Even for profits, DLC is mistreated

Okay, so obvious disclaimer: I do writing and rants, I am not some professional marketer, and perhaps I'm missing some weird secret sauce science that defies some deeper common sense logic. Maybe they've got the true ability to manipulate the weird, and human nature is just far more unpredictable than my claims would make things seem. Either way, along the recent discussion (and some anger) over Zelda's season pass. The bit going around, seems to divide it up into 3 categories: The first DLC, the 2nd DLC, and the stuff they cut directly out of the release to congratulate you for being a blind sap and buying the DLC later. Reminds me of how another company runs their season passes. Not just one though, a few silly ones. I won't waste your time merely being another whiny consumer that tells you what I wish to be or not in your game for free. Instead, I'm dedicating this article to discuss something I probably said in smaller detail before: why it's even stupid in business.

Selling the thing that doesn't exist

It's incredibly easy to discourage people from buying a seasons pass, or even pre-ordering certain games. Why? Because it doesn't exist. It's less easy for pre-orders though. Usually, die-hard fans will stick to it, and retailers will encourage it more happily. However with a season pass... that's extra. That's literally extra on top of something that does not exist, at least not unless your Dark Souls 2 announcing it way after release. Unless you know your game stinks, you really have no reason to rush people toward unfinished content for an unfinished game, especially if you're giving away the possibility that the DLC is helping to leave the unfinished game unfinished even at launch. That just doesn't make any sense. Nobody really wanders off to buy season passes pre-launch, unless they're super hardcore fanboys/girls. Then, they'll still buy it no matter what, so you lost nothing by letting them wait it out a month, or even a freakin' week. Just a week, can you manage that? Nope, you got to try and sell people something that doesn't exist, before the game even exists, all the way two months or more out before the release. Doesn't sound like the smart way to entice people, especially in Zelda or back on Shadow Fall's case where the console wasn't even out before it was advertised. So... you're asking them to essentially pre-order and invest in 3 different things to exist, each of which will take you some time to get through to even think of the next one! If the numbers are good here, my compliments to the sorcerers that managed to convince you to buy things that don't even exist, but all I'm seeing and feeling is how stupid it looks.

Showing all your cards

Okay, so you say you make DLC in part to keep the game from being turned in so fast? You want to keep the game relevant with people? You want people to hang onto it, and pay for more? So why are you telling me the entire game's plan before it exists. Going off of the last point, it's quite silly to sell people on something that doesn't exist, and then you're also wasting your time and effort on marketing for the thing that doesn't exist. Make up your damn minds on your goals here! Are you going to assure people there's content and relevance with new surprising updates that hit fast and sudden, or are you going to tell them what you're making before they can even touch the first damn game? Furthermore, you look like a complete fool if the base game flops and you're sitting there peddling future fun for the game everyone hates. Now if you didn't declare your plans, maybe you could try to turn around and spin it as a way to fix up the games, or even just decide whether or not it was worth trying to pull more money in at all and secretly snuff the DLC. But no, you got to tell everyone it's all going to be there for an addition $40 pass nobody is actually going to buy before they even know what the damn game is. Then when it flops, or they see what it's really like, or they can see a "everything edition" coming, they'll dodge it and wait... because you made yourself so fucking predictable. Nice business there guys!

Here, I'll even tell you how to cheat!

Look, I said I'm on your corporate side of this article, not mine. To be honest, I've always got that in mind, and I think out what business moves make sense. Companies need to make money, and sometimes it's not as simple as just selling the core game... even though you should expect that to work most of the time, otherwise look over where you're wasting resources. Still, let's say you just really want extra money, and you're desperate and don't care about pissing people off. Well here's the sad reality, it's better not to piss people off, because some of those lost sale threats are legit. But you're desperate, so I'm not going to tell you to back off on your tactics, just adjust your approach. You want to lock a difficulty behind a paywall, Nintendo? Okay. You want to make content to lock up and sell later Capcom? Okay. You decided to strip out a bonus mode from the game, delay it's finishing polish, and sell it a month later? Okay, I'll be cool with that and not complain a single bit. That is, if you don't tell me about it until convenient.

You see, this is where I really don't get the whole DLC mess. This stuff ain't rocket science here, and publishers have been able to get away with even less subtle disguises just fine, by even being disguises in the first place. However with all the controversial DLC, they all have the common trait that it's announced and fussed over before the game is even out. That's a huge problem, and in case you haven't been following along, all my points lead up to this. You wind up showing all your cards, gave away your announcement press before the damn game was even out, and all so you could somehow pathetically beg people to pay for an extra that doesn't exist, to a game that doesn't exist, at a time before people even know if they like it or not. That's ridiculous! Now by contrast, if you waited a month, or heck two weeks, maybe even one fucking week after the launch of the game, you not only put yourself back in the presses, but get to tell people "Hey that game you love? We suddenly remembered there's more of it coming if you can pay for it!" If you're making a game people send back before even then, you probably weren't going to convince them to stay by saying there will be stuff eventually they'd have to pay more for. However, if this pays off, you surprised everyone, and the people who declare crooked practices will look slightly more about being edgy. "Oh they were hiding this the whole time!?" some would say (oh, and don't just slap it on the disc either, or else they'll find that and be proven right). Others would be just shrugging it off, and thinking more content. Meanwhile there was no pre-game outrage. There was no cancelled angry pre-orders, nor anybody telling you how you fell into the dark path, or fans saying they got used. Instead there's just "Hey, expect this down the road, and if you're really liking the game so far and know you'll want more... there's a season pass to nab it all!"

Instead, you smugly declare before everyone that you have a difficulty mode being prepared to sell later to them before the game, new console, or newer mechanics are there. Are you proudly arrogant, or just doubling down on stupid!? Seriously, this is the big thing I don't get with this DLC nonsense. I don't care about a hard mode that much. So why am I writing the article? Because it feels so smug, so arrogant, and yet so stupid that publishers like Nintendo think it's actually a good idea to sit there and advertise this stuff before anything is even manifesting as an enjoyable experience. Wake the hell up, this is an entertainment industry! You need to entertain and keep people happy, and then you can so easily persuade them to buy your crap right after that. That feels like such simple, easy, and reasonable common sense, yet it apparently isn't when every single company and game outside of Dark Souls 2 does it!? At least that game waited a month to figure out what they were doing for DLC, and then waited to put out a season pass. It sounded relatively popular as well, and not a single complaint was thrown up. People were asking for DLC before it was even announced. That's great business, not this Zelda shit. I'm not even asking you to be that honest about it though, just hide it, and it'll have the same exact look and effect. Instead you're exposing yourself for what it truly is that people call you out on: a company so eager and greedy they have no self-control but to run out and beg for money on top of the other money before the consumer can see a single ounce of return. Maybe I'm missing something in all this, but I figured it was worth a try to explain this rather than just the standard angry consumer. I'm trying to think of profits, and you're still fucking it up, games industry.

You're just putting a target on the suits