Ubisoft: “DLC is Pretty Much Accepted Now”

Ubisoft VP of digital publishing Chris Early says players don’t resist DLC like they used to anymore.

“DLC” has come to be an almost “dirty word” in the gaming industry, because while there are quite a few developers who use it responsibly, with appropriately priced expansion packs, there are way too many “wolf skins” that can leave a sour taste in gamer’s mouths. However, Ubisoft VP of digital publishing Chris Early does not think this is the case, and says that most games have come to accept DLC, and certainly don’t resist it like they used to.

Early, talking to Games Industry, about Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag‘s “Time saver” DLC packs (which unlock resources and hidden locations in the game you can also earn through normal play), said that there the packs faced very little resistance from players. “There was no resistance,” he said. “Maybe there were 12 guys somewhere who said something, but whatever. As a whole, there wasn’t a problem.”

In the past, gamers would complain that such “shortcut” DLC packs used to be available as free cheat codes, but Early says that those days are over as gamers have come to embrace their nickle-and-dime overlords.

“I think there are some models that are accepted now,” Early said. “DLC is pretty much accepted. Season pass is pretty much accepted. Now it’s interesting when you start to think of Season Pass as a Service Pass. For our Season Pass holders, I know we hold events for them specifically, so it’s little bit more than just DLC content. So there’s an evolution going on there.”

So there you go. If you dislike the practice of developers shoveling DLC down your throat the moment a game goes live (or in some cases, even before that), you’re in the minority (at least according to Ubisoft).

Source: Games Industry