Battlefield 3 was designed for DLCs according to DICE, its developer studio
DICE have confirmed that they have developed their eagerly anticipated modern military shooter, Battlefield 3, to follow a relatively new concept of a round the year Downloadable Content plan.
While Downloadable Content may not be something new to the industry and the release a large number of DLC Packs being an increasing norm as well, with franchises such as Activision’s Call of Duty one of the biggest culprits in that regard; this is the first time a studio has actually come out and publically stated that their entire ethos was based around DLCs.
It may seem like a very bold, yet DICE has stated that they have “completely restricted” the development studio so that they can provide a steady stream of Downloadable Content for the game.
Lars Gustavsson, the creative director at DICE, explained that the studio had a separate team whose sole purpose it was to plan out every detail of the DLCs, from content to release dates.
He explained, “Nowadays, we have (a) operations team who looks at the titles when it starts getting closer to launch with potential downloadable content and so on, to really have a plan.”
However, the developer did try and allay fears that the DLC is just a ruse for earning money but rather more of a plan so that the content does not disappoint.
Lars continued, “Otherwise you’re quite likely to start slipping. If you’re focusing just before release on what you’re going to ship post-launch, then I think you have problems.”
To be fair the statement makes sense, gamers would be more open to downloadable content that does not seem like a waste on their hard earned cash.
It would be premature to come to any conclusions before the DLCs are announced and priced, yet if one was to look on the bright side, the constant support will go a long way in preventing the game becoming stale.
Meanwhile, the multiplayer beta came under a fair amount of criticism from gamers who felt the experience was substandard, even by beta standards.
There were a number of glitches in the game as well as the persistent issues with the party system, which either broke friends up into opposing factions, or ignored the party feature settings altogether.
DICE were quick to respond, explaining that the code which was used for the beta was 'outdated' and that the full retail version of the game will take care of all the issues and that it would also be a much better experience.
Gamers can find that out for themselves when the game releases later on this month, as Electronic Arts look to get a head start on the competition ahead of the hectic holiday season.
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