Long gone are the days of getting the latest gaming magazine with a demo disc attached. That disc would usually have all the biggest upcoming releases on it, with demos for us, the players, to try and gauge exactly what we wanted to spend our hard-earned money on.
These days, marketing for video games is very, very different. Demo discs are gone, replaced with expensive showcases, multiple trailers and huge marketing budgets. However, in recent times, some developers have turned to the classic ways to try and drum up increased interest in their game. Starfield may not need increased interest, with it being one of the most popular games of the year, but it would benefit from a demo.
Related: Starfield NDA’s Indicate Bethesda Creative Director, Todd Howard, Is The Only Speaking Authority
A Starfield Demo is Unlikely, but not Impossible
It’s no secret that the pedigree of Bethesda’s releases have been hampered in recent years. What was once a guaranteed AAA amazing release has now been spoiled by the likes of Redfall Fallout 76 and more. With the highly publicized failure of Redfall, as well as a spate of broken releases from other developers, public trust in Bethesda is the lowest it may have ever been. Goodwill from gamers is a premium that shouldn’t be abused, and Bethesda are dangerously low on it.
Now, Bethesda have never been a developer to release demos of their games, regardless of the size or shape of them, but Starfield is the perfect release to break that trend. Square Enix recently released Final Fantasy XVI, and right before the official launch, they released a demo that included the game’s prologue. Between increasing word-of-mouth, showing off the game in a way no showcase could, as well as essentially free marketing, the developer announced that the demo was a success, increasing pre-orders and proving that the old ways sometimes are the best.
A Starfield demo would go a long way to mitigate the worry of yet another broken release for fans, with many expecting countless bugs, dodgy gameplay and more to ruin their experience with what could be an incredibly innovative and forward-thinking title. A demo of Starfield is admittedly more work than that of Final Fantasy XVI, with the former being far more complicated, more gameplay mechanics, systems than that of the latter. What section of the game do they show? How much of it? There’s a lot to answer.
As it stands though, Bethesda have not made any announcements regarding a demo, either for or against one, so right now, it could still happen.
Starfield has every chance of being a huge hit, with some genuinely impressive ideas and promised mechanics. How many it actually fulfils is another matter though. From the Starfield Direct showing and the trailers released thus far, the game does look every bit of enticing and fun as we’ve been promised, but fans will not-so-fondly remember the same being said of No Man’s Sky and Cyberpunk 2077, amongst others.
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Since Bethesda’s last single-player release Fallout 4, back in 2014, games, specifically RPG’s have come a long way. Whether it’s the likes of Elden Ring, Red Dead Redemption II or the recently released Tears of the Kingdom, RPGs have never been more immersive or full of quality. None of those three games mentioned delivered a demo, but at the same time, their studios weren’t in such disrepute after a spate of poor releases. Nor did they carry the weight of being the reason consoles would be shifting off shelves, as Starfield currently is.
What do you think? Will we get a Starfield demo? Will you buy the game regardless? Let us know in the comments!
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