EA and DICE have previously stated that they plan up to 3X the amount of DLC for Battlefield 3 compared to Bad Company 2. Speaking to OXM, DICE producer Patrick Bach revealed a few interesting details about Battlefield players’ views on downloadable content. Bach said:
“We actually got a lot of flack for giving away free maps. I know it sounds weird, but people got really upset with us. People said: ‘if you’re giving it away, why couldn’t you give it away earlier?’ There were a lot of complaints.”
DICE released a lot of Bad Company 2 content, mostly maps that were redesigned to support other game modes, and remade maps from Bad Company 1. However, the only paid DLC for Bad Company 2, Vietnam, was well received, despite costing $10.
“The only thing we’ve done that was more or less 100% positive was Vietnam: it was a bigger pack and we charged for it, but everyone saw the value, and everyone enjoyed the game.”
Bach said that when gamers paid for something, they expected a much greater value than if it was released for free, saying “people get very suspicious when they get something for free”. He also stressed that this hasn’t discouraged DICE from not giving away free DLC — they still plan on giving out free DLC for Battlefield 3.
Even before the game is out, there is already a free DLC available: If you pre-order Battlefield 3, you’ll get the Back to Karkand expansion for free.
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