Poll: Are You Buying The 'Early Access Upgrade' For Starfield?

With the expansion included, probably. It isn't too much money and I'm looking forward to Starfield a lot. However, the 5 days early isn't what is selling it to me. I could easily wait 5 days.

Paying for early access bothers me. Bothers me even more with Game Pass. Such a huge emphasis on being able to play first party releases day one should come with the fee not pay even more to access a few days before. Sad road the market is going down.

I was all in just for the DLC - the 5 days early is just a bonus

Short answer: No.
Long answer: Nope.

I'm just buying it outright. I'd rather own it than lease it.

On the one hand, one of the reasons to have gamepass was that I didn't have to spend to play this new games (just the sub)

But on the other had the premium upgrade includes the expansion that'll no doubt be buying anyway.

I’m not buying it, I can wait 5 days. We don’t even know how good or how long the expansion is. Plus the base game is going to be huge as it is so I don’t see the need for any expansion so soon after release. Rather play the game for just £7 a month (get my GPU codes from CDKeys) than paying more just to play early or paying £70 to own it.

So play game pass games on Day 1 had sort of changed to Day 5 ? In a way... I understand the extra money is for some digital stuff, but, hmmm.
Not for me.
Joining game pass again after about 18 months, JUST to get this. If I can click the right option of course !

I think this paying for early access trend is something that needs to end. I definitely won't be paying for early access to anything.

I'm always surprised how people are looking for any excuse to spend money.
''But it includes Expansion"! Yeah, but how do you know you are gonna like the game? Or how do you know that it's gonna be in a good/playable state? Just be cautious guys.

@Kaloudz it's ridiculous isn't it? Paying almost half the price of the full game for essentially, at the current moment, early access...

@Fanat1c you never really know that you will like a game (or anything for that matter) but you'll never know until you try.

For the glory of capitalism, I will be paying for the premium upgrade.

Is 5 days before release day day 1, or is day 1 the actual release day? Cause if almost all other modern games are anything to go by, it’ll need a day 1 patch for definite. If your paying for the expansion that makes sense, but buying games day 1 is such a risk these days anyway, so I certainly won’t be paying extra to get early access when I will have access to it via Gamepass.

I really hope most people don't pay for the early access to dissuade it as a practice. After pioneering paid for online I really hope that paid for early access isn't something that catches on across the industry. I know that MS aren't the only ones that have done it but it always feels like once of the platform holders jumps on a trend it seems to gain a lot more traction. I also realise that there are other things on offer in the premium pass but the early access is definitely the main carrot on the stick.

Hell no. Super happy to play Day 5. That's good enough for me.

I don't get fomo so it's odd to me to play extra to play something a few days earlier. If you are into that go for it. Ill likely play it months after as Q4 is always crazy with work and my gaming time will shrink.

#neverpreorder

The poll premise is wrong if it includes and expansion. It's not just for early access.

@Lightning720
Sure, I'm optimistic that I'm gonna like Starfield. However, that's not enough to pre order an expansion or pay for early access. And sadly as poll shows most people think differently and it encourages companies to do stuff like that.

@Fanat1c you might not like the practice. Clearly other people do. If no one bought it, businesses wouldn't do it.

@Kaloudz that’s interesting - I was kind of joking, but it’s been a while since I bought an Xbox or ps game anywhere near close to launch, but there’s pretty much always been a patch very shortly after launch for the ones I have bought. It’s one of the main reasons I wait around 6 months and only buy games for half price these days! That way, I get a game in good condition for a cheaper price. And Gamepass keeps me busy anyway!

No I think that early access is a scam. Gamepass is not actually getting this game day 1, the people who pay extra are getting it day 1.

I will play it thru gamepass on what Xbox falsely claims is day 1 and then buy it physical way down the road when it's like $20 or less.

@Kaloudz yeah that’s fair enough - it’s easier to wait for some games than others! I’m on series s and find a lot of games definitely do well with a few patches on that console. Ubisoft are one of the companies that optimise brilliantly on series s in my opinion, though.

I'm buying the full thing and going all in at the £100 it costs, i ain't GP this one i'm buying it.

@ThatMusicFan exactly. If you don't want it early and don't want the DLC, don't pay. It really is that simple. Game pass and everyone else will still get it the same day that they would have if this premium edition didn't exist.

I'll wait for its gamepass release if it was 60 fps i would of definitely forked out for this but I don't know If can play it at 30 fps I'll have see when its released?

I went out on a limb, splurged and bought the constellation edition, despite subbing to Game Pass. That's a first for me but, I really want that watch! 🤣

guessing the £££ will be pittance to the people making money streaming content, and lots will have a large enough following to pay for itself several times over

I can easily wait 5 days to play

Game Pass subscribers have enough in their backlog to wait a few more days.

I ordered the upgrade. Not for those 5 days but for the steelbook so it has a physical place in my collection.

Only if I was in the industry. So, no.

I will probably buy the expansion in a future sale or as part of a Super Duper Ultra Max edition further down the line. Not in any rush to pay £6 a day to play a game early with DLC teased for the future.

I'll just play it a week late. I'm looking forward to it, but not in a ZOMG GOTTA HAVE IT DAY ONE sorta way.

@BowsersBuddy having worked in development before albeit briefly like @Kaloudz alluded to, day one patches are often developed a few weeks before release sometimes after a game "goes gold" but are not deployed until the day of release hence the day one term.

@Kaloudz totally! I mean I'm not criticising Others who can afford or want to do it but I just can't justify that cost myself. That's a decent steak where I'm at. 😂

@Jaxx420 I do understand that, as I said, I was kind of joking about “day 1”. But the fact remains that many, many games get patches very shortly after release, which I why I tend to wait before downloading from Gamepass or purchasing.

Nope. Easy pass for me. I make very good money, but I am also very smart with my money and make it go as far as I possibly can. I have no problem waiting for the official launch date.

I've got it not just for the 5 days but for the expansion that comes with it ( shattered space story ) when it's released ,you just know it being that price now that the dlc will b round about that anyway , ps also approx £11 in Egypt

@BowsersBuddy agree it happens more often than not these days. Most of the time it is the problem issue of publishers rushing a game out before release, sadly.

Sometimes it is a dev genuinely investing time after disks are being produced to further refining and testing. But in the minority unfortunately.

Obvious answer. Depends on finances. Also does anyone know what happens if you buy the upgrade but then after Starfield release you cancel GP sub? Surely you must keep access to the full game otherwise it's paying for a dead DLC.

@Jaxx420 as a kid, back on ps one and proper to the internet,I remember some games used to release basically unfinished and the publishers would get hammered in the reviews for not giving developers enough time, and forcing them to release games that were pretty broken. Back then, obviously there was no way of patching them.

Have things only really changed in the sense that now at least a game can be sorted in the months after release? It certainly seems that way. I always used to read reviews before buying, whereas nowadays I tend to check peoples opinions after the first few patches.

@BowsersBuddy There is certainly more ability now to fix things post release. Driveclub and Cyberpunk 2077 are good examples where that has been successful.

Publishers did get hammered for that in the old days but development tools themselves back then were not what they were now. Releasing games unfinished early to make money is a far more common and worse trend now than it was back then.

@jedinite yeh thats how it works if u cancel GP you lose access to the game unless you have purchased it , if it was the other way everyone would just buy the dlc to games instead of the actual games

I wouldn’t buy it if it was just early access but I will be wanting the expansion so am thinking about it.

And BTW, there’s a lot of this going on in the industry outside of Bethesda / GamePass. Look at EA, for example, they do it with deluxe editions for almost every game. So it’s not just some sort of GamePass grift.

@PizzaTime109 That's no more likely to happen than The Last of Us going to Xbox, I imagine. Bethesda is a first-party Microsoft studio.

I'm not even playing it at launch, so I'm good.

@PizzaTime109 good. Because Sony was negotiating to pay for exclusivity for Starfield, just like they did with Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo.

Thank you, Phil Spencer, for taking Starfield away from Playstation. Not for one year, for good. I had enough of Sony moneyhatting games like Street Fighter 5, Final Fantasy 7, FFXVI...

I hope all Activision Blizzard games Xbox is not contractually mandated to port to Playstation are taken away next.

I bought it but mostly for the expansion. And since I paid for it with rewards points it was basically free.

@Ralizah I disagree. While not likely, Starfield on PS5 is more likely than that. Reasoning being that Microsoft's treatment of Bethesda has been a big factor in there being so much resistance to the Activision acquisition. If Microsoft are so desperate to own Activision, under certain circumstances they may cave in and put Bethesda games on other consoles to push the Activision acquisition through.

It all comes down to how much power the CMA wields (there's reports saying they managed to delay the acquisition past the deadline so that's something).

@jedinite You keep the DLC and everything that comes with that but not the game after you unsub, otherwise everyone would sub for a month, buy the expansion for half the price of the game, and cancel and expect to keep the game. No way would that work.

If not for the expansions and stuff i probably wouldn't but with that ill be jumping in!

Can't wait!

@Kezelpaso, I don't suppose you know whether I will get the early access having bought the Constellation Collector's Edition. Obviously it is a physical copy, but is there a way to still get the early access? Do you think they will send it out early? Thanks...

@Solidchief but will you miss not getting the DLC at a discounted price? No one mentioned the discount!

@PizzaTime109 you know what? My account name really does sounds like I'm a Trump supporter! MAGA Bro 😂

That was never my intention, I'm not even American! I'm a leftist, for crying out loud! Magabro is a pun with my first name in my native language, which is not English.

But anyway, being a Trump supporter has nothing to do with that matter.

My point is that Sony takes games away from Xbox all the time. Street Fighter V was not a timed exclusive. SF6 is already out, but Xbox never got SFV. Same for Final Fantasy 7.

But when it's Xbox that takes games away from Playstation, then Microsoft is an evil corporation that's ruining games... oh, please!

@Enigk discounted DLC in the future - so already on sale….

Must be crazy to pay to play 5 days early

@BRT15 no need to go into your “steak” money … use your rewards
Already saving my points for the second DLC!

@Grumblevolcano The CMA's concerns are primarily related to Cloud gaming, right? It's not even a deal related to the same company, and Starfield will be integral to driving the Xbox brand for years. There's no reason to think Bethesda games will enter into the negotiations.

Microsoft hasn't really yanked existing live service-y type games off Playstation, but they did cancel development for Playstation versions of everything they could. Regardless of Uncle Phil's good guy, 'play where you want' talk, they clearly understand and value console exclusivity.

I won't be getting early access, no. My kid starts Uni Sept 1 and I gotta drive them across the UK, so wouldn't be worth it.
I would get it if I wasn't tho. Don't believe in paying for early access - but it's STARFIELD. 🤷‍♂️

I'm more likely to buy the Premium Edition/upgrade in a sale at some point in the future than buy it before I know I'll want to spend enough time in the game to warrant it.

I'm also not that bothered about a few days 'earlier' access to a game 'officially' releasing soon after on Game Pass because I'd never spend $/£70 on ANY game - not whilst 'great' games are on Sale and/or in my backlog to finish until 'great' games end up on Sale in the future...

@RazputinAquato Microsoft have also paid to keep games off other platforms. They are all at it in one way or another.

This whole acquisition has just brought Sonys antics out into the open a little more is all.

Offtopic: well, thanks to that Pizza Pony guy, I changed my username. From Magabro to RazputinAquato. Hopefully no one will mistake me for a Trump supporter again 😃

@Jaxx420 you are right. Microsoft payed for timed exclusivity of Rise of the Tomb Raider back in 2014. And you know what happened next? It attracted so much negativity, so much bashing from the media, that it never did it again. Not with AAA games, anyway, both platforms frequently have some sort of timed exclusivity with indie games.

But since 2014, how many 3rd party exclusives have Sony moneyhatted? And have you seen any reaction from the games media against that? It seems like it is completely okay for Sony to take games away from Xbox, but it's an awful crime when it's the other way around.

If Xbox had not buyed Bethesda, Starfield would be a Playstation exclusive now. The only way to be safe against Sony using its market position to take games away from you is outright buying publishers.

I pre ordered the upgrade as soon as it showed up on the store. With my Microsoft rewards it only cost me $20, heck of a deal for early access and the first expansion. The cosmetics i probably won't actually use but the expansion alone for $20 sounds like a steal based on Bethesda's previous DLC's.

@Moonglow It's a negotiation phase now of which it'll go through if both parties come to an agreement. We don't know what concessions Microsoft will need to make in order for the CMA to accept. And if they don't come to an agreement then Microsoft's CAT appeal goes ahead in October.

Meanwhile Microsoft and Activision making an extension to satisfy the CMA may set off more FTC resistance given Microsoft and Activision will have lied under oath to the judge. What comes of it, who knows.

Using my MS Reward points to get the premium upgrades for Starfield and Forza. Love MS Rewards!!

Yes. I bought the premium add-on for console Game Pass and the Steam Premium edition. I didn't buy the upgrade for the 5 days so much. More accurately, the 5 days was a sweetener.

I usually buy the premium edition of the big Xbox games (Forza, Gears, Halo). I know I am going to play day one and that I would eventually buy the DLC. That's why I go ahead and pre-order. There are other perks along with the DLC. 5-days advanced access is a relatively practical one.

I bought the c edition. Cant wait!!!

it looks a little bland to me. not keen on this type of sci-fi

Would like to buy a starfield console bundle

I purchased the PC Constellation edition, but I don’t expect it to arrive in time, to be honest.

Even if it arrived in time I am not sure I’ll have the time to play it, not even actually on day one.

£30 to play 5 days early haha... no guarantee I will even play day 1

with starfield at 30 fps on xbox, im not giving them extra money.

People voting "it's stupid to pay for early access" aren't necessarily wrong but they're also not thinking about what the Premium Edition comes with. I preordered it not for the early access but because it has the first story DLC, in game items, the soundtrack, and the digital artbook.

DLC never gets added to Game Pass titles (see: Forza Horizon 4, 5; The Outer Worlds, et cetera) so that'll be an individual purchase anyway. The DLC itself is probably going to be around $25-$30 when it releases. Add in the normal cost of soundtracks and art books and you've already gotten your $31.49 out of it.

Early access is just A perk, not THE reason to buy it.

@StylesT except that isn't all the £30 gets you, which is why the poll is written is a rubbish way which people are going to interpret in different ways.

@Fiendish-Beaver To my understanding you will get it early! The Game UK website actually lists the Constellation Edition as a 1st September release, so, you should expect it then with the early access included!

I'm not liking this 'get games day 1' but being offered them day 5 or what not. Does that mean the PS+ subscription is all day 1 games, but pay to get it a year early? Technically feels like there's no difference?
So no - I won't be paying a subscription of £150 a year with only really Starfield as the big game I'm looking forward to, only to pay £30 to play it. All sounds a bit crazy to me!

@Kaloudz 😂😂

I am cause I just love RPGs but you know you're getting old when such a large game and learning all these systems daunt you. Not sure if I'll have the time to stick with the game to the end tbh.

I don't care about early access and also season pass (it is very rare that I find the content worth the asking price). I will play day one on GP and if I love the game I will end up buying the physical copy when cheap

Ideal, @Kezelpaso. That is where I got mine, so hopefully I do get it early. It's not uncommon to miss out on early access when you buy physically, which is very frustrating. Really appreciate your response though...

I will be getting it for the dlc expansion and the early access. I have learnt time is precious and we aren't promised tomorrow. I never wait too long for something I really want to try. I can replace money buy I cannot replace time.

@AlwaysPlaying I wanna try the game first and see if I like it, then I'll get the DLC.

@Grumblevolcano "...given Microsoft and Activision will have lied under oath to the judge."

No, the FTC PI case resulted in their favor, and the CMA immediately came back to the negotiating table. Those two events drastically changed the scenario. A deal was able to be struck to extend the deadline and avoid $3 billion penalty and possible dissolution of the deal.

MS/ABK are not closing over the CMA to maintain amicable relations with the foreign regulatory authorities.

No, I'll be waiting to see if it's worth buying after the reviews and testing for my self on Game Pass before my subscription lapses.

@Kaloudz It's not exactly MMO style with server and world firsts. One of my biggest disappointment of Bethesda games is how they lack a connected experience to other player. For me it being a single player game there's little incentive to have to have the game on day 1.

@Kaloudz As a fellow Ubisoft fan (who recently went to Montreal and took himself a photo in front of the Ubisoft Montreal Studios as any good fanboy would do ), I agree: their games are highly polished (except some minor bugs or glitches here and there).

And, even if this year has been relatively quiet, the future looks bright, with the Star Wars, Avatar, AC and Prince of Persia games! My hype is on!

@Kaloudz SP is a gift and a curse. I always thought it would be cool like in an MMO to visit a friend's house to see how they placed things around to decorate. I've never understood the purpose of decorating a dwelling if nobody else could see it. I'm not sure how this would work in a SP game but it leaves me uninspired to bother with decorating. I haven't played ESO or Fallout 76 and I don't know if these are features in those games. With Starfield it seems like a missed opportunity with all the customization of ships and outposts.

I think its a bit poor to do this for the big first parties a lot of us are waiting for. Symantics aside, when I play this 'day 1 on game pass', I wont feel like im playing it on day 1 at all, there will be 5 days worth of posts, articles and youtube videos about peoples Starfield experiences that will be impossible not to notice.

I called it out for Forza 5 as well, it devalues the gamepass promise in my eyes, when such a significant number of players will be playing before me. It makes us 'second class' in many ways. I wont let it spoil what Im hoping will be a great experience though!

I wasn't even hyped for this game, but that last preview looked awesome, so I did buy the premium add-on (EDIT: reason was the OST not the 5 days early access tbh) with Reward points (same for FM8). They used almost a year to polish this game so I expect great things of Starfield.

Yeah it was an instant purchase for me. No brainer. I can't wait for starfield. I've been playing elite dangerous on my Sirius x just to have some kind of spaceship open world games. I own no man sky but I don't know I can't enjoy the same. It's a good game but not having any missions. It's kind of disappointing and the kind of makes it boring cuz there's no real guideline. Sure, it gives you like basic missions like you know the story to follow this and that but at least in the late dangerous you go into a station and you can collect a bunch of missions. Go kill pirates or this or that and then use that money to upgrade your weapons and ships. I wish no man's guy had that

Wow, paying extra to be what is essentially a beta tester, what a privilege

I was adamant I wasn't going to.... Which means I probably will. Just for the expansion and the 5 days thing? Maybe, as there will be spoilers everywhere

I am going to get it