EEDAR: More Than Half Of Console Owners Get DLC
Downloadable content is a big deal, and it gets more popular with every passing day.
According to a report from Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), the percentage of gamers who download extra content is steadily rising. In fact, the number of PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners who have downloaded new stuff for their games has now exceeded the number who haven't.
EEDAR conducted a 2011 Deconstructing DLC survey, and found that 51% of participants bought at least some DLC in the previous year, which is up from 40% in 2010 and 34% in 2009. Now that it's 51%, EEDAR says this means around 20 million North American gamers have picked up add-ons in the past 12 months. The total revenue has hit $875 million this year, and this should all continue to grow due to higher broadband speeds and increased marketing.
Worldwide DLC revenues are closing in on $2 billion overall, so it's a lucrative piece of the industry these days. As for the 49% who haven't downloaded extra content, those gamers listed a variety of reasons for avoiding DLC. Privacy concerns were the most common reason, and other complaints included the inability to return DLC, the high cost of the content, and the inability to demo DLC. 24% also said there was enough free DLC to satisfy them.
So how do you feel about downloadable content, a new feature for this console generation?
Tags: psn, playstation network, dlc, downloadable content, eedar
10/19/2011 10:21:00 AM Ben Dutka
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Comments (13 posts)
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 10:44:44 AM
chilker
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 12:37:10 PM
leatherface
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 1:47:48 PM
Ultimadream
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 10:47:35 AM
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I have only bought DLC Once and that was for Neir as I felt it had a lot to offer. But most DLC is not as expansive as a side quest or sub-story. There little items that should be in the game. Like XIII-2, I hear they are planning to put in extra monsters for your team as DLC.... WHY THE F*** is that not in the game anyway! Companies have to DLC and just exploited it, but of course, if they release it, people will buy it...
burnedknight
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 11:39:26 AM
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Highlander
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 12:15:26 PM
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Then there is the online pass which might technically qualify as DLC, but is quite different to the rest.
I have no problem with new content, and the timesaver style of DLC ticket is purely at the gamer's discretion. That DLC where the content is already on the disc seems like a total rip off to me. The solution is quite simple of course, don't charge extra for stuff that's on the disc already - unless you're selling me a way to unlock something early that I can unlock through play alone. Then I have the option to obtain the thing through play, or by purchasing it.
Too often DLC is announced by game makers prior to the launch of the game, and it seems like the DLC was developed along side the game being released, in which case, it should be part of the game - and free. If DLC comes later and is new content that is developed after the game goes gold and launches, I have less of an issue. It's new, and extra, so I see no reason why the dev should not charge for it.
So, I'll pay for extra scenarios that have to be downloaded, extra characters or skins that are downloaded, or even tickets to boost in-game performance. But I hate paying for something that is already on the disc, but that I cannot get without the DLC code and is simply being unlocked.
slugga_status
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 12:45:08 PM
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Anybody who was a fan of Uncharted 2 MP purchased the DLC they had to offer. The maps were great. Same thing goes for any other title. It's simply to expand the experience. Take a look at Dante's Inferno, people buy the new dlc to expand the story.
DLC isn't necessary like many of you have said. Yet for fans of certain titles it's almost a must. The only DLC I just refused to by was for Heavy Rain and I only held back b/c I found out the other dlc portions were canceled.
BikerSaint
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 7:44:32 PM
"Now that's what I call, really thanking your fan base"
BTW, The only 1 time I ever bought DLC to add to the game was "The Midnight Show" for The Saboteur. And they only charged $2.99 back then.
Last edited by BikerSaint on 10/19/2011 7:52:23 PM
maxpontiac
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 2:09:01 PM
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Lairfan
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 5:50:53 PM
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The DLC I really hate though is the kind that's already on the disc (or added to the disc discretely). Take the Bad Company 2 Onslaught Mode for instance. A couple weeks before that released, there was a gigantic 4GB patch that took forever to download. Then when you bought the mode a few weeks later, it was an 8KB download (obviously an unlock code). That really p*ssed me off.
And then there's all this preorder DLC, with different stores offering different pieces of DLC, and you have to wait months after the game's released before they put it on PSN. All that content should be in the game; I don't care if it helps promote the stores, it takes content away from the consumer, and I'd much rather have the K-Mart system anyways (they give you a bunch of money towards another game if you preorder new games there).
And as far as online passes are concerned, I get the general idea for why they're making them, but its truly an unfair system.
So yeah, if I had to give the award for worst new thing of the generation, it'd probably go to DLC. I mean, its practically a dev "screw the customer over" system that's being heavily abused. Too bad so many people are buying into it.
Russell Burrows
Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 8:42:29 PM
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Wednesday, October 19, 2011 @ 10:43:54 AM