In the very recent past we used to play games, finish them, and move on. Console games were primitive by today’s standards, but PC gamers got something special for their devotion: expansion packs. Usually made by the same developer, expansion packs breathed new life into our old PC favorites. My favorite: Redneck Rampage and its expansion, Redneck Rampage: Suckin’ Grits on Route 66. What a game that was. Expansion packs had substance and generally ran cheaper than the cost of the original game. Fast-forward to today -now you can buy a Santa hat for Agent 47 for 99 cents. I am actually kidding about that last part, but you catch my drift. Most of our “expanded content” today is nothing more than an extra shirt, gun, or vehicle; where’s the substance? And more importantly, how did we get here?
If we wanted an expansion pack for our game it meant we had to go to our local retailer, wait in line, buy a disc, install the expansion, etc. Developers and publishers wanted to find a way to use the internet to push their expansion content. Doing so would remove the middleman, save the cost of materials, and hone in on impulse buyers who never have to leave the couch. Most importantly, downloadable content would usher in a new era of console gamers into the expansion market. The whole concept was brilliant. With console gamers onboard, the mini-mini expansions began showing up; an extra level here, an extra mode there. All of this was still OK because all the content came several months after the game’s initial release.
What happened next really defies logic. All of a sudden developers started releasing downloadable content right alongside the release of their game; sometimes even before. In the era of true expansion packs it’s surprising that most gamers looked at this as just bonus content and never thought too much about the timing. Pre-order bonuses promised this and that if you bought the game from a specific retailer. None of this content had any real substance; none of it was a necessity. It was the extra suits, extra missions, and the Santa hat I was talking about.
Yup…It’s all DLC
When publishers and developers found much success with their pre-order bonuses they began rolling out similar triple mini expansions alongside the game’s release. It became a real cash cow. Most gamers at this point started to realize that this content was being developed alongside the game, but was omitted from the disc and released later as downloadable content. Yet gamers spoke with their wallets, which drowned out any of the gripes coming out of their mouths, and this business model was allowed to progress further down the rabbit hole.
The bust came when players started to see their downloadable content already present, but locked, on the disc. Buy the key and boom: instant “downloadable content”. It wasn’t hidden very well either. In fact, it was blatantly obvious. How else does a 700KB download unlock 20MB worth of “downloadable content”? Savvy PC users could also see the content’s files hidden away on the disc. Most gamers felt cheated. They shelled out $60 only to find chunks of their “completed” game missing. What’s worse was developers’ response to the outcry. Statements like, “you only buy a license to play the game” and “those parts are non-essential” pierced the hearts of gamers everywhere. We were your loyal fans, we helped you build your empire, and we felt betrayed.
Not 100% Accurate, But Perception is Reality.
Today, most developers refrain from on-disc downloadable content. However many have adopted the, what I consider pretentious, season pass model. This is the “buy all of our future downloadable content today and save” model. My experience with this so far has been good actually, but I wonder if it will pave the road to something worse. What guarantees do we have that the future downloadable content has substance? I do not want to pay $40 for an Agent 47 Santa hat! -Actually, now that I think about it, I/O interactive if you read this and decide to make an exclusive Agent 47 Santa hat, I would like a free one.
Something Just Feels…Missing
Unfortunately very few developers/publishers opt out of these, sometimes silly, attempts at downloadable content. Publishers take a big chunk of the profits and I understand why developers would want to earn extra cash while the hype of their game is high. However I would caution developers that gamers need to feel valued and not like you’re holding out on them. At least give gamers the illusion that your downloadable content is something developed post-launch to truly expand the value of the game. If developers want to keep the respect of their audience as well as make extra cash, they need look no further than Gearbox Software, whose post-launch downloadable content for Borderlands 1 was arguably better than the game itself.
Some Developers Know How Ridiculous DLC Can Be
Lastly, as gamers, we need to call out publishers and developers that walk the line of dishonesty. The videogame industry is always evolving and seeking new ways to earn our money. If we, as their consumers, just blindly buy downloadable content, the quality of the content will drop. It’s economics; no company will put in the added cost of quality if said quality doesn’t matter to its customers. We are already seeing the effects of our negligence to cry “foul” when appropriate. If we want a return to downloadable content that mimics expansion packs and adds real value to a game we need to speak not only with our mouths, but also with our wallets.
