Starfield hits 17 million players, Starborn DLC confirmed for 2027

Todd Howard broke his silence on Starfield's future today, posting a direct message to fans confirming the game is not being shelved. With over 17 million players and nearly a billion hours logged, Bethesda says Starfield remains an important part of our future and is heading into Year 3 with new content on the way.

Howard confirmed that new Starborn content is coming in 2027, though he stopped short of calling it a full expansion. Alongside that, Bethesda is promising new stories, targeted gameplay improvements, and additional updates. The studio also noted that more than 40% of players already use Creations to mod and customize the game, and Bethesda says it will keep investing in that side of things. For context, Starfield has had a rough road since its September 2023 launch — the Shattered Space expansion landed in 2024, the Free Lanes update and Terran Armada story expansion arrived in April 2026, and a PS5 version launched earlier this year, though analysts say it sold poorly on Sony's platform.

Howard's message came on a difficult day for Bethesda. Xbox announced layoffs of 1,600 staff, with another 1,600 cuts planned over the current financial year — and BGS was among the studios affected. Bethesda boss Jill Braff told staff the company is shifting away from a model built around what each independent studio does next, toward one focused on its strongest franchises. That framing had fans worried when Starfield wasn't mentioned in Bethesda's initial priority list. The studio's plate is genuinely full: The Elder Scrolls 6 is the current main focus, Fallout 5 just entered pre-production, and remasters of Fallout 3 and New Vegas are also in the works. A Starfield sequel from BGS itself looks essentially impossible in any near-term window.

The hardcore Starfield community is cautiously relieved — the Starborn DLC tease is something, even if it's vague. Whether 2027 content means a proper expansion or something smaller remains to be seen, and fans will be watching closely for any further details.