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[93xfan]

From your perspective, what genre was hurt the most by the introductions of DLC?

For me, it's Fighting games. the magic of looking for secret characters and other cool things like new costumes became lost.


ALSO:

What genre benefited the most from DLC in your opinion?

In my experience, online shooters benefited so much. I would get as hyped for new Halo and Socom map packs as I would for a whole new game in some cases. I had to know the time of release. Runner up is racing games due to Mario Kart 8 and Forza Horizon (3 especially).

 

[Danjin44]

Benefits: JRPGs (if its done well)
Xenoblade 2's Torna and Xenoblade 3's Future Redeemed are FANTASTIC expansion, I want to see more JRPGs have DLCs like this.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Sports games, specifically everything relating to ultimate team, myteam, whatever tf pes are doing, etc.

 

[DelireMan7]

Was also thinking Fighting games when I saw the thread title.
Having characters lock behind DLC is a huge loss for me.

I would say lot of single players game benefited from it when done right. Notably FromSoft games have incredible DLCs that expand on the main game.

 

[Rhazer Fusion]

Negatively?

Fighting games
Fighting games
Fighting games
Fighting games

And…..

Fighting games

Want all the characters? Pay for the Season pass that costs more than the game itself. Like that outfit? Pay up. Unlockable characters? What’s that? Don’t know how to fight that annoying overpowered on purpose DLC character? Pay up to learn and lab them. Not enough characters on the roster or stages for you? Wait for the expensive DLC months and years down the road. I still really like fighting games, but imo, the live service model and DLC really hurts them.

Benefit?

Probably RPG’s like From Software games?

 

[bender]

I didn't mind the character passes in Street Fighter V. I'd rather rosters expand this way rather than release 3-5 different iterations of the game. The costume DLC did get out of hand but if you were patient, you could get bundles that contained everything.

 

[ZehDon]

First Person Shooters would be my bet.

Prior to DLC, we used to get full campaigns and multiplayer. In the PC space, id software set the standard that the community would also be provided free modding and/or mapping tools, allowing the community to create lots of high-quality content for free. Today, campaigns are shorter, multiplayer is a DLC and MTX riddled mess, and modding is expressly out of the question, with developers going the extra mile to make sure their games can't be modded at all.

From one of the most open to the single most closed off, FPSs have fallen greatly thanks to DLC and what came after.

As for which genre has benefitted the most, I'd be lying if I said I thought any really had as a whole. There are only those damaged less than other, in my opinion.

 

[mrmustard]

Benefit: RTS
New units are always cool and provide new tactics

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Imho fighters are easily #1 most negatively impacted and no other genre comes close.

Best impacted, probably shooters. Not only do you have the GaaS aspect with new challenges and everything but you get new content.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Fighting games. When I know in advance that I can only get the full experience by paying the dev continuously throughout years of the games lifecycle, I get turned off from buying at all very quickly.

 

[Skyfox]

Ridge racer came out on vita as a shell for dlc and the franchise fell on its face and never recovered.

 

[ReBurn]

I think online first person shooters got it worst. Map DLC fractured a lot of games pretty bad. Followed by fighting games with new character DLC. You had to download the characters in an update whether you bought them or not to be able to play online.

Single player story based games benefited the most. New chapters to play.

Day 1 DLC was a horrible practice and will always be.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Yep, fighting games got it rough. I mean, people like Smash fans were absolutely delighted by the continuous drip-feed of DLC character news for the good part of two years (!). Me, I just wanted the damn thing to be over at last.

I’m not sure DLC benefits JRPGs that much. Sure, additional content is good, but timing of release is key. I never got around to play Torna because by the time it came out, I had moved on from Xenoblade 2. Even worse when the DLC isn’t a standalone expansion, but additional characters or quests. What is even the point of playing a big game day one when the DLC is going to be integrated into the main game much later? Same reason I have zero interest in more Elden Ring one and a half year after release, and I haven’t started Xenoblade 3 yet.

I struggle to see the point of DLC for games as big as we have today. It made sense in the 7th gen when we still had reasonably sized and reasonably paced games. Today, I feel like many games getting DLC are big enough to not need DLC at all. Sure, it’s easy money for devs and publishers who can keep capitalizing on existing assets in an era of ridiculously long development times. But we have so many games available now, I don’t know why you’d want to go back to one you’ve beaten already (and took you dozens of hours to beat) just for DLC.

 

[Draxon Gamer]

I feel like overtime, people forgot that Shmups and Fighting games introduced paid DLC for content already on the disc, intentionally locked until you pay to remove whatever code is sealing the content.

It was way back then I knew things would go the MTX and Loot crate route before it even happened.

 

[DemonGamerTTT]

Fighting games.

Base game costs the same of a triple AAA(60+), but the entire game costs something like 250/300 USD because of all dlc.

It also gives incentive for developers to launch broken characters then call an "opsie" and nerf them after their initial sales.

 

[AlteredForms]

Negatively: First-Person Shooters

So much COD DLC out there it's incredible. Nowadays it has been refined somewhat with the battle pass system, but it's still just as bad in terms of cost.

 

[RagnarokIV]

First Person Shooters would be my bet.

Prior to DLC, we used to get full campaigns and multiplayer. In the PC space, id software set the standard that the community would also be provided free modding and/or mapping tools, allowing the community to create lots of high-quality content for free. Today, campaigns are shorter, multiplayer is a DLC and MTX riddled mess, and modding is expressly out of the question, with developers going the extra mile to make sure their games can't be modded at all.

From one of the most open to the single most closed off, FPSs have fallen greatly thanks to DLC and what came after.

As for which genre has benefitted the most, I'd be lying if I said I thought any really had as a whole. There are only those damaged less than other, in my opinion.

Even official maps were free releases (usually as incentive to upgrade the playerbase from v1.2 to v1.3 for example). I think COD4 was the last, because MW2 DLC sent the PC world mental.

 

[nkarafo]

Hurt: Most genres.

Benefited: Guitar Hero/Rock Band. You just got more songs. It could be thousands of songs. Such a service makes sense for those games.

 

[Danjin44]

I’m not sure DLC benefits JRPGs that much. Sure, additional content is good, but timing of release is key. I never got around to play Torna because by the time it came out, I had moved on from Xenoblade 2. Even worse when the DLC isn’t a standalone expansion, but additional characters or quests. What is even the point of playing a big game day one when the DLC is going to be integrated into the main game much later? Same reason I have zero interest in more Elden Ring one and a half year after release, and I haven’t started Xenoblade 3 yet.

You DEFINITELY should play Torna if you liked Xenoblade 2. Future Redeemed DLC for Xenoblade 3 is also really, REALLY good, Monolith Soft is one of the very few JRPG developers who knows how to make proper expansion.

 

[Goliath77]

Im not sure if DLC specifically but so many games have been negatively hit by online trends like dlc and live service switches.

Sports games are gone, just casinos for card packs

Fighting games are gone - just a core character set with all other characters needing to be brought

Racing games are on the cusp - Gran Turismo has transitioned into a gaas game, as well as Iracing.
I can see other racers going the same way.

Not a genre but I also tried playing The Sims4 recently, and wow. So much of what would have been in a previous core game now sold as dlc. It was outrageous.

I would agree 100% that music type games have benefited, being able to download songs or tracks is great and adds longevity

 

[Zheph]

FPS for sure

Most people will say fighters games but they used to come in many different iterations with new sets of characters and you repay for the full game each time so think about that

This is what I am talking about, DLC isn't impacting as much as you think for fighters (that list is actually missing so many SF games)

 

[The_Mike]

Either they feel like weird easy grab filler content or content cut from the base game to sell (never forgotten Bioshock)

 

[Graciaus]

JRPGs. What use to be unlocked in game is just paid content now.

 

[Wildebeest]

Strategy games. The market now favours games with a ten year shelf life that are super bloated with DLC from the likes of Paradox. Franchises that used to release fairly regularly like Civ are stuck on major releases. Total War is stuck in games workshop limbo, churning out slightly different types of dwarves and elves for rapacious nerds instead of recreating beautifully researched historical settings. Finely balanced competitive RTS are just nowhere to be seen.

 

[Pejo]

JRPGs. What use to be unlocked in game is just paid content now.

Yea unlockables becoming DLC is the worst overall feature. But NIS/IF games are terrible.

Nothing is as bad as this though:

463 DLC items for DOA6. Four Hundred, Sixty-Three. Probably well over $1000.00 USD for all of it.

 

[diffusionx]

Sports games and it is not even close. Look at the sports games of the PS2 generation and they were incredibly deep and had tons of features. Nowadays they are just total shit and designed by psychologists to funnel you into microtransactions.

 

[Danjin44]

JRPGs. What use to be unlocked in game is just paid content now.

Xenoblade game had great DLCs so far.

 

[StueyDuck]

MP games... fuck being locked out of content.

I hate skins and that stuff but at least it helped MP games cone more in line with providing free game changing content.

 

[Graciaus]

Yea unlockables becoming DLC is the worst overall feature. But NIS/IF games are terrible.

Nothing is as bad as this though:


463 DLC items for DOA6. Four Hundred, Sixty-Three. Probably well over $1000.00 USD for all of it.

Koei Tecmo is just a terrible publisher. Games rarely go on sale and are full of costume DLC.

 

[DemonGamerTTT]

FPS for sure

Most people will say fighters games but they used to come in many different iterations with new sets of characters and you repay for the full game each time so think about that

This is what I am talking about, DLC isn't impacting as much as you think for fighters (that list is actually missing so many SF games)

That's not a good example... Most fps games(at least the not pay to win ones) only add some maps and weapon skins in it's dlcs, some even let's you play the new content if you're in a party with a friend.

Back in the days the only way to update a game and add new characters was by selling an entire new game... yeah...

But times have changed, making 70% of the cast behind a SECOND paywall is way shittier than having one or two less maps to play.

 

[Ulysses 31]

Whatever Koei Tecmo develops lately, especially their warriors games.

 

[GMCamaro]

I can’t find a single game that benefits from DLC as it is currently implemented.

 

[Spyxos]

I haven't bought Street Fighter X Tekken until today, because the characters were already on the disc, but I had to pay for them again. Too bad actually, the game didn't look bad.

 

[LavitzSlambert]

Negative: strategy games. Not only is there more content you need to buy, but it often changes the gameplay significantly with power creep and a lot of re-balancing needed to make it work.

Positive: WRPGs. Adding more content and quests to a huge world is never a bad thing, and a lot of DLC for these games is regarded as the best content it has to offer. Look at the DLC for Fallout: New Vegas, Skyrim, The Witcher 3 - good examples of the best content being post-release DLC.

 

[cireza]

463 DLC items for DOA6. Four Hundred, Sixty-Three. Probably well over $1000.00 USD for all of it.

And yet you get much more content out the base package than with any other fighting game out there.

 

[KiteGr]

Fighting Games.
They literally made me stop buying them!

 

[Laptop1991]

Benefited, i would say RPG dlc's are the best imo, whether Bethesda's TES or Fallout SP games, the Witcher 3 or the most recent open world Assassin Creed games, a lot of content and value, and made the games so much bigger, some grind with Valhalla, but still worth the price,

Negative, GTA Online shark cards obviously, that's why the SP dlc was canned and the only dlc was for GTAO, and maybe on line shooters like COD or Battlefield, not that i play them as they are rarely SP games now, but the dlc was monetized just for the deathmatch crowd, not sure the mp gamers will agree but that's my opnion.

 

[TexMex]

FPS for sure. CoD ruined by no one playing the actual game, just all in there farming dumbass skins for their guns.

 

[93xfan]

FPS for sure

Most people will say fighters games but they used to come in many different iterations with new sets of characters and you repay for the full game each time so think about that

This is what I am talking about, DLC isn't impacting as much as you think for fighters (that list is actually missing so many SF games)

Sure, but I miss the mystery and fun of finding and unlocking costumes, characters, etc

 

[CatLady]

The worst is DLC that just adds cosmetics, skins, outfits, weapons or additional characters.

The best- WRPGs especially BGS. Games like Fallout 3, 4 and Vegas or Oblivion with Shivering isles, lots of big Story DLC in Skyrim. Not a WRPG but tons of great DLC in Dishonorored 1 & 2.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Mobile games is the biggest capitalist wasteland in the history of gaming, and a possible future for us if we're gonna keep getting more and more complacent with garbage monetization.

 

[Captain Toad]

I don't know about genre, but I believe videogame horses have suffered the most.

 

[Fbh]

It's not really my genre but yeah DLC in fighting games always seemed annoying.
Honestly Nintendo games also kinda suck with their DLC because they never drop in price so if you want the "complete edition" of any of their games you need to shell out $90 or $100 even if they are several years old. Also we haven't gotten a new Mario Kart in ages because they just keep adding DLC to MK8.


The only genere that hasn't suffered too much from it IMO are RPG's. And it's because they've continued to treat it as oldschool "expansions" instead small bite sized stuff.
The Witcher 3, Mass Effect (except the pre order Bonus for ME3), the Souls Games, Xenoblade, Fallout, etc

 

[StereoVsn]

Benefits: JRPGs (if its done well)
Xenoblade 2's Torna and Xenoblade 3's Future Redeemed are FANTASTIC expansion, I want to see more JRPGs have DLCs like this.

That used to be called just an expansion pack in the olden days. Lots of games had these, for example Morrowind or Oblivion (not talking about horse armor ).

DLCs / MTXs generally make most games worse. For example, used to be you could get cosmetics in games by just playing. That's almost not a thing anymore without shelling out $$.

Or look at Ubi and couple last AC games. Experience curve was generally adjusted to such that you either have to complete a ton of separate content ... or buy handy currency packs on Ubi store.

 

[Larxia]

Definitely fighting games, I'm not even interested in tyring most of them because of this.
Tekken 7 still had good content without DLCs, will have to see how Tekken 8 is, but for most other fighting games... yeah it always feel like playing an incomplete game that becomes crazy expensive if you want the full experience.

 

[EverydayBeast]

DLC continues to give games "seasons".

 

[brian0057]

All of them.

 

[CLW]

Sports games, specifically everything relating to ultimate team, myteam, whatever tf pes are doing, etc.

Indeed Pay to Win card games in sports titles has COMPLETELY DOMINATED the entire genre little resources are given to anything other than loot box animations

 

[Lasha]

Fighting games? I guess you guys didn't play many fighting games back when serious players had to buy a new release every year to stay current. Seasons and DLC characters avoid that by uniting the community for the life of the game. You never have to buy anything again in SF6 if you're a Ryu main.

 

[Dr. Claus]

No game franchise has benefited from DLC/Microtransactons. They all have suffered greatly.