The hype around the upcomingStarfieldis only growing as it draws closer to its September release date, and a community event like Diablo 4’s launch challenge could only add to the excitement. With the title being set to come out as a day-one title on the Xbox Game Pass service, its amount of players at launch is likely to be staggering, making this concept viable.
With such a big potential audience, it seems pertinent thatStarfieldshould include some lucrative rewards for its most dedicated and passionate early players. Much in the same wayDiablo 4recently showcased, there should be some serious real-world incentives for players attempting to achieveStarfield’s most challenging feats of exploration.
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How Diablo 4 Rewarded Dedicated Players
Diablo 4’s recent June release heralded in a new era for the longstanding franchise, much in the same wayStarfieldwill mark a new era for Bethesda when it launches. With the franchise’s community being desperate to explore the game, Blizzard Entertainment set a challenge to players who were aiming to rack up some serious achievements before anyone else. Namely, the first 1000 people whomanaged to reach level 100 with a Hardcore character inDiablo 4got their names immortalized on an eccentric trophy.
This was a great way to build upon the pre-existing hype of the release, giving the community a tangible challenge and reward forengaging in one ofDiablo 4’s most difficult experineces. The strategy proved to be a huge success for Blizzard, with thousands keeping a close eye on those who braved the challenge, creating an instant sense of community for the new release.
Although similar challenges have been set out by gaming companies in the past,Diablo 4is a clear indication that AAA titles should be implementing them more frequently going forward. WhileStarfielddoes not possess the same kind of Hardcore mode asDiablo 4, the level of exploration within the game could easily see a similar challenge be put forward by Bethesda.
The Challenges That Starfield Could Introduce
One of the biggest allures ofStarfieldleading up to its release is its scale, with a lot of marketing material for the title stressing this fact. For example, Bethesda is clearly proud in stating thatStarfieldwill boast over 1000 planetsthat players can explore, being located within 100 systems.
With many of these planets being procedurally generated,Starfieldis set to possess a huge level of replayabilityand unique gameplay, with its level of exploration fostering a huge amount of potential challenges. As the first new Bethesda IP in over 25 years, the early hype surroundingStarfieldis like to eclipse that ofDiablo 4’s, meaning the space for a similar challenge toDiablo’s Hardcore is more than present.
A good way forStarfieldto implement its own challenge would be to center it around exploration, more specifically its interplanetary travel. For example, Bethesda could reward the first handful of players to explore every single available planet inStarfield, creating a kind of mad space race for players to engage in. This would play perfectly intoStarfield’s themes of exploring the unknownand pioneering new frontiers, while offering a genuine challenge for dedicated players.
A challenge such as this would showcase to the wider community the full breadth ofStarfield’s content, and winners could have their own in-game planet named after them, or receive limited edition consoles or trophies in a similar way toDiablo 4’s Hardcore challenge rewards. It is clear that these kinds of challenges are well-received, andStarfieldhas the perfect amount of hype and content to produce its own.
Starfieldis poised to land on PC and Xbox Series X/S on Aug 03, 2025.
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