It’s no mystery why gamers dislike paid DLC—companies have a habit of developing them before even launching the game and have fans pay extra to play the true full game. It’s not true of all DLC, but it’s certainly true of enough games to give DLC a bad reputation. However, whether or not DLC is morally right isn’t really an issue when it comes to console-exclusive DLC—the plain fact of the matter is that console-exclusive DLC only serves to hinder the industry. This is true for publishers, developers, and customers alike—everyone in the industry is disadvantaged because of console-exclusive DLC.
Although console exclusive games drive competition, the difference between games and DLC is that you can foresee which games will be published on which consoles before preordering. Purchasing a console for a single game is a rare occurrence, and it’s even rarer for someone to purchase it on the basis of exclusive DLC, so I won’t even bother with that issue (as much as Final Fantasy or Bayonetta fans would love to pursue the topic). The reason you can’t predict console-exclusive DLC is because DLC is not usually announced with the game, but rather after the game has entered the market. This means that loyal consumers have already pre-ordered the game with a particular console—even if they have the correct console, if they chose to buy the wrong copy, they’re going to have huge problems playing that DLC. Obviously this is a huge hindrance to the consumer.
But what about the developers and publishers? How are they harmed by console exclusivity? Consumers tend to hold back if they think they could get pre-order bonuses or console advantages—and if they hold back long enough to lose the hype that the initial launch trailer or gameplay previews initiated, then that’s a lost sale for everyone. They would have chosen a console to purchase their game on and all of the major console companies would’ve had an increased chance for a sale—even if that consumer ultimately picked another console. While it might be true that competition drives companies to offer more incentives and more bonuses for consumers to remain loyal, by enticing gamers with actual gameplay rather than physical bonuses, gamers are much more hesitant to pre-order. After all, game content is the most important part of a game purchase, and if they wouldn’t want to miss out on it because they made a wrong choice.
In the cases that DLC exclusivity is announced beforehand, there’s still a possibility that it could still be released later on other consoles. They’re forced to choose whether they want to play it immediately at launch, on a console they do not prefer, or hold out on buying until it’s available on the console they do prefer. Again, this is related to competition, but instead of encouraging people to pre-order with their particular console, it punishes consumers who buy their favorite game early. Hopefully as we move into the next generation this console-exclusive DLC trend will become less prevalent.
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