Todd Howard Comments on Starfield Paid Mods Controversy

a man is standing in front of a picture of an astronaut .
Credit: Bethesda

a man is standing in front of a picture of an astronaut .
Credit: Bethesda

Starfield’s latest Creations update was plagued by criticisms during its initial release, mainly because some mods are free and some are paid, like the controversial Tracker’s Alliance: The Vulture quest.

In an exclusive interview with MrMattyPlays, Bethesda Games Studios’ Todd Howard clarified this and shared what the studio thought about Creations and paid mods.

a screenshot of the creations page for tgs luxury homes volume 1 .
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Credit: Bethesda

Starfield’s Creations Club offers a multitude of mods ranging from improvements and customizations to added content, such as new quests and new mechanics.

The Tracker’s Alliance: The Vulture quest is a paid mod tied to a free mod included with the recent update. While fans are ecstatic about the Creations Club becoming accessible to all Xbox players, many players feel uneasy about BGS’s direction for the paid mods. Some expressed their worry about quests becoming paid and broken into segments and were uncertain if this would be the norm.

Related: Fallout 76 Will Reward Players With Outposts Similar to Houses in Skyrim

Todd Howard mentioned in the interview that the studio is aware of the community’s feedback and shared his thoughts about paid mods and the system behind it. “First of all, I say that stuff gets priced based on things that we've done before both in Creations Club and then Fallout 76, and we're always trying to be kind of looking at what else is out there, [and] make sure we're giving value to everybody, and adjust on where we're not.”

The Trackers Alliance was an attempt at something we did in Creation Club: We'd say, ‘Hey, you get this special outfit, and you get the special weapon. ' We kind of wanted to put them together and then thought, ‘Let's go the extra mile and wrap those around a quest,’ Todd shared.

He also said that the studio did not want it to be perceived as chopped and offered as paid sections. The studio will also look at the current pricing and how it will deliver future content similar to The Vulture.

Todd also referred to the modders creating the content, saying “A lot of them have gone from hobbyists to professionals, and it's part of our job to make sure they can do that and that they do get paid and they see the monetary rewards from if they make awesome content.”

Mods are being added daily to Starfield’s Creations Club, and with support from Bethesda, players and modders can expect to have better Creations content and monetization options.

Starfield’s Creations is available to all PC and Xbox users. For beginner Xbox users, feel free to check out our guide on modding Starfield on Xbox and stay updated about the latest news and announcements here at Starfield Portal.

READ MORE: The Xbox Beginner’s Guide to Starfield Creations Club


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