Summary
- Starfield's official modding tools may soon be entering beta.
- The Creation Kit 2 test could be limited to participants in Bethesda's Verified Creator Program for paid mods.
- Bethesda previously promised that Starfield's mod tools would launch sometime in 2024.
Some newly surfaced evidence suggests Starfield's Creation Kit 2 could be entering beta soon. But the upcoming test may only be reserved for Starfield modders participating in Bethesda's Verified Creator Program.
All of the developer's open-world RPGs since the early 2000s have eventually developed bustling modding communities. Starfield has been no exception to that trend, with just its Nexus Mods page featuring over 6,600 projects as of late February, some six months following the game's release. But its current selection of mods is primarily a testament to the modding community's perseverance, as Starfield still doesn't offer official modding support.
Starfield Releases Update 1.9.67
Bethesda releases Starfield update 1.9.67, introducing graphics improvements and stability fixes to the game, among other changes.
Starfield Mod Tools May Initially Be Reserved for Verified Creators
The release of the game's Creation Kit 2 may finally be drawing near, according to some recent developer activity pulled from the Starfield Steam repo. A February 22 update, first spotted by Reddit user TERAB1T, saw Bethesda add a new codebase branch called "ct_beta_verifiedcreator." The first part of the designation possibly stands for "creation" or "creator tools," while the subsequent keywords suggests that the beta branch will be reserved for those participating in Bethesda's Verified Creator Program meant to help modders make money.
The last time the studio created a new Starfield code depot with "beta" in its name was on November 6. Two days later, the Maryland-based developer released update 1.8.83 for Steam users on the beta channel. Although the name of the newly surfaced branch indicates that the studio may be prioritizing rolling out the game's official modding tools to its verified modders, that doesn't necessarily mean people interested in creating free mods will have to wait for much longer. Bethesda Executive Producer Todd Howard did promise that Starfield's mod tools would arrive in 2024, without making a distinction between supporting the Verified Creators Program and the wider community.
Starfield Mod Support Could Be Out by Spring 2024
Past Starfield patches have each spent around two weeks in beta before hitting the stable channel. But the game's Creation Kit 2 could ostensibly require more thorough testing due to the sheer volume of functionality that it's bound to introduce. Nevertheless, its full-fledged spring release seems to be on the cards, assuming testing starts soon. The newly leaked beta branch appears to have support for French, Spanish, German, and Japanese, in addition to English, according to data scrapped by SteamDB.
Official modding tools are expected to significantly streamline the process of modifying Starfield by providing enthusiasts with a robust development interface. Up until now, all publicly available mods for the game have been created using rudimentary methods like hex editors. The upcoming release of the Creation Kit 2 should be the first major step in Bethesda's efforts to fulfill its promise of Starfield becoming a "paradise" for modders.
Starfield
- Released
- September 6, 2023
WHERE TO PLAY
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom as you embark on an epic journey to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
The year is 2330. Humanity has ventured beyond our solar system, settling new planets, and living as a spacefaring people. From humble beginnings as a space miner, you will join Constellation – the last group of space explorers seeking rare artifacts throughout the galaxy – and navigate the vast expanse of the Settled Systems in Bethesda Game Studios’ biggest and most ambitious game.
- ESRB
- M For Mature 17+ Due To Blood, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs, Strong Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bethesda
- Publisher(s)
- Bethesda
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- How Long To Beat
- 20 Hours
- File Size Xbox Series
- 101 GB (September 2023)
- Metascore
- 86
