Bizarre explains why Blur will take a different approach to Criterion's ongoing downloadable updates
Bizarre Creations’ executive producer Ben Ward believes that, while Burnout Paradise’s policy of extensive DLC updates is daring, it remains financially unproven.
EA-owned Criterion saw the release of Burnout Paradise in January 2008, yet the studio has continued to develop key updates for the game ever since. Only yesterday Criterion released a brand new addition to the game's world map – Big Surf Island – which can be downloaded for around $13/£10 or 1000 MS Points.
Speaking to develop in an interview published today, Ward explained that Blur will be getting DLC updates, but Bizarre is not looking to replicate Criterion’s DLC policy.
“I think it's a very brave thing the Burnout team did,” said Ward, “but I think it's still unproven.”
“I'm not their accountant so I don't know how much money they've made,” he added.
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Ward touches on an area which remains largely unexplored by analysts and the game press. The popularity of DLC updates are rarely quantified, as are the revenues they make. Meanwhile, it remains largely unknown how much investment and development resources are used for DLC in comparison to a full project.
“It's a really interesting approach what they've done,” says Ward, “but I think we've got our own ideas and our own areas that we want to push.”
One of those ideas is to create an in-game social network in Blur, of which the developers discuss in more detail here.
Criterion’s ongoing persistence in releasing new DLC does perhaps suggest that the DLC model is profitable. On the other hand, many DLC updates – including Paradise’s – have found their way to retail shelves in some fprm, suggesting that the market size on PSN and Xbox Live is growing yet still perhaps too small.
Rockstar recently announced that the two Xbox 360 exclusive GTAIV updates – The Lost and the Damned as well as the upcoming The Ballad of Gay Tony – will be packaged on a single disc and sent to retail.
Microsoft allegedly paid $50 million for GTAIV’s DLC exclusivity, and has never released figures which would suggest the games are on track to yield a standalone profit. Bethesda also recently announced it is going to package the Fallout 3 DLC on a single disc.
Okay, so it may not be making much money, but lets not encourage the burnout guys to stop, eh?
We see all these racing teams go on and on and ON about why they're the best:
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But all fail to realise that the entire racing genre has never really met entertainment benchmarks the way FPS's and adventure games have.
Personally I think most racing games are boring. I'd rather drive a real car, in this instance.
To be honest I think the Burnout DLC will only come in drips and drabs now that they are working on the NFS franchise.
I believe there is only around 65 people left at Criterion after the mass exodus on completion of Paradise.
You can't pay 65 peoples wages on DLC alone !
