EA - Riccitiello, CEO, sees DLC as a way to combat piracy

[Benedict]

In regards PC games there is no pirate market. A fact they can't seem to get through their ten inch thick skulls. There is a console games pirate market. Pirate console games are available in literal markets where cash is exchanged. This is not the case for PC games. 99.99999r%* of all PC pirate downloaders had no intention of paying for the game in any shape, form, or price, and, from the consumer perspective, no money is exchanged.

* Scientific survey from the University of Pulledoutamyass. However, the anecdotal evidence bears this out.

Correct it to sizable potential pirate market then.

Ultimately if there was any way of forcing the cunts to pay they'd be a decent income stream.

 

[Tragos]

If you search on the internet there are many articles like this one concerning music , but of course music is a totally different thing.

A big percentage of the pirates are from eastern Europe - Middle east and Asia where people simply can not afford to pay 50€ for a game but they can pay 5€ for a DLC , i think this is what Ricci has in mind.

Of course there is a number of EU people who pirate games just because $50=50€ policy some corps use IS FRAKING ROBBERY but this is totally out of topic.

 

[zakhal]

People who pirate dragon age have no problem with pirating the dlcs too. Som less professional pirates might get confused though and buy the game thinking its not possible.

 

[screeg]

Take DAO as an example. They actually shipped every copy of that game with a free piece of DLC - Shale.

I guess the intention was to make having a legal copy of the game slightly more attractive.

Alternate explanation: if you buy a secondhand copy of the game, you have to pay $15(!) to add Shale. Suddenly the used version isn't as attractive.

The real purpose of DLC is to make money, and it's already proven hugely successful. So while I personally despise it, it's obviously here to stay. Also I can't shed too many tears for Bioware's suffering at the hands of pirates. This game, DLC and all, is making money hand over tit. If they keep with this business model I'm sure they'll be making millions for years to come.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

I wonder what will become of the DLC when DA is released as a budget game, maybe about 7 years into the future ?

The point is, imho, that owners of the budget version ( = low-price version) of the game will have the same amount of money for the DLC like everyone else.

Low Budget version publishing labels here are for example "Sold Out" http://www.sold-out.co.uk/ or "Green Pepper" http://www.greenpepper.de/ . Plus, major publishers have their own low-budget labels, like "Black Market" or "Platinum" or how they are all called.

 

[IceC]

DLC as a method of increasing the revenue stream is all good and fine but not when it’s so restrictive. The borderlands DLC on steam is $10 and has only 5 machine activation limits. Why would I buy that, and that's something that irks me as well is that I buy the game on release day and then have to buy the DLC packs afterwards, but someone can wait long enough and maybe the game is released months later with all the dlc packs included and cheaper. Honestly I can wait.

Typically buying DLC for a game requires that you have the legit game in the first place. In gfwl you have to put in the original cd key into and then you can purchase dlc, well that’s how it worked for batman with its free dlc. So pirates are not going to pirate the game and buy dlc. I thought dlc was a reason for people to buy the game so that they can actually access the dlc when it is available. Obviously I was wrong.

 

[Gorath]

It's interesting how pirated and used copies are pretty much the same for Riccitiello because EA got nothing from both. This reveals their true intentions: Used games are the real thread because they compete directly with new copies on the store shelves.

He is right though that DLC is a good way for EA to generate additional income from people who would otherwise be hesitent to spend money. Even if they got 0$ for the full game, why shouldn't they take the 5$ for the DLC?

 

[aries100]

Hasn't is always been that way? that if you what maybe 6-12 months after a game's release you can get maybe the game+one or two expansions or more? Fallout GOTY is out now - for the same price as the original Fallout.

I find it refreshing that Riccitiello openly admits the reasons for making DLC; going after the second hand market and maybe getting income (revenue) some people who don't buy their games - and that this money goes to EA and not say Activision.

On the other hand, it could be argued that DLC is a good way to get people to pay for their games - it is a sort of 'you catch more flies with honey method' - not the sticks method of punishing people who've paid for their games.