In an interview with IGN, Phil Robb, Creative Director at Turtle Rock Studios, revealed that all the downloadable content maps for Evolve will be available free of charge after the game’s launch. A developer is actually offering additional content, free of charge? Count me in. It is welcome news. I am not completely against the idea of additional DLC, but it can be quite expensive. Due to season passes and other premium DLC content, the prices for new games are almost doubling. At times, the process of paying $65 or more of a new game, plus additional premium DLC content for a fuller experience, seems = somewhat unfair. The free DLC maps for Evolve are a nice bonus, and other publishers and developers should learn from Turtle Rock Studios’ example.
While all the DLC maps for Evolve will be free, there will still be premium DLC content for the game that must be purchased. That is understandable; but at least the developers are offering some new content to players for no additional cost. In the same IGN interview, Robb said that additional monsters and hunter characters will be available for purchase. However, players will still be able to participate in game sessions with the new DLC characters. According to Robb, this will not break up the sense of community for the game. So, a player will not be rejected by the server because he/she does not own a particular map or character. Turtle Rock’s philosophy sounds like a good way to encourage inclusion and community for Evolve.
Evolve is not the only new game next year to offer free DLC. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt will offer an entire free DLC program that will include free 16 pieces of DLC for players who purchase the game. It is nice to see that there are still some developers willing to go the extra mile for players, instead of milking every single penny.
While I am not expecting the free DLC offers from games like Evolve or The Witcher 3 to be revolutionary changes in the industry, it is nice to see exciting new games offer additional content for players. I do not believe this is the only way to deliver DLC. Paying extra for DLC is not so terrible if the content is worth it. However, it seems like Evolve has found a nice middle ground with the DLC for the game.
Evolve is due out February 10, 2015 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC.
0 Comments