Yesterday, Capcom released the controversial “Resident Evil 5″ Versus Mode DLC over Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. The premium content, which offers two multiplayer modes for up to four people, was first reported by Joystiq editor Andrew Yoon, who stumbled upon an updated trophy list three days prior to the game’s North American release. What followed was a torrent of criticism from fans who felt that the content should be free. Lono, the scholar and Cubs fan, even suggested that the content would ship with the disc.
Turns out he was right.
“You are not, in fact, downloading the content from Xbox Live Marketplace or PlayStation Network,” IGN editor Hilary Goldstein wrote of the 1.86MB download. “Instead, you are downloading a key that unlocks content already on the RE5 retail disc.”
Oh dear, I can hear the mob gathering already.
Capcom once again defended the fee by citing development expenditures and bandwidth costs. Goldstein reminded gamers that Sony charges publishers for online game servers, while Microsoft passes the cost to consumers.
Capcom also ruffled some feathers when it released for-pay “Mega Man 9″ DLC last year. More recently, the company issued five “Street Fighter IV” costume packs for $4 each. Of course, Capcom can get away with these shenanigans, since it produces games that scads of people love to play. On March 16, the company announced that more 4 million copies of “Resident Evil 5″ had shipped worldwide since the March 5 Japanese release. The game launched in North America and Europe on March 13.
Personally, I am pretty apathetic toward the whole situation. I understand why people are angry, but I don’t believe that gamers should raise hell over a $5 download. Buy the content or don’t. It is as simple as that. Yes, it sucks that Capcom is charging to unlock modes that are already on the disc, but I don’t think that a litany of angry blog posts will do any good. The infamous “Oblivion” horse armor was released three years ago, yet some publishers continue to release questionable premium content. Not long after the release of “Soulcalibur IV,” Namco Bandai charged 360 and PS3 owners extra money to unlock Darth Vader and Yoda, respectively, even though both shipped on every copy of the game.
All you can do is vote with your wallet and hope that more companies imitate Criterion Games, Valve and Warner Bros. Interactive. Or, at the very least, they provide quality DLC for reasonable prices. Valve will release the “Left 4 Dead” Survival Pack on April 21, while Warner Bros. will launch the first batch of “F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin” DLC on April 16. Both will be free. And if you don’t know why I mentioned Criterion, then I suggest you punch yourself in the face. Just kidding. Criterion developed loads of free content for “Burnout Paradise.”
Besides, if you are going to complain about anything, focus on the price discrepancy between territories. Japanese gamers can download the Versus Mode for a mere $2.
Sources: Joystiq, IGN, Capcom, Capcom via Joystiq, CVG, Joystiq
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Do people ever learn? I really, really hope nobody buys into this like a grade-A sucker.
Bundling DLC in with an update (AFTER the game has been released) and charging for an unlock key is fine, as it means everything can work with everyone; this was the case with the original MotorStorm, where everybody could see the DLC cars even if they hadn’t bought them.
Bundling it on the disc? Ohhhnonononooo.
Yea, Resident Evil multiplayer doesn’t even sound that fun. I probably wouldn’t download if it were free.
Wow. This is going to get Fugly. Looks like I picked the perfect time to take a jab at CAPCOM in the Community Comic.
http://sarcasticgamer.com/wp/index.php/2009/04/sg-community-comic-gimme-a-brake-by-undeaddog.html
People won’t vote with their wallets because people are idiots. Why else do they dump full price money into Madden games every year that usually amount to little more then a roster update and some game tweaks?
@ Beez
Exactly. We the gaming community may vote with out wallets, but there are plenty of others who don’t read sites like these, and they are gonna buy em.
Japan’s being cheaper isn’t that bad. The game costs more there. It’s like $70. So don’t complain too much about that.
This is BS though.
@PyroTails
The uninformed gamer is exactly why we need to raise the jolly roger ever time a publisher tries to bleed us like this. We need to spread the word every chance we get. The more places we complain about tactics like this, the greater the chance that the casual gamer is likely to Google the negative press that companies like Capcom get for bone-headed moves like RE5 DLC being five bones.
I paid 5 bucks for a crappy multiplayer mode that SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THE GOD DAMNED DISC. Capcom better make up for this bullshit with Dead Rising 2
*rant rant rant rant*
OMAGAH!! I didn’t realize that Capcom got bought out by EA>(oh snap)
that is all.
“Bundling DLC in with an update (AFTER the game has been released) and charging for an unlock key is fine”
IS it? All they have to do is not put that content on the disc, just hold it back. Then you’re a happy little bunny right.
How many of the other game makers have already done that I wonder? It’s just a thought.
Admitedly, it does rub it right in your face when you have all the data right there on your disc, but then, whats the difference between having it on your disc and it being on the internet these days? That gap is slowly becoming a smaller and smaller one these days.
This is me thinking aloud, so dont slay me for it.
Lets hack it and give it to everyone for free!
Yeah, I’m in the angry mob (well, slightly-irritated mob) category. Costumes, golden weapons, things like that, charge all you want. They’re optional, cosmetic “skins” to the game and don’t inherently change the game.
This, this is wrong. We’ve already lost a lot of consumer power with most DLC and DD games (no secondhand market, no real competition to spur price drops, no resale value), and if Capcom gets away with this it’s one more step toward the concept of “leasing” entertainment rather than “owning” it.