Jimquisition: Reasons To Pass On Season Passes

[Yph]

I disagree with the part about the Borderlands 2 Season pass. Anyone who was confused about what they were getting didn't pay attention, it specifically said that the season pass include 4 DLC packs. And since they cranked out 3 of the DLC before they released the Psycho, it was obvious the final one would be another level expansion.

Yeah but that's just it, Jim's argument is mostly that you never know what DLC packs you're going to get with those ambiguously labled '4 DLC packs.' I think a lot of us would rather have had an extra character than a level expansion.

It was announced here http://forums.gearboxsoftware.com/showthread.php?t=144987 that the season pass would consist of "4 add-on campaign packs" that include new areas to explore, new adventures to undertake, new enemies to overcome and more".

Now, I get that not everyone reads the forums, but the information was there.

 

[PunkRex]

I think the Borderlands DLC was actually kind of well done as the season pass told you from the get go what you were getting, the first 4 story DLC. The rest, extra heads, colours, etc was the fluff you could drop a few quid on.

This is, of course, helped by the fact that I enjoyed the game and played it alot along with my brother and our friends so not to risky a bet I suppose... couldn't think of another mordern game i'd do it for though...

 

[Zipa]

Well said Jim, I have never bought in to this season pass crock of shit thankfully. You can guarantee it will all end up in a Steam sale eventually so you can grab it then at a even better price.

Also good to see a mic drop, reminds me of pre Escapist Jimquisitions.

 

[Comic Sans]

I disagree with the part about the Borderlands 2 Season pass. Anyone who was confused about what they were getting didn't pay attention, it specifically said that the season pass include 4 DLC packs. And since they cranked out 3 of the DLC before they released the Psycho, it was obvious the final one would be another level expansion.

Yeah but that's just it, Jim's argument is mostly that you never know what DLC packs you're going to get with those ambiguously labled '4 DLC packs.' I think a lot of us would rather have had an extra character than a level expansion.

Halo 4 - 3 DLC Packs. I had no way of knowing the only good one wouldn't be included in the season pass. It's purposefully left ambiguous so that they don't have to explain themselves to you when they screw you over.

Except in the case of Borderlands 2 they clearly announced that the season pass only covered the 4 story campaigns, not the characters or cosmetics. I saw the announcement in several places. They didn't at any point just ambiguously say they'd release some DLC, they said exactly what we'd be getting. In my opinion, Gearbox handled it fine with BL2.

 

[Colt47]

The root of this entire problem is trying to sell a product before it's out yet and even proven to work in the way someone intends. In the long run, it's basically trying to play a balance sheet out of consumer loyalty to see how much they can wring out of individual fans before finally mothballing whatever franchise they are attempting to sell.

Heck, part of the reason they are even doing seasonal passes is so that they can sell DLC to people who normally wouldn't buy it because they finish the game and move on before it gets released. This is especially true of linear single player titles like Bioshock Infinite, where once someone beats the game chances are they probably wont come back for DLC.

 

[Sectan]

I've always thought it was pretty shitty of developers to release a season pass *ALL FUTURE DLC!* There isn't even an asterisk that says "some". Even at THAT they can decide what to include or exclude from the season passes. It just reeks of something horrible that I can't articulate.

 

[Ticklefist]

We're getting a bit of an echo here but I agree that season passes are mostly harmless. The offer doesn't go away after the game is released so there's no need to pre-order them. They're normally pretty up front about their content. They extend the life of games at a reduced cost. The DLC itself may not be up to your standards but that hasn't got much to do with selling it to you at a discount.

 

[Rad Party God]

The only Season Pass I've ever bought in my life has been that of Darksiders 2, I already finished it, loved it and I wanted more, so I went ahead and bought it.

Also, I already knew what it included and it was at a discount, wich this game also applies the mess of not including every bit of DLC on it's Season Pass a la Borderlands 2.

For $5 I can't complain, but I definitely wouldn't buy it at full price.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

My logic for not buying a season pass is quite simple. I don't know what the content is going to be, and by the time it's out I'll be done with the game anyway and move on to something else. If I want the DLC later on, I can get it for less than the season pass. It's not going anywhere.

 

[LordLundar]

The food analogy is inaccurate Jim. A more accurate one would be that you buy and get a 3 course dinner (the game itself) and being told to pat in advance for the promise a "special" dessert. You have no idea what it is but you're expected to pay for something that could range from an expensive cake to a bowl of toxic mush. That is assuming you do get the dessert given the pastry chef could quit in the next 5 minutes.

THAT's a more accurate analogy. Season Passes sell you on the promise of a vague unknown. You don't know what it is or even if it will come out. And the game industry isn't trustworthy enough to make such a promise worth the time to say it.

 

[Rezeak]

I don't see how Bioshock 3 did anything wrong.

They put the season pass up saying they hadn't even started on it yet and that it will all be release by March 2014 so unless they miss that march 2014 deadline people don't really have much to complain about except they put money down on something that they had little information about which is there fault.

As for Boarderlands 2 they clearly said 4 pieces of DLC only and clarified if you looked it up that is was campaign DLC which they then supplied. Then people complained that it didn't include other pieces that they would of preferred like characters, these are people that should of waited to see what the content was.

As far as season passes go they are optional and unless it's being used to complete a uncompleted game then it's really more up to a customer if they want to blindly throw money at a company.

 

[Kenjitsuka]

Lol, I actually said it... And then I laughed.
Thanks Jim, keep it up. And eventually I might even buy YOUR season pass

 

[Vausch]

I have only bought 1 season pass, and that was Borderlands 2's during the steam sale. Got it, Mechromancer, and Psycho pack for less than 5 bucks.

That's really the best justification I can see for a season pass. Less about getting the content when it comes out in the future, more a bundle pack to get a bigger discount. Then again, that's essentially a GOTY edition so...yeah.

 

[Pat Hulse]

I can't argue that Season Passes are generally-speaking a bad deal and consumers ought to be wary of them, but I don't think that publishers should stop offering them. Pre-selling DLC ensures that the publishers don't get on the developers asses about releasing the DLC sooner since statistically, DLC sells best right after release (source: http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/16/eedar-consumers-have-greater-interest-in-dlc-a-month-after-game/ ). This is why on-disc DLC was such a common practice. With Season Passes, the publishers get to maximize DLC sales and the publishers get to take their time and do their DLC right.

You know, it is possible to release a game and not release any DLC. Imagine that, selling the complete game the first time and not having to worry about consumer interest waning in your game a month later - because they were completely satisfied the first time!

Obviously that's possible, but I'd prefer having DLC as a viable business model for a number of reasons:

1) Development time is hell and it's difficult for producers to find the right balance between focusing on fine-tuning the game engine and the mechanics and producing the actual content for the game. All too often a game will ship before it's ready because the developers were focused more on cranking out a large amount of content rather than perfecting the core gameplay. A DLC model makes it more economical to focus on quality over quantity.
2) Too many developers reinvent the wheel even though it's often unnecessary to do so. How many full-priced sequels end up just being recreated copies of the previous game with new assets and content? How many sequels could just as easily be produced as DLC for a fraction of the cost? Imagine instead of rushing out sequels every 2 or 3 years, developers just made one really solid franchise entry per generation and produced seasons of episodic content like "The Walking Dead" does?
3) It theoretically allows developers to take more risks since DLC tends to be lower-investment. They can try out unusual ideas or test out different mechanics or give younger, less experienced (but often more ambitious) developers a chance to cut their teeth on something smaller-scale in the AAA industry, perhaps leading to more innovation in a perpetually stagnating high-budget industry.

Self-contained games are fine, but DLC has benefits beyond simply milking more money from the audience. While I'll certainly admit that DLC hasn't historically done much to benefit the consumer in the majority of cases, there are exceptions that prove that the model can be beneficial for all involved parties, including the consumer. Whereas if we stick to self-contained games, publishers will have to go back to losing out on used game purchases and developers will go back to suffering unforgiving crunch-times and heart-breaking compromises.

 

[AstaresPanda]

Thought the idea of DLC was to replace expansion packs to give you content faster smaller bits taking advantage of digital distribution and extend the life spam of a games single and multiplayer(for pc gamers anyway) then with consoles being able to do this it made good sense for them. But now...... the fuck !? we get unfinished games then the rest being sold to you in the guise of "dlc". And its got to the point now where they dont even give a crap about what DLC they sell you. And they seem to have drifted far away from the idea of extending a games life, a year later they showing you trailers for the sequal and taking the season pass money from you.

Now being a pure PC gamer since the last console I had was a ps1 the only experiences ive had with this DLC was Space Marine. And that is a great example. I followed that game for awhile while in was in the works and went a pre-orderd the limited edition (purity seal lol) And they seem to have cut alot i saw from the early trailers. Dreads, Tyranids, Killa Kanz. But then months later they bring crappy half assed game modes out and the rest out in DLC effectively splitting the player base with the people who could afford to blow 25% of the cost of the dam game dlc and those that could. And now, Space Marine is pretty much dead.

money money money simple ass GREED

 

[Paradoxrifts]

I can't argue that Season Passes are generally-speaking a bad deal and consumers ought to be wary of them, but I don't think that publishers should stop offering them. Pre-selling DLC ensures that the publishers don't get on the developers asses about releasing the DLC sooner since statistically, DLC sells best right after release (source: http://www.joystiq.com/2010/08/16/eedar-consumers-have-greater-interest-in-dlc-a-month-after-game/ ). This is why on-disc DLC was such a common practice. With Season Passes, the publishers get to maximize DLC sales and the publishers get to take their time and do their DLC right.

You know, it is possible to release a game and not release any DLC. Imagine that, selling the complete game the first time and not having to worry about consumer interest waning in your game a month later - because they were completely satisfied the first time!

Please.

The only way to go back to them 'good old days' when your average gamer played the same game for months and months on end would be to pass and enforce a new law where everyone is only ever allowed to buy a single game on their birthday and at Christmas.

 

[I Max95]

I think that they can be used right if the developers:

A. include ALL DLC in the season pass

and

B. allow players the ability to buy the season pass even after every piece of DLC has been released, so that they can make an educated decision

 

[Seracen]

The ONLY season pass I have ever bought is for Injustice...as I trusted Neverrealms, especially after the value seen in MK.

I have to say, I am not pleased at having to buy Zatanna and Martian Manhunter, which were not included. Nor do I relish having to buy the myriad of skins which were released BEFORE the "season" was over, but were still not included.

So I am trading the game in, and will buy it again (used) when the GOTY version comes out. Come to think of it, this is what I'll likely do for all fighting games hence.

Also what I'll do for other assinine franchises that do this, such as Batman: Arkham City...so much money wasted that I could have saved by simply waiting 4 months.

What's truly sad is that I no longer like these companies/dev teams as a result. Even though I trust them to make amazing games, I don't trust that I'll get good value for my money.

 

[Insideout Ink Demon]

I can list my last two preorders and my next one
-Dark Souls
-Blood Dragon
-Dark Souls 2

Other than that every game I own, I waited for on sale or for the GOTY. More fool anyone too impatient to wait

 

[hermes]

Damn if you do, damn if you don't.

If you start working on DLC before the game is released, even when there are legitimate reasons (artists and writers ended their assignments long before the game is ready, and are literally waiting in their desks for some job), people will claim you are cutting stuff out of the game, even when the game is long, and complete, and they haven't even played it.

If you don't start working on DLC until after the game is released, people will complain that they are being charged over an unsatisfying promise, that the content takes a lot to be done and will forget about the game entirely.