Players deserve free DLC, Need for Speed director says
"All of the content that we're going to give you...is going to be free."
EA's newly released Need for Speed bucks a major trend in gaming today in that, not only does the racing game not feature any microtransactions, but there are also no plans for paid DLC. Now, creative director Craig Sullivan has shed some more light on why the new Need for Speed took that approach. In an interview with Vice, Sullivan said players "deserve" free DLC, and Ghost Games plans to deliver.
"Everything we're doing is focusing on listening to what the fans are asking for," Sullivan said. "They're certainly not saying to us, 'Can you build a load of stuff and charge us for it?' They're not saying that, so we're not doing that. I know some people when we do press like this, they say, 'Yeah, but I'm sure it'll all change in a week or two, or six months.' It's not going to. The plan is that there are no transactions in this game. All of the content that we're going to give you--a pretty substantial amount in the future, starting pretty soon--is going to be free. That's what players deserve."
There is no word yet on what form the new Need for Speed content will take, though extra cars seems like a strong possibility.
Sullivan acknowledged that he can't say with 100 percent confidence that Need for Speed won't someday down the road offer paid DLC or microtransactions. But he stressed that there are no plans at the moment. He also pointed out that Need for Speed does not have an in-game store, so it's not even technically possible for Need for Speed to have paid DLC or microtransactions at this stage.
"You can never say never, as if we ended up doing DLC for this game for 10 years, I can't know what's happening in 10 years' time," he explained. "All I can say is, honestly, hand on heart, is there are absolutely no plans to charge for content in this game. We're going to give you everything for free. I've seen the plans for what's going to happen over the next few weeks and months--there's nothing in there, by which I mean, we don't even have the ability to charge you in the game. There's no store to speak of."
Need for Speed's approach to extra payments is unique for a AAA game. By comparison. Activision's Destiny shooter offers both paid expansions and microtransactions. These are selling well, the publisher said, and will continue to be supported going forward.
Other new games that offer microtransactions include Halo 5: Guardians and Assassin's Creed Syndicate. Upcoming Xbox game Rise of the Tomb Raider will also have them.
Need for Speed launched on November 3 for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, while the PC edition is slated to arrive in 2016. For more, check out GameSpot's review and what other critics are saying.