BioWare - Explaining Day One DLC

BioWare's Fernando Melo has explained the business proposition for Day 1 DLC and other paid DLC in a speech for GDC. In essence? Players buy them. From IGN:

Yet that still didn’t address the question of why the DLC wasn’t just part of the base game. As the production timeline Melo presented during the talk showed, multiple packs of downloadable content must go into production before the base game is complete. Melo couldn’t provide specific sales figures, but showed a high percentage of players, particularly with Dragon Age: Origins, purchased the content made available day one. Even significant percentages of those who purchased titles used from game stores went on to activate online passes and purchased additional DLC.

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The piece also discusses the completion rates for several of their games (Joystiq lists a couple more) - don't expect new games to be as long as Dragon Age: Origins, with only a 36% completion rate; Mass Effect 2 was highest of the games provided at 56%.
Thanks, Avantenor!
More information.

So more Day 1 DLC milking and shorter games on the radar. Thanks I have been forewarned.

Melo said. "If you have five DLC packs at $10 each, you can only ever earn a total of $50." He said the popularity of the microtransactions has allowed for several free multiplayer content packs to be produced and released

"Gamers are actually happier, as they are able to spend money when they want. People may not want to pay upfront. They may be happier to pay when they are 'in the moment'."

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I'm waiting for games to be broken in pieces you have to buy just to advance. Just think it will cost you $200 just to finish a full game. Ah but don't forget the 20 dlc packs.

"Hello and welcome to your new open world RPG. You have purchased the main part of the game, but if you wish to move a step, go ahead and download our 'Next Step DLC', yours for a paltry $15! If you'd like to see another town, go ahead and purchase our premium 'Town DLC' for only $15! You look like you might need a weapon to slay that wolf coming towards you, but to do so you will need to grab our 'Fantastic Sword DLC', yours for just $15! If you are not interested in any of these awesome DLC's, thank you for your purchase of our new game, we hope you enjoy the view because you need to grab the DLC's to move anywhere or do anything else!."

Coming to a future near you by 2020.

Of course people buy day one DLC...they want to have the full experience when they play the game. There is no way for them to quantify how many sales they have lost due to day one DLC though, and that's not something that should be overlooked.

what's more important? the goodwill of your customers or an extra $50k in your pocket?

Let's look at what you can do with $50k

• hire an employee for a year
• pay off that debt that's bugging you
• pay 1/4 of the mortgage on your house
• send your kid to college of r a couple of years
• make that sizable donation to that charity you like
• renovate your office
• buy that real fancy car your wife has been bugging you about

one thing about goodwill, its not guaranteed and buys none of the above.

Why money of course but remember if my goodwill gets soured you won't get any from me. Now multiply that by thousands of buyers.

It always seems like when Bioware trots out their metrics, they look straught past obvious intangibles. DA:O probably had the best day one DLC of any game in any genre so far, Shale. Now regardless of whether anyone feels she was "worth" this or that much, she was really unusually well-written and fully voice acted etc. She even had a distinctive comedic hook in her appearance and the promotional material made sure you knew what you were getting. Comoare to the dour dolt they offered in DA2. Did anywhere near as many people buy him? Is anybody over there still AWAKE, or is it just robots and stuffed suits these days? Similarly, just because the narrative pace of DA:O completely fell apart during the ridiculously long Mages Tower and Dwarven whatchamacallit quests, doesnt make all games of its length too long. And without the end game of DA:O, would we even be talking about Bioware anymore? What have they done, better than this, in the last decade? Similarly, ME:1 fell apart somewhat during the sprawling Citadel scenes, but without that original story, would anyone really have given a shit about #2 and #3..? It's like listening to a public relations firm read fron a spreadsheet these days. Even when they're right it just makes you want to put them out of their misery. They take all the FUN out of thinking about games... >_<

This is the reason why I always wait for game of the year edition. I get the whole package for fraction of the cost by not being impatient.

Gamers get what they order. Bioware is a business and it's not wrong to offer something people will buy. If you end up buying your game piecemeal and end up paying double, the blame rests on you.

Lucky Day said:

what's more important? the goodwill of your customers or an extra $50k in your pocket?

Let's look at what you can do with $50k

• hire an employee for a year
• pay off that debt that's bugging you
• pay 1/4 of the mortgage on your house
• send your kid to college of r a couple of years
• make that sizable donation to that charity you like
• renovate your office
• buy that real fancy car your wife has been bugging you about

one thing about goodwill, its not guaranteed and buys none of the above.

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So, you're saying that if something seems to benefit yourself in terms of money, more than something else - then that's all that needs to be taken into consideration?

Raggie said:

This is the reason why I always wait for game of the year edition. I get the whole package for fraction of the cost by not being impatient.

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That doesn't seem to work for BioWare anymore. Or did you see a GotY / Ultimate Edition of Mass Effect / Mass Effect 2 / Dragon Age 2?

Avantenor said:

That doesn't seem to work for BioWare anymore. Or did you see a GotY / Ultimate Edition of Mass Effect / Mass Effect 2 / Dragon Age 2?

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It's simple to see why they make more off the dlc. People buy the dlc at full price with no other alternative. There will never be a Ultimate Edition of Mass Effect1/2/3 or Dragon Age 2.

Lucky Day said:

one thing about goodwill, its not guaranteed and buys none of the above.

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Good reputation is advertisement. It allows you to sell more products and have a more stable business.

Here's an old photo of my game collection of Black Isle, Obsidian and Bioware. It now has Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect 2, Alpha Protocol, Dungeon Siege III and Fallout: New Vegas as well.

I loved DA:O but I never bought Dragon Age 2 or Mass Effect 3 and I do not feel I am missing out. Games like Fallout: New Vegas and Diablo 3 blows my mind for different reasons, both rise the bar of what to expect in these kind of games, while DA2 or ME3 do not intrigue me. Beyond the story in which you are sent to the backseat now with less interactive dialogue than ever, what do they have to offer? And then I have to ask, do I wish to pay full price for an old game using an online service from a company I do not trust at all?

Couchpotato said:

"Hello and welcome to your new open world RPG. You have purchased the main part of the game, but if you wish to move a step, go ahead and download our 'Next Step DLC', yours for a paltry $15! If you'd like to see another town, go ahead and purchase our premium 'Town DLC' for only $15! You look like you might need a weapon to slay that wolf coming towards you, but to do so you will need to grab our 'Fantastic Sword DLC', yours for just $15! If you are not interested in any of these awesome DLC's, thank you for your purchase of our new game, we hope you enjoy the view because you need to grab the DLC's to move anywhere or do anything else!."

Coming to a future near you by 2020.

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Sadly, the future is already here. The first time I saw that was back in 2009. If you played Dragon Age Origins, there is an NPC in the damn game hawking DLC. He tells you about a quest, but you have to spend XXX Bioware Points to download the DLC and start the quest.

Avantenor said:

That doesn't seem to work for BioWare anymore. Or did you see a GotY / Ultimate Edition of Mass Effect / Mass Effect 2 / Dragon Age 2?

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I have yet to see a game, that didn't get at least a digital bundle pack of all expansions/dlc a few years down the line. I'm pretty sure Bioware will not remain that special forever.

The "Lawful Good" CE of NWN2 was imho too soon sold out (never got one), whereas the "Evil" CE of it was sitting on the shelves like lead - for a very long time.
Now both are gone.

Back to the topic : So, they do DLCs "because people buy them" ?

No surprise here : It's basically that gamer generations are just shaping the future with their money purses.

On the negative, this could also explain why the PC platform has degenerated so much over time : It was shaped by people who rather bought shooters than any other games, thus made "the companies" to produce more shooter games than anything else for this platform. simple source & effect. Now we have a degenerated monopoly- or oligarchy- like gaming platform that has only 5 or so game genres left.

Wii consoles, on the other hand, are much more family-oriented, that's why there are more family-friendly games there - yes, even more creative ones ! - that shooters.

The xbox is imho closely following the general degradation of the PC platform, only slower, and the PS3 in some ways, too.

And the "Steam Platform" ... Well, Steam outright refused to sell "Satinav' Chins", the TDE dventure Game, there. Not "action" oriented enough.

Soon the "Steam Platform" will make people believe that "olny action games are 'right' games !" Everything else is for wussies.

tolknaz said:

I have yet to see a game, that didn't get at least a digital bundle pack of all expansions/dlc a few years down the line. I'm pretty sure Bioware will not remain that special forever.

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I'm not convinced. Maybe if EA decides to release a "BioWare@EA - The First Decade" package. I'm still waiting for a Mass Effect package including Pinnacle Station. That game released 5 years ago. But you can buy it as single download for 5 € at Origin. Whoohoo!

Nope, EA does not have the plan to give away content cheaply. Nearly all their origin offers are above german retail market prices. Their so called Digital Deluxe offerings are nearly twice the price of the standard box in retail market. Regarding prices Origin is the anti-Steam concept. Don't offer interesting sales of mid-age titles, only offer old stuff no one longer interests and multiplayer support has already been cancelled for (aka EA Sports).

My actual origin darling is Dragon Age: Origin (not the Ultimate): 54,99 €
And the add-on Awakening: 34,99 €

In comparison:
Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate on Origin (!) is 29,99 €
Amazon.de for DA:O standard: 9,99 (PC) (even if not reduced it would be 19,99 €, and normally that's a publisher proposal; EA even offers a value games budget retail version of the game for 10 €)
Amazon.de for DA:O Ultimate: 20,87 € (reduced from 23,99)

Alrik Fassbauer said:

And the "Steam Platform" … Well, Steam outright refused to sell "Satinav' Chins", the TDE dventure Game, there. Not "action" oriented enough.

Soon the "Steam Platform" will make people believe that "olny action games are 'right' games !" Everything else is for wussies.

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There are many adventure games on Steam. For instance the entire Pendulo Studios (Runaway series) catalogue and even the Ankh games (except for the first one for some reason).

All Tell Tale games are available on steam as well. In fact I would dare say that Steam probably is THE foremost platform for indie games across all platforms.

I think you need to revise you anti-Steam attitude Alrik. They really have come a long way.

Then why does Daedalic say they refused to put Satinav's Chains on Steam ? Why do they say that they had to join with Deep silver to get it on that platform ?

Alrik Fassbauer said:

And the "Steam Platform" … Well, Steam outright refused to sell "Satinav' Chins", the TDE dventure Game, there. Not "action" oriented enough.

Soon the "Steam Platform" will make people believe that "olny action games are 'right' games !" Everything else is for wussies.

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For me they sell it, look here.

Edit: Just saw your last reply, Alrik. The fact that they sell it now shows that "being not actiony enough" cannot have been the reason, IMHO. Did they officially state that as a reason earlier or is it your guess?

CountChocula said:

Sadly, the future is already here. The first time I saw that was back in 2009. If you played Dragon Age Origins, there is an NPC in the damn game hawking DLC. He tells you about a quest, but you have to spend XXX Bioware Points to download the DLC and start the quest.

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That was a horrible experience. Made me want to vomit. And it made me feel sad.