[PIGMI] DLC and Launch Content

[Paul Turbett (Black Lab Games)]

This is all about publishers/EA getting money from the 2nd hand market.
Whilst a reasonable number of people will buy the game new, many,many more
will get a 2nd hand copy, for which EA & Bioware will not see a single cent
- dispite sending millions to develop the game in the first place. DLC is
quite profitable, so having "important" DLC is a way to get the people
buying secondhand to give money to the developers.

L8r Paul

On Thursday, February 23, 2012, Matthew Dyet wrote:

> So I’d be interested to hear what other developers here think of this,
> since I think it’s an interesting topic.****
>
> ** **
>
> Mass Effect 3 launches next month, and it’s recently been revealed that
> there will be launch day DLC that you can purchase (or that you get for
> free with the collectors) and its content is pretty important to the games
> universe. Not necessarily important just to the story of Mass Effect 3, but
> to the story of the Mass Effect universe as a whole.****
>
> ** **
>
> One of the arguments I’ve seen made (you can see the video I am referring
> to here: http://youtu.be/Ri0vrJ-y2zM ) is that any game content that is
> complete before the game is released should not be made into DLC, as that
> then means the final product of the game is no longer complete. It seems to
> assume that making a game is like making a pie, and for any launch day DLC
> you are taking a slice of that pie out and selling it separately. Do you
> see it like that, or do you see it more like launch day DLC being more like
> a smaller pie you make and sell alongside the bigger one?****
>
> ** **
>
> The Mass Effect 3 release day DLC is interesting, because it IS important,
> but I am not sure it is important to the central storyline in ME3 so much
> as it is important to the Mass Effect universe overall. But because it was
> developed in tandem with the game, should it be required content for the
> game to be ‘complete’? Is removing it and making it DLC at launch
> detrimental to the game and leave the core game an incomplete product?****
>
> ** **
>
> I’d personally argue no, but I’m purposefully keeping this as neutral as
> possible to start a discussion – not make a statement. I’m more interested
> in hearing what everybody else on the PIGMI list thinks. Is the customer
> obligated to receive any content you have available when the game is done,
> or is it up to the discretion of the developer as to where, when and how a
> player gets new content?****
>
> ** **
>
> Cheers,****
>
> *-Matthew Dyet*
>
> *Ph:* 0466 726 206****
>
> *Em:* mattdyet at iinet.net.au <javascript:_e({}, 'cvml',
> 'mattdyet at iinet.net.au');>****
>
> *Web:* http://twitter.com/#!/Diomades****
>


-- 
Paul Turbett
Black Lab Games
www.blacklabgames.com.au | www.twitter.com/blacklabgames
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