Starfield Collector Editions: One Year Later

News

By RC Staff

22 September 2024

In case you forgot, it’s been just over one year since Starfield launched. Gamers had been waiting for Bethesda’s next title for years, but the end result was disappointing and frustrating to many. What had been one of the most anticipated games of the last decade quickly fell out of the conversation, and merchandise for the game fell in value. Starfield’s Collector’s Editions are hovering near their retail prices after one year, but that might change very soon.

Why are Collector's Editions important?

Before we talk specifically about Starfield’s, we need to bring up the whole concept of a collector’s edition. If you’re a reseller or gamer you’re already familiar the product. Publishers sell premium versions of a game with some physical goodies, maybe an artbook, and in limited batches.

Fans like it because it’s something tangible to represent their connection to the game, resellers love it because they’re limited and expensive, and publishers really, really love it because it’s free money.

And the last few years have seen a sudden explosion in prices for certain games’ collector’s editions. Reselling collector’s editions is nothing new, but the market has been so big lately that even mainstream journalists are reporting on an individual game’s eBay listings.

Of course we were there before them, covering smash hits like Baldur’s Gate 3 and Black Myth: Wukong as resellers first began grabbing them.

Anyways, the point is that collector’s editions have never been more lucrative. Many resellers have written them off after some bad luck, but the truth is that fans will pay a lot of money for the right game.

Starfield Constellation Editions

Just about this time last year, Bethesda launched Starfield. It was Bethesda’s first new IP in decades, and gamers were excited to dive into a world of unhindered creativity and freedom.

Instead they found a slow, mostly derivative sci-fi world that overdelivered in all the wrong ways. Also, some people were mad about pronouns.

Starfield’s Constellation Editions were available for preorder months ahead of the game’s release, and sold out pretty fast. The set included some cool goodies, with the Chronomark watch being the obvious standout and something Bethesda promoted heavily.

This collector’s edition cost $300. Also available at the same time were an extremely limited number of Starfield Explorer’s Bundles for $175, but most fans and resellers missed these.

By the time Starfield launched, both of these products began reselling. Constellation editions were usually going for about $400, but Explorer’s Bundles ended up above $1,000 at a time.

And then things slowed down, hard. Gamers’ sentiments shifted from “slow burn” to “just shitty”, and Starfield’s critical ratings have gradually slid towards mixed. Without hype and collectors fighting each other, resellers can’t make a profit on games like these.

Right now, the average eBay sale for Starfield Constellation Editions is about $200. Many of these are opened and used products, but even sealed copies don’t go for more than $250.

Starfield DLC Launch Nears

But just because the game is down doesn’t mean it’s out. After all, we’re living in an age of great video game comebacks. If CD Projekt and Hello Games could do it, why can’t Bethesda?

It’s not like they’ve stopped working. Since Starfield’s launch, Bethesda has pushed thirteen major updates. At first these were largely bugfixes, but recent patches have included new content and settings. Last month they added planetary vehicles, one of the game’s biggest requests.

And in one week, Starfield’s first expansion will release. Fans have been waiting for “Shattered Space” even prior to the game’s launch, and will finally have their chance to play.

Bethesda has been promoting the new expansion heavily on their social media, and just days remain to launch day. For the many players that put Starfield down after release, next week is Bethesda’s best opportunity to bring them back.

From what we know of the expansion, “Shattered Space” will take place entirely on a single planet. Starfield’s reliance on procedurally generated planets was heavily criticized after launch, so setting the DLC on one planet implies a focus on handcrafted content and intimate design.

Additionally, the DLC also revolves around the Va’ruun, Starfield’s most intriguing and least-explained faction. Many of Starfield’s players felt disappointed by the lack of exposition and concrete details about the Va’ruun, and will now their chance to learn more.

And all of this is on top of the fact that Starfield represents more than a decade of effort from some of the most talented people in the industry. While the game officially entered production after Fallout 4, Bethesda had been kicking around ideas for their space game since the 90s.

All of that to result in Starfield Constellation Editions selling for less than they did at retail. We’re not telling you to buy them now, and we’re not even recommending it. Still, if you happened to have one you never got around to selling, maybe hold onto it for another week. Games have recovered from worse situations than this, and Starfield has a lot going for it.

Anyways, subscribe to our newsletter if you want to learn more about reselling. We cover way more than video games; check out our articles on Trader Joe’s Mini Totes and Barbie Flip Phones to see all the stuff that resells.