Hendrick's
If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
I never buy DLC. It too often comes out long after my interest in a game has waned and is also usually just not very good.
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Jason Schreier from kotaku says the DLC for single player often doesn't often sell very well by his sources.
- Thread starter IbizaPocholo
- Start date
DreamsiclesPlz
Member
If a game goes on sale and the base game is even slightly cheaper than the GOTY edition, I just get the base game. I rarely ever get to the DLC and by the time I could do it, I'm already bored with it.
Grandmaster Hash
Banned
even when it's clearly not?
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
Follow up article... And Why It's The Fault of Gamer's.
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Examples of him being wrong and him being right?
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Him being wrong?
https://kotaku.com/sources-blizzard-pulled-diablo-4-announcement-from-bli-1830232246 (article was pushing a false narrative, though good on him for admitting he lied)
https://kotaku.com/inside-rockstar-games-culture-of-crunch-1829936466 (been denied and called out by multiple rockstar employees as blatantly false and pushing a specific narrative)
https://kotaku.com/rockstar-qa-studio-with-hardest-crunch-told-today-that-1829876472 (Been denied and called out by multiple rockstar employees as blatantly false and pushing a specific narrative)
Plus more here: http://www.deepfreeze.it/journo.php?j=jason_schreier
Him being right? Can't really think of anything off the top of my head.
Dude Abides
Banned
I never buy DLC, even for games i like such as Spider Man. After getting through a 30 hour game i want to move on.
DeleteriousObnoxious
Member
its really not that surprising, you can already see on achivement stats that people rarely finish games why would they buy DLC if they don't finish the main game... i second the notion of wanting to see some Dark souls, Witcher, Bloodborne dlc sales stats.
as pretty much all my friends own those dlc's
as pretty much all my friends own those dlc's
Can you show me those people denying and calling him out (the Rockstar employees)? And btw, he has been working for Kotaku for a logn time and yo ushowed literally just 2 example, Rockstar Crunch and Diablo 4.
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DigitalScrap
Member
Waiting for an article that says that gamers are toxic because they don't spend enough money on single player DLC - DLC that developers dedicate their lives to creating to try to entertain us.
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
To be honest, I wish devs offered "physical DLC" (a la expansion packs) like they did in the old days. Xenoblade 2 Torna, Uncharted: Lost Legacy, infamous: First Light, and Dishonored: Death of the Outsider are all great examples of how to do it. I'll even pay the premium (since it'll cost more to print and ship and stock on shelves).
The lack of a physical option devalues DLC and makes people less likely to buy it. Let those who want to buy it digitally buy it digitally, but the expectation that there will be enough DLC to justify a physical release may act as a sanity-check against abusive DLC practices.
The lack of a physical option devalues DLC and makes people less likely to buy it. Let those who want to buy it digitally buy it digitally, but the expectation that there will be enough DLC to justify a physical release may act as a sanity-check against abusive DLC practices.
JimmyJones
Banned
It's not that it doesn't sell well. It's that the shareholders are money hungry and force the devs to make multiplayer DLC instead, so they can shoehorn in micro-transactions.
Dr. Claus
Vincit qui se vincit
Would grab more, specifically from Jason Schreier's comments, but he has blocked me.
Also, there are literally 10+ more articles and references posted in the deepfreeze link. Did you not read it?
michaelius
Banned
It would help if those DLCs were worth buying - usually they are short 1-2 hours long episodes sold for 1/3 or 1/4 of full retail new game price (or at same price levels you can get full discounted older game)
JunkerWoland
Member
In terms of the actual concept of single-player-DLC sales, I imagine the reality is very case-by-case, with a product deemed a failure resulting from more factors than "consumers don't wanna buy single-player DLC."
As for the tweet itself, making broad contentious statements to advertise something isn't anything new.
As for the tweet itself, making broad contentious statements to advertise something isn't anything new.
VulcanRaven
Member
I buy DLCs if they are good. The Last of Us DLC Left Behind was great. I wish every developer would make good DLCs like that. I liked the recent Black Cat DLC for Spider-Man but it was too short.
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Lightsbane
Member
Xaero Gravity
NEXT LEVEL lame™
I have no problem with paying for additional content as long as it's as meaty and well put together as expansion packs of old like Lord of Destruction, Frozen Throne, Blood and Wine etc.
Unfortunately not many seem to be like that.
Unfortunately not many seem to be like that.
DeepEnigma
Gold Member
MagiusNecros
Gilgamesh Fan Annoyance
He's only useful for the occasional insider information he sometimes acquires. At least in the past. Other then that I wouldn't pay any attention to him.
Ridcully
Member
It stands to reason that it doesn't do well - most people don't finish games. Multiplayer DLC will do comparatively better because if you're actively engaged with the MP, it's an easy sell: there isn't any barrier to entry bar the cost, and you have to buy in to keep up with everyone else.
zeorhymer
Member
The one where he said that the new Fallout sucks and had to retract the statement cause he got paid off.
Jason's been a pos for a while now.
Strife In a Teacup
Member
Oh I know, I owned it since I love D&D.
"Match objective? Magic Power! Choose your champion!"
sol_bad
Member
That may be true but they should price it accordingly.
You pay $60-$80 for a game that takes 1-3 years to develop and thousands of man hours. The game also takes 15-100 hours for the consumer to finish.
Then you pay $10-$40 for DLC that takes a few weeks to a few months for developers to complete and far less man hours. The DLC takes a couple of hours for the consumer to finish.
Rekki-Maru
Banned
Undead Nightmare, is still the best dlc i ever bought. (It had multiplayer content included in it!) Kotaku is so fucking wack
OldBoyGamer
Banned
I've heard this from other sources tbf. I think the number being banded about was about 10% of the player base of a particular game will buy DLC.
I would however like to see some kind of deeper research to see the reasons behind it.
I wonder what the DLC rate was for games such as Batman AK, HZD, BotW and Spiderman?
I'd also like to see a comparison made with exactly what content is in DLC and sales figures for that content? So, how do skins sell as individual DLC? Howabout story/extra quests? Is there a correlation between length of said story content versus sales? I'm wondering if people aren't buying a £5 DLC because it has 2/3 hours worth of content?
Some examples and assumptions on my part:
- Batman AK skins were selling for a throwaway price (79p??) and were very good IMO. I bought them.
- On the other hand, the story content DLC was actually pretty poor in terms of value for money - some it of was about an hours worth - and even gameplay, where the side stories weren't done very well.
BotW DLC was sold as a one off 'season pass' wasn't it? It came in two halves - the first had some minor content and a new harder mode if memory serves, whilst the second had a new short story. That was marketed terribly and from what I've seen, has had mixed reviews.
The newest Spiderman DLC is apparently being very well received, so it will be interesting to see how that goes.
The HZD DLC was also a new short story, but I'm not sure well how that sold.
I also wonder if DLC took a hit when companies started to sell season passes. The expense was higher than individual DLC and often they were a mish mash of things - my assumption would be that, if people see a list of things and too many things in that list don't appeal, they won't buy it despite maybe one thing in the list being highly desirable - they get put off basically. (I know that certainly happens to me).
I just can't help but think that, if DLC offers good value for money + really good content + the base game was of good quality + the game suits DLC, then you should be able to hit much higher than 10%. But often, one or more of those things is ticked off, thereby lowering sales.
SE is a probably a good case study there - the Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC was pretty half hearted - I only got it because I bought the GOTY edition. It had bits and pieces that were ok, but nothing 'must have'.
I'd like to see the figures for older DLC such as the Mass effect trilogy.
I would however like to see some kind of deeper research to see the reasons behind it.
I wonder what the DLC rate was for games such as Batman AK, HZD, BotW and Spiderman?
I'd also like to see a comparison made with exactly what content is in DLC and sales figures for that content? So, how do skins sell as individual DLC? Howabout story/extra quests? Is there a correlation between length of said story content versus sales? I'm wondering if people aren't buying a £5 DLC because it has 2/3 hours worth of content?
Some examples and assumptions on my part:
- Batman AK skins were selling for a throwaway price (79p??) and were very good IMO. I bought them.
- On the other hand, the story content DLC was actually pretty poor in terms of value for money - some it of was about an hours worth - and even gameplay, where the side stories weren't done very well.
BotW DLC was sold as a one off 'season pass' wasn't it? It came in two halves - the first had some minor content and a new harder mode if memory serves, whilst the second had a new short story. That was marketed terribly and from what I've seen, has had mixed reviews.
The newest Spiderman DLC is apparently being very well received, so it will be interesting to see how that goes.
The HZD DLC was also a new short story, but I'm not sure well how that sold.
I also wonder if DLC took a hit when companies started to sell season passes. The expense was higher than individual DLC and often they were a mish mash of things - my assumption would be that, if people see a list of things and too many things in that list don't appeal, they won't buy it despite maybe one thing in the list being highly desirable - they get put off basically. (I know that certainly happens to me).
I just can't help but think that, if DLC offers good value for money + really good content + the base game was of good quality + the game suits DLC, then you should be able to hit much higher than 10%. But often, one or more of those things is ticked off, thereby lowering sales.
SE is a probably a good case study there - the Rise of the Tomb Raider DLC was pretty half hearted - I only got it because I bought the GOTY edition. It had bits and pieces that were ok, but nothing 'must have'.
I'd like to see the figures for older DLC such as the Mass effect trilogy.
Mr Hyde
Gold Member
I tend to avoid DLC unless it´s a meaty expansion. The only good ones I can think off the top of my head is Old Hunters for Bloodborne, The Ringed City and Ashes of Ariandel for Dark Souls 3, The Lost Crown Trilogy for Dark Souls 2, Artorias of the Abyss from Dark Souls 2, Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine for The Witcher 3 and Frozen Wild from Horizon Zero Dawn.
I also tend to buy Complete Editions of games with all DLC included because I don´t want to spend money on an incomplete base version and then spend more money just for it to be complete. This approach is more healthy for my wallet plus I don´t get angry when I discover that the game lacks a shitload of content, like Final Fantasy XV.
I also tend to buy Complete Editions of games with all DLC included because I don´t want to spend money on an incomplete base version and then spend more money just for it to be complete. This approach is more healthy for my wallet plus I don´t get angry when I discover that the game lacks a shitload of content, like Final Fantasy XV.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
This I do agree with! It feels like the DLC sometimes should cost $10 at most. It's the main reason I don't buy DLC.
The problem is most of what he writes can't be gauged because it comes from sources who are never named.
It can't all be sources said. There's got to be some real attribution now and again. This piece of news, for example, is something that should be backed up with a name so it can be weighed and measured.
Stephen Totilio, the guy who runs kotaku, is a news guy. This Schreier person purports to be one. They know better, and are still lazy with the anonymous quotes.
Makariel
Member
Use of sources you don't name is not a problem by itself, actually quite common. An actual journalist would then take the information and do what is required to verify this information. And if they can't get it verified just drop it as unsubstantiated rumours not worth a story. Obviously that's not what happens at kotaku.
This is why "game journalists" are not actually journalists, they just want to be called journalists without doing the work that's required for calling themselves that. It's a bit as if someone would be delivering a couple of pipes, a kitchen sink and a shower head and drop them off in your garden, and insist on calling themselves plumber.
Enygger_Tzu
Banned
Is there a source to this, because Blizzard last year made almost 2 billion dollars from subscriptions, DLCs and mobile gaming alone.
No, it's a problem, and the general rule is every quote should have a source.
Anonymous sources should be used sparingly, and in the case of an assertion -- such as single-player DLC doesn't sell very well -- should not only have a named source behind it, but also some accounting of what "doesn't sell very well" actually means. Does it mean it's not profitable? Or that, generally, it does not sell according to expectations?
Your assertion about game journalists not being journalists is silly. For all their faults, the Kotaku guys do reporting, investigation, and editing, even if it's lazy. You're not the only one to make this assertion. People here tend not to understand a lot of different roles and responsibilities fall under the larger umbrella of journalism.
TheMay30thMan
Member
That guy should cite his research if he’s going to post claims as facts. That being said, it wouldn’t surprise me. Even I pass on excellent looking DLC and either wait for a complete edition of a game or a super sale. DLC nowadays doesn’t have the impact expansion packs did in the day. Stand alone DLC’s definitely look more appealing to me and I wouldn’t mind if that’s where single player games were headed. Give me a complete package day one.
manfestival
Member
Jason Schreier is a piece of trash and is given way too much benefit of the doubt around here
Hudo
Member
Word. I vividly remember rushing from school into my electronics store to buy WarCraft III: The Frozen Throne (one of the best expanions for any game ever). Nice memories. I bought Torna specifically because it was physically available. I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. That being said, Breath of the Wild is such a good game for me that I caved in and bought the DLC for it...I'm not perfect.
kingwingin
Member
if it doesnt sell why would they keep developing sp dlc?
Rekki-Maru
Banned
When Undead Nightmare dropped it was 10 bucks and it was a good sized expansion, plus 8 characters and 2 modes for multiplayer. It's because the scales are all fucked up, that's why the shit doesn't sell. Motherfuckers tryin to pimp out season passes at 20+ dollars, 4 maps 2 characters and some gun skins. 
DunDunDunpachi
Banned
I did the same for Bloodborne's The Old Hunters DLC and the Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) track-packs. Sometimes you make a concession for really good DLC.
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