I think, from a business perspective, it's really smart.
Wait, wait, hear me out. Games have become ludicrously expensive to make, everyone knows that by now. I remember dropping $75 after taxes on Chrono Trigger back in the 90's, and in perspective, $59.99 is cheap for modern games. I'm shortening a lot of points to be concise, but it's clear that publishers would very much like (or might even have needed) to charge $89-99 for the huge AAA games with modern ultra-graphics.
For me, it's an issue of how soon you want the game. You can pay the $59.99 to have the "core experience" as early as possible, and another 20-30 to get the other 1/3 or so spread out after release. This sounds like total bullshit in the context of "complete" games costing $60 like they always have, but its the alternative to paying $90-100 at retail.
If you have the patience, or don't have that kind of money, it is inevitable that in 6-12 months there will be a "GOTY" edition, the full and complete game you wanted for the $60 you've always paid. It's not at all ideal, some are more greedy about it than others, but I can't help but think that something had to give as far as the budgets/marketing to revenue ratio is concerned. At least with every game with DLC having GOTY, the financial success of a game isn't exclusively looked at in the first week of sales.
I'd rather the concept of DLC wasn't co-opted to be used outside of the expansion format we were used to, or the way we were hoping it would be used, but the way it ended up being utilized is pretty smart. This is saying nothing of DLC for pre-ordering, retailer exclusive DLC, and the price gouging that is total bullshit in Europe, Australia, and other countries. Somebody had to pony up for the spectacle, and we've paid more than $60 before in order to have it (Donkey Kong Country, anyone)? I just try to not think of publishers twirling their moustaches like Dick Dasterdly, it's not as simple as that.
