We have heard past comments out of Electronic Arts about how successful Battlefield 1943 was, and how the company would like to do more games in that vein. Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter has some clarification on how exactly this will be done going forward.
EA senior VP Nick Earl “revealed a strategy to release premium downloadable content (PDLC) as a product for sale prior to the release of a packaged product,” explains Pachter. This PDLC would range in price from $10 – $15 for release on Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network and “would essentially be a very long game demo, along the lines of 2009’s Battlefield 1943.”
“A full-blown packaged game would follow shortly after the release of the PDLC, bearing a full retail price,” continued Pachter. “The idea is that if the PDLC gets favorable reviews, it will build word of mouth for the boxed product. If the PDLC has issues, they can tweak the packaged product to address those issues, improving the final product before release.”
If this sounds more than a little weird, I’m right there with you. My main concern with this strategy is that once you get the early digital version of a game, what’s the incentive to go out and buy the full thing? Especially since the $10 to $15 you spent likely won’t go toward the purchase of the retail product.
EA to release paid DLC before boxed games [GamesIndustry.biz]
