Starfield Shattered Space expansion looks drastically different than we expected

By Jesse Vitelli June 9, 2024 10:56AM

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Starfield’s upcoming expansion Shattered Space received a new trailer during the Xbox Game Showcase today. Showing off new areas with an art style that’s a drastic departure from the gray wasteland of empty rocks we’ve come to expect, Shattered Space will focus on the religious House Va’runn from the base game.

The trailer showcases many new areas, along with lightning storms, ghostly apparitions, and a significant chunk of new monster and alien designs. It’s a far cry from the stagnated art design of the original game and an indication that Shattered Space looks to right some of the wrongs of Starfield’s original launch.

The official description for Shattered Space reads as follows: “A mysterious power stirs in the city of Dazra on House Va’ruun’s hidden homeworld. Investigate a frightening cosmic threat, explore a new planet, and find unique weapons, spacesuits, and gear in this all-new adventure.”

On top of a look at the upcoming 2024 expansion, there’s also a slew of new content coming to the game tonight. This includes new bounties, locations, gear, and custom content through the Creations system that fans of Skyrim and Fallout 4 console players are used to. All of this content is coming for free to all players. There’s no current timeline for when exactly this new content will launch, but if you’ve been looking for another reason to hop back into Starfield, now’s the time.

Starfield’s Shattered Space expansion is coming out sometime in 2024 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The expansion is free for owners of the Deluxe Edition of the game.

Editors' Recommendations

Jesse is a freelance journalist who can often be found playing the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV. In his…

Gaming

Fear the Spotlight is a creepy (and surprising) start for Blumhouse Games

A woman hides from a spotlight-headed creature in Fear the Spotlight.

When I first heard that Blumhouse was going to start publishing video games, I had some very specific expectations in mind. The movie studio is behind some of this generation's most beloved horror films, so I expected it to go a cinematic route for its games. Perhaps we'd see an approach similar to Until Dawn, giving players an interactive slasher movie loaded with A-list actors. That's not the case.

As revealed at this week's Summer Game Fest stream, Blumhouse is instead focusing on small-scale indies, some of which feature a retro feel. Fear the Spotlight is one of the first games in that crop. It's a loving ode to video game horror, not movies. It's a retro throwback to 1990s classics like Resident Evil, complete with eerie exploration, puzzle-solving, and crunchy PS1-era visuals. That puts it more in line with smaller indie games like Crow Country than Blumhouse's cinematic heritage. Would that style really work for the new publisher? Based on a 30-minute demo I played at Summer Game Fest, the prognosis is great -- but you shouldn't judge Blumhouse Games by that just yet.
Returning to the Spotlight
While Fear the Spotlight might sound like a brand-new game, it actually isn't. Developer Cozy Game Pals originally launched the project last September, but took it off Steam one month later. A note to its community said it would be retooling the gameplay, offering more translations, and bringing it to console.

Gaming

4 new games just surprise released during a packed Wholesome Direct stream

Frogs sit in a refuge in Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge.

A Wholesome Direct stream took place today, showcasing over 70 upcoming cozy games. Four new games got a surprise launch as part of the show, with many more getting Steam demos today.

Wholesome Direct is n video game live broadcast that focuses on "cozy" games. That's a broad term that tends to include farming sims, puzzle games, and more. This summer's show was loaded with new game announcements and updates on previously revealed titles, like Dungeons of Hinterberg.

Gaming

I already love Volgarr the Viking 2 (even though I couldn’t beat its demo)

Key art for Volgarr the Viking 2.

I wasn't able to beat the difficult demo for Volgarr the Viking 2 at Guerilla Collective this year, and I appreciated Digital Eclipse's upcoming game all the more for that.

Playing demos for unreleased games at events like Summer Game Fest Play Days or Guerilla Collective can be stressful. That's because, I'm usually trying something that I've never played before in front of developers intimately familiar with the game. Typically, I like to beat the demos I play at these kinds of preview events, if possible. When I stepped up to play Volgarr the Viking 2 at Guerilla Collective's rooftop event in Los Angeles, I knew that wouldd be a tall task.