The Perks of Downloadable Content

It’s a trend that’s hard to ignore these days: games expanding through downloadable content. I remember when you used to buy a game… and that was all of the game. But now, the online capabilities of consoles has gone far enough that you can almost double the contents of a game by paying a fee and downloading. And in truth, it’s genius.

Looking at it from a purely business perspective, DLC is a perfect way to keep making money off a single game because players keep buying things for it. Take Rock Band , for example. Although it was a gift to me, I’ve easily spent over $50 just buying downloadable songs. And Microsoft has reported that Xbox LIVE’s DLC has brought in over $240 million, with $180 million of that being just in the last twelve months. And that number is just going to increase exponentially as publishers put more DLC out there.

And it’s not just the publishers that make the bank with this: Microsoft makes a ton of money from LIVE, all while letting the developers do the work. As Kevin Salcedo said, “Content isn’t tested by Microsoft. It’s verified.” So Microsoft brings in the money, but lets the developers work out the glitches, much like they do for the games themselves.

And downloadable content is great for the consumers as well. Yes, even though you’re spending a lot more money, you are also getting twice the gameplay. New maps for Halo fans, new dungeons for RPGs, DLC has a little bit of something for everyone. Again, pure genius.

And DLC is pretty much here to stay. Its success has been remarkable and with its wide appeal, more and more developers are going to be including something for their games. So as the price of consoles soar (and the economy falls apart) expect to start paying more for your video games. They may stay at $60, but you’re going to be spending a fortune for extra goodies online.