Battlefield 3 Exec Producer claims Free DLC upsets gamers
Here’s a very interesting admission from one of DICE’s senior big wigs. Speaking in an interview with OXM UK, Battlefield 3 Executive Producer Patrick Bach claims that free DLC is not well received by the more hardcore user and that DICE have had much more positive responses to priced DLC than anything they have released for free.
From the OXM UK interview:
“We actually got a lot of flack for giving away free maps. I know it sounds weird, but people got really upset with us. People said “if you’re giving it away, why couldn’t you give it away earlier?” There were a lot of complaints.
It’s easier for the consumer of today to comprehend that if you pay for something and you get something big and meaty – it’s worth it. When we were giving away small things for free, we actually had people being more upset than happy about it. ‘Only three maps? That’s not enough.’ When we brought it up and said: ‘yeah, but it’s free?’ people said “but I would have paid ten dollars for five maps.”
That’s not to say that DICE won’t be providing free content in the future, however. Bach was also quick to mention that free DLC is very much a part of the company’s future plans.
“I’m not saying that we won’t give stuff away for free – because I know for sure that we will – but it’s just fascinating. Consumers are not used to getting things. There are no free lunches, and people get very suspicious when they get something for free.
Even when it’s free, it’s not free enough – people felt they didn’t get enough maps for free, and that upset me, but we still think it’s a good idea – especially if a company is successful and making a lot of money. I think a lot of people would say the opposite and just think ‘great, more money for us’, but we always think it’s nice to give small things away.”
So there you go, guys – you should be grateful DICE gives away free DLC content, because apparently most consumers are not used to getting things for free, and most companies would take advantage of that suspicion by never giving away free DLC. But not DICE!
Battlefield 3 releases on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 25 in North America and October 27 in Australia. To read the full interview, head on over to the OXM UK website
Source: OXM UK
