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A lot of people believe you have no right to critize free content because one doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
That's a concept that EA and BioWare would like you to believe, but the fact is that the content is not free. You have paid for it when you bought ME2 or when you bought the Cerberus Network. It's part of the product plan.
I did a little research on the reasons behind the day one DLCs for ME2. It's fairly simple. There is a time frame of 12 weeks between the time that ME2 was ready and the actual release date. BioWare used that time to create downloadable content. Here's what Mr Casey Hudson said about the subject:
Source: BioWare Explains Day One DLC.BioWare Explains Day One DLC
The director of Mass Effect 2 explained at the Game Developer's Conference last week why the game had downloadable content available for it the day it was released.
If that content is available at the same time the full game is, why not simply include it on the disc? Anything made before the release date can be included on the disc right?
Wrong according to Casey Hudson. There is a lengthy period in-between when a game is code complete and when it hits shelves where no new content can be added to the disc.
"What goes out on disc, it takes about 12 weeks to debug and certify and get into the trucks to go out into stores," he told Ars Technica. "That gives us a period of 8 to 12 weeks where we can make content, but we can't put it onto the disc because it's already out there. But we can insert it digitally, day one."
This means that Mass Effect 2's free DLC like the character Zaeed and the Normandy Crash Site mission were developed in the three months between when BioWare completed the game proper and when it came out. They are parts of the original game that BioWare decided to work on at the end of development instead of possibly delaying the game.
BioWare can do this because this kind of DLC doesn't have nearly the same kind of lead time as a full game. "It's down to a matter of two or three weeks—it makes a big difference," Hudson said. The Cerberus Network through which the DLC is offered on new copies of the game essentially amounts to its own form of DRM.
Most of the free of charge content have been announced before release and can be found on EA site (BioWare Unveils ‘The Cerberus Network’) and on BioWare's own site. They're not gifts. They're part of the product plan...
Source: Cerberus Network.Cerberus Network
Activate your Cerberus Network card and receive access to exclusive benefits. Revisit the emotionally stirring Normandy SR-1 crash site, recruit the deadly bounty hunter for hire Zaeed Massani, equip the latest gear and firepower with the Cerberus Assault Armor and Eviscerater Shotgun, and pilot the formidable Hammerhead. With more content and updates coming free to Cerberus Network members, make sure you activate your card inside your copy of Mass Effect 2. Check back often for all the latest info and upcoming content for Mass Effect 2!
Also, EA's "Project Ten Dollar" is very real. DA:O and ME2 were its pilot projects.
Source: Project Ten Dollar."Project Ten Dollar"
Riccitiello reworked his strategy last fall at a brainstorming session with his executive team. One major goal: Grab back some of the revenue EA and others were losing as consumers flocked to used games. The secondhand market now accounts for about a third of all games sold in the U.S., or $2 billion annually, says Pachter. At the meeting, Riccitiello green-lighted "Project Ten Dollar," a coupon program to reward people who purchase a new game with downloadable content and upgrades. People who buy used games pay an extra $10 or more for the same goodies. To create online products quickly, EA cut a deal in November to buy Playfish, which makes free games for social networks.
Source: EA's "Project Ten Dollar" explained.EA's "Project Ten Dollar" explained
Systems like Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network, Dragon Age's DLC network and upcoming launch add-ons for Bad Company 2 are all part of something EA calls "Project Ten Dollar".
That's according to a report in BusinessWeek talking about CEO John Riccitiello's plan to reduce second-hand sales, which the company makes no money from.
The idea, apparently green-lit last autumn, is to include a coupon or redeemable code with every new game which gives the buyer another chunk of content. Without that code, second-hand buyers will have to spend $10 to obtain the missing extras.
Riccitiello told BusinessWeek that despite 11 straight quarters of losses EA is on the up again thanks to its 2010 line-up and strategies like Project Ten Dollar. "You see a six-foot hole that we're in. I'm telling you that we were in a 20-foot hole and we've climbed 14 feet out of it," he said.
As well as providing consumers more reasons to buy games new rather than second-hand, EA also plans to try and stop people trading their games in by tacking multiplayer onto everything - something that rival Ubisoft this week said it was also planning to do.
Also see: EA's "Project Ten Dollar" Invades Battlefield Bad Company 2.
The idea that the content is free is misleading if you think they are merely gifts. They are not. The are part of a well crafted plan to keep the customer happy and to make more profit for EA and BioWare. Nothing wrong with that. The people who bought a second hand copy of these games need to pay for the same "free" content.
If you are not happy with that content you better speak up, because voting with your wallet isn't possible.
Modifié par AngryFrozenWater, 23 mars 2010 - 11:41 .
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