"Although they're planning for DLC, you can plan for extras, such as Avatar props, or Themes. Now people plan DLC before they've even got past the pre-production stage. "When DLC first came out it was bits of the game that didn't make it in. Our source added that that these additional scraps of content are now an integral part of the development process for most big games and are factored in at a very early stage. So you have to offer them something they can't get anywhere else." "They need to make sales and they need to offer a unique package to be able to do that," said the source. Essentially, times are tough on the high street and retailers need all the help they can get making their particular offering stand out from the competition. In the future this may be a model that is looked at again if it is clear that it is this that customers want."Ī separate source close to UK retail, who wished to remain nameless, suggested retailers have a rather less altruistic motive in offering customers these added extras. However, they then also offered all of the content in one pack which cost an extra £5. "However, there was on offer on Red Dead that gave a selected number of retailers extra content which was free to the customer. By having different retailer exclusives you are offering the customer a choice of which added element to have first. "Sometimes you will be able to get all of the available content by working through the game. "I can see why that may frustrate customers," he conceded. Hayes added that he had some sympathy with gamers complaining that they can't access all of a game's available content, but pointed out that in most cases that content eventually becomes available to all. "If you can work with suppliers then you can give the customer something that is really important to them and rewards them for ordering before the release date." "Retailer-exclusive content is all about adding great value to the customer," he said. However, Tesco's games buying manager, Jonathan Hayes, did offer the supermarket giant's perspective, insisting that it's just a way to offer customers a little more for their money and incentive to commit to a pre-order. With that in mind we approached a number of UK retailers, publishers and developers to find out more about the process, why it happens and whether gamers are doomed to suffer as a result.įirst things first, it's worth noting that almost every retailer we approached declined to comment. But things took a left turn with the release of Batman: Arkham City earlier this year, when UK supermarket giant Tesco secured a significant slab of DLC content all for themselves - a separate set of missions called Joker's Carnival Challenge Map. Until recently it's been fairly easy to ignore. You know the sort of the thing - pre-order a title from Game and get a couple of extra character skins, choose HMV and get some weapon unlocks, or give your money to Zavvi and get early access to a map.ĭepending on where you stand, it's either a nice bit of added value or a nuisance that prevents fans experiencing absolutely everything a game has to offer. One of the less popular trends of 2011 was the ramping up of the retailer-exclusive in-game extra.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |