I’m getting a chuckle from all these complaints about paid DLC on day one of a game release as well as other bile-packed grumblings from folks who don’t like the “deal” that’s been forced on gamers during this console cycle in regards to digital content. I’ve been saying for years that even though the concept of additional content for a console game is a fantastic idea, you can’t MAKE people buy that content if they don’t have access to a broadband connection and you refuse to get it to them ON a disc (even in a re-release down the road). Sure, the amount of gamers with high speed connections has increased greatly over the past decade, but not everyone is able to make the move thanks to numerous factors. Game companies have been rushing too fast into digital without making sure they’re taking as many of the less fortunate consumers along with them.
Even worse, day one DLC hits this crowd the hardest, as even if they wanted to PAY for it (which would be good for both the publisher and developer bottom lines), they’re needlessly shut out unless someone decides to put out a Game of the Year or other retail version (way after the game’s release window has shut) that allows access to all that content they’ve missed out on. As for the whys of day one DLC, some of you complainers aren’t paying much attention to industry news, so let me defend the practice a little bit before poking a few holes in the ego balloon I’ve blown up…
Read enough industry sites and it seems that whenever a new game ships out (and no matter how huge the sales are), dev teams that expanded during the development process will often be chopped down dramtically. Some large developers lay off excess employees due to “redundancies” (I like to call this process “Sorry, you can’t work on something that’s already completed”). I’d say that a big company like BioWare (the current fall guy for day one DLC fury) would like to keep as many people employed as possible while they’re working on a project and one way to do this is to have folks working on a constant supply of DLC. Granted, you could say that they shouldn’t announce any day one DLC for a new game that has a couple of premium-priced special editions where some who pay that extra money are expecting more game content than those who buy the standard edition.But hey, that’s the way the ball bounces these days…
On the other hand, at the end of the day, this is a purely business decision you’re not supposed to THINK about being a negative one at all. You’re just supposed to be SO excited about new content for any long-awaited game that your wallet automatically flies out of your pocket as soon as your eyeballs hit the text announcing it. End of story, everyone’s happy, show’s over – monkey’s dead, nothing to see here, move along, now. However, given the current and constant disparaging of the used market and a the forcing of all sorts of renamed DRM schemes onto consumers (many of who don’t care probably because they’re used to all sorts of hidden charges in every transaction these days), there’s enough angry people out there who are beginning to hate even the best intentions of publishers and developers.
So, before those gamers get all John Goodman on some (not so) poor game companies trying to milk what cash they can from every possible angle, I’d say a bit of reasonable discussion on all sides of this matter needs to take place. Just don’t expect it to start here, as I like my seat in the corner and bowl of popcorn. Someone had better do something fast or it’ll be 1983 all over again (but for a few too many different reasons)
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Your perspective on day one DLC as a method to keep developers working is a good one that I had not considered before. This is the first time I have ever considered something positive from DLC.
However, and despite the fact that I do on occasion buy DLC I don’t like it. There’s not enough value and too much room for abuse by the industry. The cost of many DLC items is a large percentage of the retail price tag of the game it’s being added to and offers a very tiny return in game content. Bringing Down the Sky for Mass Effect 1 comes to mind. What a let down. If all DLC were closer to what The Shivering Isles for Oblivion offers I’d be thrilled with DLC. But it’s not, it’s usually short on content and quality.
I’m still waiting for Mass Effect DLC to be bundled on Disc. I will not buy anymore online.
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You won’t get an argument from me on too short DLC. I can actually appreciate brief episodic content (bwing a big fan of Telltale Game’s stuff from the Bone and Sam & Max days), but for a bigger game like a Mass Effect or Elder Scrolls, I’d prefer an actual expansion disc made up of a bunch of content rather than bits and pieces that end up costing more.
Rockstar did it right with the brilliant Undead Nightmare content for Red Dead Redemption, THAT was available as DLC and on a disc, you didn’t need the original game to play it and it was really long if you decided not to follow the story and explore on your own.
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I don’t understand how this debate started. I know that Mass Effect 3 was the catalyst, however the content that will be $10 on launch day is free to those that already spent an extra $20 on the collectors edition. I see it as a way for people that didn’t want (or can’t find a copy of) the now sold out collectors edition to still experience that content. EA could have easily just left that content for only those that grabbed the collectors edition and left everyone else out in the cold.
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The internet is a funny thing, isn’t it? I was reading a few pages of ME3 comments on a couple of different forums and more than half the folks going nuts about this were either getting the wrong picture entirely or ranting just to rant (the usual “EA sucks!” hatred, plus dumping on BioWare for making sure they keep the content coming for those who can get it). I don’t think it should be free at all, as it cost a ton of money to make the game and the DLC and as this is a triple-A release, people need to be paid for their work on a regular basis. Granted, if the DLC is a two-hour mission for that ten bucks, it’s a gun to the wallet I wouldn’t be happy with (even if EA has sales figures that show a ton of ME fans are shelling out for anything Shepard-y, a gouge is a gouge to those who can’t keep buying every drop of DLC)
I think a lot of folks want to walk into a store and pick up the same game for $60 and get as much content as possible, not have it locked away until they pay more for it. I’d say this debate may have begun a while ago, as I can recall some folks going nuts over Gears of War 3 having stuff locked away on the disc (even though Epic did pack in a ton of stuff that wasn’t locked out).
Still, I hope BioWare eventually does what Bethsoft did with New Vegas’ Ultimate Edition (and what Rockstar has been doing for a while now) – just put out a version with everything on it at some point down the road without the need for an online pass. I understand that Syndicate got rebooted without any major content locked up because EA wanted to get as many people to buy the game and not have to deal with the hassle of buying into the MP modes. From what I’ve played, it’s definitely a great game (and MP is cool because it’s co-op focused rather than the usual FPS modes.
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