DLC used to be a controversial topic as it seemed like developers were just cu♈tting content from the original game to add it back in later with an additional price tag, but more modern offerings have done a good job of ensuring that paid DLC feels like icing on the cake rather than a slice of the pie that was missing from the start.
However, while people still buy DLC, it can sometimes be a tough sell. A new report fr💮om Gamasutra says that of the people who already own a game, only 5-15% will actually buy paid DLC for it. That's not a lot, and it means that some s🙈tudios are even losing money when they offer DLC.
But indie games seem to fare better. spoke with "an enthusiastic group of devs who insist that paid DLC is good for business." They looked at several indie games that saw success with DLC sales to prove their point, but we'll take a look at what was found with Poland-based EXOR Studios and their game X-Morph: Defense.
A hybrid of tower defense and old-school shooters, X-Morph: Defense is a highly-rated game on , PS4, Switch, and Xbox One. It's also a game that has three DLC expansions that add significant chunks to the game, from new game modes ไto additional single-player campaign content. And unlike larger devs, they've managed to convince at least a third of their customers to buy the DLC.
EXOR reported that DLC lifetime attachment rate is 33%. During the 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Steam Summer Sale, when a bundled version of X-Morph: Defense was available, that attachment rꦜate went 🎀up to 60%.
So how did that happen? Well, bundles really help, but also those bundles have to be available before the next big sale. Gamers that might have wishlisted a game are patient and will wait f✤or the DLC before snagging a comprehensive edition for a discount. And that means that DLC will have to come out relatively quickly--say, within a year of release--in order to capture all thosꩲe wishlisted users.
“I think that most people make only one purchase and never return again, so if the DLC isn't available when they buy the game, that sale is lost," EXOR Studio COO Pawei Lekki told Gamasutra. "I think that DLC has mꦯore value as a long tail extension than as a singular launch event e.g. DLC sales in week one after a DLC’s release.”
To make DLC work, it has to be made fast and cheap, which is better suited to more flexible indie studios than big AAA 𒈔devs that might take a year or more to make a sin🌳gle DLC expansion.
Expect to see DLC continue to be a mainstay of the indie scene, with the most successful ones coming mere months after a game’s൲ release.
Source: