BioWare Defends DLC Business Strategy

[Sixties Spidey]

I do believe in the idea of voting with your wallet and I found that the game's lottery multiplayer often rewarded you more when you use in-game currency as opposed to real-world currency, so buying reinforcement packs was pretty much worthless from the get-go. That being said, this still comes off as EA trying to excuse fragmenting their game into itty-bitty pieces to make a dime on it all. Normally I'd say "I expect more from BioWare", but to be honest, I don't think the kind of bullshit they're speaking now is beneath them. If this bullshit continues, BioWare and EA will both proceed to keep fucking themselves dry until their testicles become a permanent fixture of the anus.

 

[crazyrabbits]

Mass Effect 3's "From Ashes" DLC was NOT on the disc.

It wasn't on the disc, it was in the game. By using a savegame editor, one can have Javik recruited, and the game will proceed as if you have the DLC. "From Ashes" only includes the mission to get him.

Which is still not on the disc or in the game out of the box.

Semantics. The game files include the completed character model and his entire skill tree, indicating that (at the very least) the character was finished and approved before the game was certified in January. We also know that a large number of his voice files were present on the early demo that was leaked back in November 2011.

There's also evidence (both in articles, the BSN forums and the leaked script) that Javik was pulled from the main narrative (he was the original Catalyst) after part of his content was already completed, and was moved over to DLC content because of EA's drive to get the game released sooner.

You know what else was on the disc? All of the pre-order bonuses (the N7 Warfare Pack, the Reckoner-Knight Armor, all the pre-order guns) and most of the N7 Collector's Edition content (the robot dog, the hoodie, the N7 Weapon Pack).

OT, I'll give them kudos for at least having a better public statement than this [http://www.gameranx.com/updates/id/5507/article/former-bioware-designer-christina-norman-sounds-off-on-dlc/] interview Christina Norman did, where she publicly blamed gamers for not understanding DLC.

As far as I'm concerned, they may as well make the ME franchise full-on multiplayer anyway, because there's little hope of salvaging the single-player content.

 

[Tallim]

Should we really be shocked that a company, having been brought under the umbrella of EA, is now using EA's strategy for DLC? And should we be even remotely surprised when they say people "like" Online Pass.

 

[Arakasi]

Idiot mistakes 'happy' for 'willing'.
Just because I want the full fucking game doesn't mean I am 'happy' to pay microtransactions or for DLCs.

I'm glad I don't like Bioware games, it must be like rape for those who did.

 

[Cowabungaa]

No, just no, this practice is getting increasingly ridiculous and needs to die.

Nope. Your perfectly correct and insightful rant is trumped by one small thing; they make a ton of money out of it. That's it.

There are still enough willing customers out there to make this a viable business strategy. Sad, I know, but true. I don't expect a company that isn't about telling stories any more but all about making money to ever stop doing this. Unless the gaming industry drops the corporate culture and gets back to the smaller scale, creativity-driven days of old I don't see anything changing.

Oh, thanks for telling us what we gamers like, Fernando Melo. It's so refreshing to be treated as a faceless profit margin demographic. Kudos too, on your convenient interpretation of sales data, and the gargantuan leap of false equivalency required to deem such figures as representative of overall customer satisfaction with your exploitative business model.

Ah, the sweet scent of corporate spin. Breathe deep, fellow consumers.

I fear that we really are a vocal minority. Most are either ambivalent or willing customers.

 

[dimensional]

Im not convinced from what I have been reading about the ending a lot of people wont be playing the game again so surely new content in single player has suffered quite a hit I remember I did get some DLC with my copy of ME2 (included with the game) Zaeed who was pretty pointless and felt tacked on especially as you couldnt even talk to him on the ship, there was also a free download of some vehicular sections cant remember what it was but that wasnt even worth the effort it took to click on and download so I was done with the DLC before I even payed for any.

Im also a bit confused why he feels the need to defend the micro transactions if he also feels it makes gamers happier why would you defend your stance on making your customers happier? unless ofc a lot arent happy about it.

 

[King of Asgaard]

If there's one thing that pisses me off about companies today is not (only) their business model, but their blatant blindness towards its inefficiency, and their devout protection of it. If a company defends their awful practises, they lose even more of my respect.
Bioware is one such company.
CDProjekt is a prime example of the opposite. At first they were all about DRM and other such bullshit, but then removed it when they noticed how useless DRM is. THAT is a company worth our respect in my honest opinion.

 

[Lieju]

I have no problem with DLC.

What I do have a problem with is how much content we get for our money. I don't mind paying more if I get more, but just paying for the initial game might be too much.

 

[Myndnix]

It would seem that Bioware are becoming more and more disconnected from this thing we call reality.

 

[BBboy20]

"Fans do want more content" Yes, more content at the best bang for their bucks which hasn't exactly been the case this generation.

"So it needs to be there when it's ready."
.....Needs? When it's ready? Last time I checked, we're a patient bunch if the game is good enough to hold on to and considering how buggier gaming has become, what is ready these days is losing it's meaning.


"If you have five DLC packs at $10 each, you can only ever earn a total of $50," You do realize (why am I speaking to him as if he reads message boards) that the fact it's 50 bucks of DLC is troubling in itself because there is no way the amount of work you put into it is worth another half a Benjamin unless that amount is about as meaty as the main game itself.

"For those who might scoff at Mass Effect 3's DLC and microtransactions, Melo did offer one interesting point: These sales subsidized the game's plentiful free multiplayer DLC, ensuring that players get a steady stream of varied content, and that developers get to stay on the Mass Effect 3 team."
*looks at Team Fortress 2* You know, I think Valve is on to something in regards of relying on the community on getting stuff done. Or maybe your boss (EA) should throw you guys a bone then rely so much on subsidiaries as the only thing keeping your devs from being forced to make the next supposed multi-million dollar super franchise that EA expects these days.

 

[Cowabungaa]

No, just no, this practice is getting increasingly ridiculous and needs to die.

Nope. Your perfectly correct and insightful rant is trumped by one small thing; they make a ton of money out of it. That's it.

No it's not. I'm pretty sure Dexter didn't say this practice will end in his rant, and especially not in this quote. And whether or not it should end is not solely determined by the profits it reaps.

It does mean that for them. It shouldn't end, looking at it from their perspective. And apparently neither should it for all those willing customers they reap their profits from. That's what should change first; the attitude towards these business practices.

 

[Project Nemesis]

Of course they would...They bow down to their EA overlords...

 

[SajuukKhar]

I don't mind DLC as long as its DLC like Fallout3/New Vegas, and Skyrim have.

15 dollars for CoD map packs? that's BS.

10-20 dollars for a Fallout 3/New Vegas/Skyrim DLC that I can get like 10-20 hours out of? That's cool.

 

[Danceofmasks]

I'm cool with DLC most of the time.
In fact, some of the ME2 DLCs were probably not split up enough for my liking.

Rather than buying a squadmate + missions + some overpowered weapons, I'd rather just buy the squadmate + missions.
If the total price tag is higher for people who want everything, that's fine by me.

The thing with DLC is, you don't have to buy it.
So, when it's compelling enough to buy, that's cool.

However, when you have a freakin' prothean as day 1 DLC, that's not cool.

My issue isn't with day 1 DLC.
I mean, as much as I loved Dragon Age: Origins, I couldn't care less about Warden's Keep.
If people want to pay for convenience and/or early game power, good for them.

But when you have a prothean in mass effect, you end up with two options.
Either it's not important to the plot, and then you shouldn't waste your money, or it is important to the plot, and the company is being a bunch of dicks.

 

[Aprilgold]

Ya know TF2 and Hats? Yeah that is how you sell DLC. Ya know CoD and its Map Packs? Yeah that isn't how you sell DLC.