, you will also receive wearables, Steelbook cases, and many in-game items. It’s these promised goodies, often under limited availability, that act as the honey pot to draw people in.

I understand the value held in getting some really nice merch from a game you have faith in. However, this is simply another way to get people to put more money into a game that isn’t finished and frequently isn’t reviewed.

Starfield review embargos

The most predatory practice of gaming production companies is putting embargoes on reviews until minutes before the actual release. In the case of Starfield, the lifting of the embargo is August 31st at 9 AM PT. This is mere hours before the game’s early access release. If this isn’t a red flag, I don’t know what is. You have to wonder why a company as big and as proud as Bethesda has allowed almost no time at all between release and embargo. Surely, if they’re happy with the game they have made, they would proudly let reviewers play and praise them before their game. Only a company that knows they have produced something people are going to hate will keep the public in the dark until the last minute. There simply isn’t any other explanation. Pre-order at Starfield at your own peril.

Image via Bethesda

Pre-order support for a dev

Now, I understand that with smaller indie studios, pre-order is fantastic.  It’s a way to give a smaller and much more underfunded developer some extra cash to work with. This is what I think pre-ordering should be used for. If a small dev team needs a little extra push and finance to make a game you believe in better, then go for it. It is essentially a patron support system in play.

However, with Bethesda being worth an estimated $3 billion, they really don’t need your money at all. Keep it, and give it to a company that actually needs it, doesn’t release the same game seven times, and isn’t responsible for Fallout 76. If you can wait, maybe it is a good time to do so. You still have 8 hours to pre-order before release.