[ad_1]
Early Access, Season Pass, and Games as a Service – Nowhere are the changes in the gaming industry as clear-cut as in these much-discussed buzzwords.
While games used to have one or perhaps two major expansions, continuous delivery of new content is the norm today. For games outside the mainstream, this is not only a challenge, but also an opportunity.
This change still creates friction between developers and their audience. “We have to listen to a lot of garbage for our model”Shams Jorjani says. He is responsible for business development for Paradox Interactive, the publisher behind strategy games like Stellaris, Cities: Skylines, and Crusader Kings 2.
All of these games can still be found on Steam’s best-seller lists in 2019, though they were released four, five, or even eight years ago.
Work market
The means by which Paradox keeps its portfolio fresh for years is DLC downloadable content, additional downloadable content that is subject to a charge. For Stellaris’ sci-fi scenario, there’s a new alien faction starting at $ 7.99. If you want to explore medieval China in Crusader Kings 2, you have to pay 14.99 euros for the Jade Dragon expansion.
Extensions instead of continuations
This business model is what Jorjani is sometimes for “You must listen to garbage”. Because some fans are mad at having to pay for the same game multiple times. They fear out loud on Reddit, YouTube and Steam that this model looks like the hated micro transactions of mobile games and they feel scammed.
The criticized approach is paradoxical. The costs of developing new content for a title that has already been published are significantly lower than for a full game. Repeatability is one of the pillars of the publisher’s design philosophy. Bonus content is a way to monetize game time beyond the original purchase price.
Folding beds for The Sims cost € 9.99.
The best example, or deterrence, depending on how you deal with the model, is The Sims. The Electronic Arts life simulation series has just celebrated its 20th birthday and the 20 millionth player was given for the fourth part.
These millions of players have been happy with the paid expansion packs since their launch in 2014. The 33 appeared under the name of Tiny Houses in January 2020.
For 9.99 euros, Sims fans can now build particularly small dream houses, including a folding bed. Such improvements have given EA continued revenue of more than $ 1 billion since 2014.
The business model also works because The Sims is a series sold a million times, but it has little competition in its genre. If after 200 hours you want more of the same, you have no choice but to buy new content for The Sims.
Unmatched in the niche
The Hunter: Call of the Wild sold a few million times less. Avalanche Studios hunting simulation also serves a niche. “The outdoor games market is not as crowded as some conventional genres”says Philipp Strecker, producer of the Swedish developer.
Please enable Javascript.
Or use the pure Golem offer
and read Golem.de
- Whithout ads
- with javascript disabled
- with full-text RSS
