Todd Howard addresses Starfield’s Creations amid paid mod controversy

Following Starfield’s controversial Creations update, game director Todd Howard has responded to player concerns by promising changes but reaffirming that paid mods are here to stay.

Starfield has come under fire following the addition of Bethesda’s Creations in an update that launched following the Xbox Games Showcase on June 9.

Previously known as Creation Club, the system allows users to upload free mods or apply for the Bethesda Game Studios Verified Creator Program to receive royalties for paid mods.

On top of paid mods being a generally controversial topic, much of the specific criticism surrounds one of the Trackers Alliance quests that launched with the platform. While the first is free, the second quest costs 700 credits, which equates to around $7.

Todd Howard addressed the Creations controversy in an interview with YouTuber MrMattyPlays, explaining both Bethesda’s intentions and plans moving forward.

Discussion of the Creations controversy begins at 41:56

In regards to pricing, Howard explained, “that stuff gets priced based on things that we’ve done before both in Creation Club and then Fallout 76, and we’re always trying to be looking at what else is out there, really make sure we’re giving value to everybody and where we’re not, hey you know, we definitely will adjust.”

He called The Trackers Alliance “an attempt to something we did in Creation Club where we’d say, hey you get this special outfit and you get this special weapon, we wanted to put them together, and then thought, let’s go the extra mile and wrap those around a quest.”

Howard acknowledged the pricing misstep in light of player feedback, saying “And that’s not what we want at all in terms of, oh no, this looks like a faction that we’re chopping up and then selling for 700 credits at a time” and says Bethesda will take a look at how Creations mods are priced and broken up.

However, Todd Howard also clarified that the Creations platform isn’t going anywhere, despite the controversies surrounding its use in Starfield, Fallout 4, and Skyrim.

“Our view is, a lot of [Creation Kit modders] have gone from hobbyists to professionals. And it’s part of our job to make sure they can do that and they do get paid and they see the monetary rewards if they make awesome content,” he said.