Mainstream gaming has accepted essential DLC for some time. What do I mean by essential? I’m referring to content which you have to buy in order to see the full story or unlock vital parts. Not simple things like additional weapons or cosmetic items.
Why Developers Have a DLC Perception Problem
Looking through the press releases today one from Square Enix stood out. It was Lords of the Fallen and they were advertising the Day One Edition. It comes with exclusive sections of the story, additional weapon content and a soundtrack. All this DLC is being heralded as a good thing in the press release. It demonstrates exactly why we have a problem with developer perception here.
Dragon Age got called on things that no one talks about today.
Not so terribly long ago it was a bad thing to have DLC players needed on day one, with Dragon Age. Just a few years later developers are now touting it as a good thing, indeed, even a feature we should have the privilege of paying for. As you may have guessed this is stupid. All we can do is note the problem and hope developers listen.
Overpowered DLC and the Perception Problem
From very early on most add-ons gave you some leg up on the competition. Unfortunately the trend has gotten out of control with games such as Shin Megami Tensei IV where some of the DLC lets you quickly grind to max level. Very few people are concerned with this trend but honestly it’s still a problem as well.
DLC and Player Perception
Finally the largest problem lies in how players see these bonuses. Mainstream gamers will buy just about any add-on. Indie gamers such as myself even buy some as well. Even just buying some in a bundle gives developers a positive signal in this area.
Many gamers tend to have started collecting these bundles even in NFTs through a reputed gaming nft marketplace. The future of NFTs tends to be on the rise we all know, but trading tools and weapons through NFTs brings an added benefit of being able to access the purchases even after the game shuts down.
Now the question arises, who is to blame for DLC? Unlike in the case of Call of Duty where casual gamers get all the blame we all have some work to do. Until everyone stands up and questions how this is managed there will be no change.
