Starfield’s economy is being destroyed by sandwiches
Bethesda's Starfield might be pitched as the upper crust of new-gen gaming, but according to some, its delicate ecosystem could be destroyed by an unlikely enemy from within. It isn't only the gluten intolerant who aren't a fan of sandwiches...Starfield should also be afraid.
While the developer is known for the likes of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, Starfield promises to be far more than just Skyrim in space. All the usual mechanics are here, and while there's sure to be a stocked kitchen of delicious foods to devour, we hope you've taken out a mortgage if you think you'll be able to afford sandwiches.
Starfield sandwiches will bankrupt you
Click to enlargeOver on PCGamesN, there are concerns that sandwiches could bankrupt the Starfield economy. Will Nelson has crunched the numbers, realising that a simple Patty Melt costs 295 credits. The OP looks back through footage of the Starfield direct, learning some shocking statistics when it comes to sandwich pricing.
Starfield spaceships cost anywhere between 159,450 credits to 656,300, which works out at 540 to 2,224 Patty Melts. Assuming one Patty Melt might cost $10 in real-world money, it technically means you could be walking away with a spaceship for as little as $5,400. We're not exactly NASA, but that sounds wildly cheap.
At the other end of the spectrum, the highest end means you could blast off in the Ferarri of the spaceship world for $22,240. That doesn't sound plausible, and more likely, your sandwiches cost a small fortune. Even if you were charging $100 for a Patty Melt, the highest-spec spaceship would only be $222,4000.
A 2019 article from CNN claims that a single rocket could cost up to $1.6 billion to launch. Going with the far end of the Starfield metrics, that means you'd be charging $719,424 for a singular Patty Melt - and that's in today's money. This is hardly the Happy Meal we were hoping for.
Starfield players are obsessed with sandwiches
This isn't the first time Starfield sandwiches have grabbed our attention, and you might remember the legend of the sandwich bandit. Bethesda will let you play Starfield however you want, meaning you can play it as a nefarious sandwich thief.
Back then, one dev from the Bethesda team snuck aboard a spaceship, stole all the sandwiches, and left. To be honest, with that sandwich market, we're not surprised. Having a cargo hold specifically for sandwiches might seem a little out there, but if you only need 540 to buy a spaceship, hoard while you can.
It remains to be seen whether we'll be paying through the roof when the Sub of the Day arrives in Starfield, but as the game nears its September release date, who would've thought the hottest topic of conversation would be meat and cheese between two slices of generic bread? Well played, Todd Howard, well played.