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The end of the DLC’s?

Gamespot revealed scary statistics – only 15% PC and 6% of console consumers buy DLCs. And this may be end of the DLCs and rise of the prices and sequels or new name with re-skinned game (if you know what I mean … ;D)

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And here is the article:

 

Industry-research group finds small minority download premium content via Xbox 360, PS3, or Wii over three-month period; 15 percent got content online via PC or Mac.

Downloadable content is all the rage in gaming at the moment, with such high-profile titles as Mass Effect 2, Alan Wake, and Red Dead Redemption getting premium add-ons. However, according to a recent survey by the NPD Group, only a small minority are getting DLC via connected consoles.

According to a survey by the industry research group spanning three months, 75 percent of consumers 13 and older did not download digital content on any platform at all. Some 15 percent downloaded content via a PC or Mac, 4 percent through a smartphone, and 2 percent connected via a Blu-ray Disc player or a digital video player, such as Apple TV or Roku. (The sample size of the study was not provided.)

The remaining 6 percent downloaded content via a connected “game player,” a category that covers the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. Russ Crupnick, NPD’s vice president and senior entertainment analyst, put a positive spin on the relatively low number.

“The promise of the connected experience is coming, as prospective Blu-ray owners want their players to come with connectivity, and half of game consoles are already connected,” he said in a statement. “The doors are also opening wider for music, video, gaming and other forms of entertainment.”

Anita Frazier, NPD’s top analyst for toys and video games, elaborated on the gaming aspect of the study. She said that, thanks to online connectivity, the demographic of what is considered a “gamer” is broadening.

“Today’s gamer might be a hardcore teenager playing games online with his friends, a 40-something female playing Farmville on Facebook, or everything on either side of that spectrum,” Frazier said. “We would not have seen this type of audience diversification and expansion if it weren’t for connected Internet, smartphone, and online gaming options.”

 

Source: Gamespot

 

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Comments

18 responses to “The end of the DLC’s?”

  1. Nextra Avatar
    Nextra

    @Kossak: I meant the core community. Basically: If you’re planning to play the game online you’re pretty much forced to buy the map packs. At least that’s my current state of information. Of course not “everyone” in the sense of “every last MW2 owner” but I believe the map packs reached pretty high quotas in the main target audience for the map DLC.

    Reply
  2. ivenoidea Avatar
    ivenoidea

    I think it’s actually quite cool.
    But i’m not gonna buy anything, that’s n00bish^^

    Reply
  3. rottencat Avatar
    rottencat

    if you don’t like it don’t buy it.

    Reply
  4. glubbar Avatar
    glubbar

    I know I know (just read the FAQ actually).

    Still, it makes me freak out. D:

    Reply
  5. ivenoidea Avatar
    ivenoidea

    @glubbar
    That’s not a points system. It uses your currency (Euro, Dollar or Pounds).
    Also: you don’t have to use it.

    Reply
  6. glubbar Avatar
    glubbar

    Holy crap. A few hours after my last comment, Steam wallet got launched. >_<

    I HATE YOU STEAM. YOU WON'T MILK ME!

    Reply
  7. rottencat Avatar
    rottencat

    TF2 hats

    Reply
  8. rottencat Avatar
    rottencat

    We will see, TF2 may as well soon be up for sale
    http://www.pcgamer.com/2010/09/30/new-team-fortress-2-comic-about-some-new-way-to-buy-hats/

    Reply
  9. glubbar Avatar
    glubbar

    As a side note, I think buying DLCs on Steam is much more honest than buying STUPID points on random platforms (Microsoft turds, Electronic Arts, Bioware…). If Steam goes for a “point” system, I’ll definitely quit buying from them.

    Reply
  10. glubbar Avatar
    glubbar

    Ouch. Now I feel guilty for having bought the latest Borderlands DLC…
    no wait, that one was OK.
    I do feel guilty for having bought 2 Mass Effect 2 DLC this week. They are overpriced and they’re not that interesting (Overlord, Shadow Broker). Plus I hate how you MUST stay connected to their shitty online platform to be able to play.

    I’m against DLC, I boycott all the other games’ DLC for the main reason that they’re unfair, overpriced, and are not pleasant to buy.

    Reply
  11. Kossak Avatar
    Kossak

    @Nextra about mw2 map packs that “everyone buys it” you are a bit mistaken. I own mw2 but never bought any map packs for it (and i don’t intend too, cause i even regret buying mw2)

    Reply
  12. Nextra Avatar
    Nextra

    This is not “The End of DLC”, at all. Given the numbers somewhat resemble what actually happens (Noroo already has some valid concerns about this) you need to view it from the other side.

    You calculate: DLC are not worth the developer’s time because only 15% of PC players buy them. Therefore DLCs are not a valid model from a business standpoint.

    Actually it’s like this: The game has already been bought by the player. That means the developer already has the money. Then DLC comes along that, on top, go out to another 15% of the customer base. However, adding DLC to a finished game is not that expensive for a developer. Of course there may be the occassion where superb DLC comes out for a game, but there’s also the case of Mafia II where, apparently, content is held back from customers just to make those additional 15% buy extra stuff on top. Also there’s the prime example Modern Warfare where 5 maps sell for 14€ and literally everyone buys it. A professional mapping team will not spend months on some maps, in fact some were even recycled from the previous installment. That and similar cases are where DLC becomes extremely valuable to the developer. And that’s why DLC will continue to exist.
    (Additionally, Noroo has already said that the actual numbers in the core customer base might be a lot higher).

    And btw.: This is not a “hail DLC” comment. Just my view of why the end of DLC is not as near as you might want it to be.

    Reply
  13. Noroo Avatar
    Noroo

    Interesting, but I think the header is slightly misleading. It states that ‘only 15% PC and 6% of console consumers buy DLCs’, implying that out of every 100 PC users, 15 buy digital content – and out of every 100 console users, only 6 do the same. But the article states something different, namely that of all people surveyed: 75% did not download any digital content, 15% downloaded digital content via PC or Mac, 4% via smartphone, 2% via video player and 6% via console (the total of these numbers is 102%, suggesting a number of people bought digital content from more than one source).

    Since, as the article says, the research includes both ‘a hardcore teenager playing games online with his friends’ and ‘a 40-something female playing Farmville on Facebook’, it would perhaps be more interesting to see how many people who have played a game with DLC actually bought the DLC – rather than asking people who might be playing games that don’t even have DLC on offer!

    Right now, it seems a little like comparing apples to oranges: I’m quite sure nobody at BioWare expected people who only play Flash games on Facebook to be purchasing their Mass Effect 2 DLC!

    Reply
  14. m!nus Avatar
    m!nus

    Good. Imho DLCs are just ripoff; you pay for a fullprice game and a week later there’s content they maybe kept from the main game to be paid twice for something they should’ve shipped right away.

    Reply
  15. Dragoon Avatar
    Dragoon

    Very interesting numbers. Didn’t knew the sales where so low. Maybe there is change they return to release full blown add-on & expansion packs instead overpriced dlc’s.

    Reply

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