DLC Pricing Policies - your thoughts?

[Grimmeh]

Your options:

• Buy the DLC
• Don’t buy the DLC

And what do you mean need more money? It’s a business…its entire purpose for exisitng is to make more money.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Not everyone likes them but Supercars/exotics are the most popular type of car going on average, PD knows they could sell that sort of stuff by the bucketload so surely would have already done so if they had the assets.

I would expect them to offer a mix of cars, but yeah, I agree, some big names in the sports/super car world would be big attractions for the majority of gamers. This pack has the newest, most potent GT-R, sure, but it's still pretty similar to the ones we already have in-game, and all three of the other cars in the pack perform at roughly similar levels to each other. A bit more of that signature GT diversity (pre-GT5) wouldn't hurt.

But, who knows, if we're getting packs every two months (and hopefully not just of 4 cars), the next ones may be far different to this. I may not be impressed with this pack (and the cost for what I consider not terribly important cars), but I certainly don't know what's coming next 👍

 

[CaptainHarlock]

I'm not assuming anything, I was just clarifying that the current roster of cars is by no means complete, there are plenty of big name cars they COULD add. I think it's pretty obvious that they won't after what they have given us, is my original point.

Not everyone likes them but Supercars/exotics are the most popular type of car going on average, PD knows they could sell that sort of stuff by the bucketload so surely would have already done so if they had the assets.

Supercars constitute a VERY small percentage of cars made in the world. Yes, they are the most prestigious, and they are fun to drive, but they aren't, as you'd say the "most popular type of car going". What's the most popular car in the world? You might be surprised.

 

[JoeH187]

Buy it or don't. It doesn't have your one off euro supercar that was featured on top gear? So sad. GT is not about euro exotics, never has been.

$4 is pretty dang cheap dlc. $4 is a gallon of gas for crying out loud.

 

[Tenacious D]

Not everyone likes them but Supercars/exotics are the most popular type of car going on average, PD knows they could sell that sort of stuff by the bucketload so surely would have already done so if they had the assets.

This is true. I guess we'll have to see what comes of PD's efforts in the future, though they're definitely not all about the supercars. And I will have to say that if you guys can't enjoy the CR-Z Touring Car, then Gran Turismo games just aren't for you.

And if the DLC comes tomorrow, this is going to be a VERY nice Monday leading into Christmas week. Merry Christmas!

 

[Samus]

Supercars constitute a VERY small percentage of cars made in the world. Yes, they are the most prestigious, and they are fun to drive, but they aren't, as you'd say the "most popular type of car going". What's the most popular car in the world? You might be surprised.

I didn't mean most popular in terms of sales, I meant most popular in terms of desire to own/drive them in both the real world and in gaming. I mean how many 12 year old boys have VW Golf posters on their wall? Not many compared to supercars i'd imagine.

 

[Griffith500]

I didn't mean most popular in terms of sales, I meant most popular in terms of desire to own/drive them in both the real world and in gaming. I mean how many 12 year old boys have VW Golf posters on their wall? Not many compared to supercars i'd imagine.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but I think that demographic section gets plenty of attention on the whole. The game is meant to appeal to everyone, not just to 12 year old boys.

Saying that, I'm not overly thrilled with the new DLC, but that's more because the VWs are fairly bland as driver's cars, the Mini we more or less already have, and the GT-R is a GT-R. But that's what modern cars are about, I suppose; except the 86, which I'm looking forward to.

 

[Slurm]

Clarification:
This is not about whether or not the DLC costs $1.99 or $29.99. It is about the fact that the DLC costs anything alone that holds to being an issue. We just paid for content last month! Do they truly need more money a month later and is this a trend they plan to continue?

• I for one do not want a trend where every month I spend between $3.00 - $10.00 just to have the latest and greatest things.
• Cars that are not special edition or limited edition should be added for free. How dare to charge us for four cars when the game offers more than 1,000.
• Fukushima has nothing to do with this topic, please this has nothing to do with PD and nuclear reactors (just to clarify). Although much sympathy is held, it is off topic.
• It's a lot like santa urinating down our backs, and meanwhile he's tell us it's rain!

Again...I love GT5, and the GT series. I have respect for both the series and the current game. I also have respect for the creator and the team. But I do not have respect for "robbing" loyal customers, players and gamers. Whatever you decide to call them. It's frustrating to spend so much time on a game or series, and then this is what the demigods give us: no true reward for playing so long, no rewards for respecting the team or company or game, nope just more crap for consumers to buy. I thought this game was all about the purity of cars and driving. Not "cheddar making" (money making).

So, you deserve to be rewarded for playing a game? Erm, that's not quite how the world works.

How ridiculous and disrespectful your attitude is. In this age when your Gran Turismo game is supported, patched, fixed, improved and expanded for free, you also deserve all the new content they are building for the next instalment, for free? Why?

Dude, this is a business you are talking about and they are not robbing anyone. They are providing good free support for this title, and even bits of content too. They are making extra products that you can choose to buy at your leisure. You say you have utmost respect, but then call them thieves for selling their work for money? You need to understand their business, then maybe you might actually learn some respect.

 

[kimi123]

DLC business is a joke. DLC should be free IMO or have a big DLC like 25 cars 1,2 tracks for max 10$. First DLC was really good.

All members of team should just concentrate on GT6 now and some for updating the game.

 

[Downhill Dino]

^ DLC content could never be free. It costs money to make the stuff you know, they could lose a lot of money if they placed this DLC up for free, and the last one.

 

[Tenacious D]

All members of team should just concentrate on GT6 now and some for updating the game.

Supposedly, all the DLC is work done for GT6, so it's not extra work the team is doing for GT5. Updating the game is in the domain of the programmers for the most part, and they may not have all that much to do with GT6 just yet.

Don't fret, it's Christmas week and the team knows what they're doing. Hopefully. Merry Christmas.

 

[Vaxxtx]

How ridiculous and disrespectful your attitude is. In this age when your Gran Turismo game is supported, patched, fixed, improved and expanded for free, you also deserve all the new content they are building for the next instalment, for free? Why?

Dude, this is a business you are talking about and they are not robbing anyone. They are providing good free support for this title, and even bits of content too. They are making extra products that you can choose to buy at your leisure. You say you have utmost respect, but then call them thieves for selling their work for money? You need to understand their business, then maybe you might actually learn some respect.

How ridiculous and disrespectful is it that PD (with all the time it took) rolled out an unfinished product, and expect people to support them for the next project?

Did you ever think if they did it right the first time (again with all the time allowed) not many people would have to say "They are supporting the game a year later!" ?

Point is most games are released with bugs or missing features, and are patched/fixed within weeks/months.

Instead of adding features that are still missing from the game, that are even on the box, they are adding weak DLC and charging for it. Some people think that is lame, and have a right to their opinion. I dont agree, but I understand. Some people are on their knees thanking PD for something, and I cannot understand why.

 

[Tenacious D]

How ridiculous and disrespectful is it that PD (with all the time it took) rolled out an unfinished product, and expect people to support them for the next project?

Except that the planet essentially demanded they do that very thing.

Selective memory, people... Merry Christmas.

 

[Jason_B]

If they gave it out for free there would still be people complaining.

 

[jacnob]

Call it trolling, but I would laugh so hard if this pack was free as a Christmas present.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Except that the planet essentially demanded they do that very thing.

Selective memory, people... Merry Christmas.

Not many demanded an unfinished product. Lots of people did clamour for a full new installment after half a decade since the last full one, though.

...

People demanding that all DLC be free are the strange ones, to me. I'm not happy with this new DLC pack, but even I'll admit PD shouldn't be throwing everything at us free of charge. Updates to fix a game, or add things that were advertised as being part of it? Yep, free. New cars or tracks? I see no problem paying a small fee for them. Not as much per-car as this pack, considering the lack of truly "new" metal, but a fee nonetheless.

 

[cohetedor]

The only complaint I have about the price is that minimum charge on the PSN is $5 so I'll be stuck with a dollar in my online wallet(probably until the next GT5 DLC releases). Would have loved to have one of the old tracks back remastered and bundled with this for like $7 or something

Maybe we'll have a Christmas surprise and they'll unlock the Test Course(or whatever that course with the long straight and day/night cycle in the Spec 2.0 cinematic is)

 

[Cosbuster]

I don't like being charged for content that should be free.

Who dictates whether content should be free or not? I can understand the "DLC should be free" statement when it's announced before the game is even out or very close to the release date making people feel that it is a prt of the game sold seperately for extra profit but it's hard to say that DLC released a year later should have been in the game.

 

[Tenacious D]

Not many demanded an unfinished product. Lots of people did clamour for a full new installment after half a decade since the last full one, though.

Talk about selective memory...

Slip, in the months leading up to E3, there was post after post of people from little kids to full blown adults asking, "Please, Kaz, for the loveoGAWD release GT5 now, whatever you have, and patch it up LATER! It's been five years... we're desperate!"

I should know, I was one of the very few trying my best to talk these people down, saying that patched games usually weren't as stable as finished games, yadda blah blah. Lo and behold, we have GT5 getting periodic updates, and sometimes the patches need patches, just as I said. Oh well, maybe not, Terro and Tor will confirm that I never say anything of consequence.

 

[Vaxxtx]

Talk about selective memory...

Slip, in the months leading up to E3, there was post after post of people from little kids to full blown adults asking, "Please, Kaz, for the loveoGAWD release GT5 now, whatever you have, and patch it up LATER! It's been five years... we're desperate!"

I should know, I was one of the very few trying my best to talk these people down, saying that patched games usually weren't as stable as finished games, yadda blah blah. Lo and behold, we have GT5 getting periodic updates, and sometimes the patches need patches, just as I said. Oh well, maybe not, Terro and Tor will confirm that I never say anything of consequence.

What about those people that were not crying for it to be released? What about the people wondering how 5 years could go by with a ridiculous budget and still end up with an unfinished game?

Even with the updates its still unfinished in so many ways.

GT5 isnt C.A.R.S. See, you pay to play the unfinished version, and help the direction of the development. They are upfront with it.

So why people being upset with weak DLC is understandable. Usually a game comes out with DLC after the game is finished, not while it is still missing features on the box. So people saying they are still updating the game after a year, like its a good thing, make me cringe. It should have been done before a years time.

 

[Tenacious D]

What about those people that were not crying for it to be released?

Where were you when all the rioting was going on?

If GT5 is the end of the world for you, there are other games out there. Merry Christmas.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Talk about selective memory...

Quite.

Slip, in the months leading up to E3, there was post after post of people from little kids to full blown adults asking, "Please, Kaz, for the loveoGAWD release GT5 now, whatever you have, and patch it up LATER! It's been five years... we're desperate!"

I should know, I was one of the very few trying my best to talk these people down, saying that patched games usually weren't as stable as finished games, yadda blah blah. Lo and behold, we have GT5 getting periodic updates, and sometimes the patches need patches, just as I said. Oh well, maybe not, Terro and Tor will confirm that I never say anything of consequence.

There's no denying that - and there's also people who thought all loose ends should've been tied and the feature creep put to a halt.

 

[Duck]

Extra work needs extra revenue. They already support us for free with a lot of updates and free items.

Only disappointed for pricing. DLC is 3.99$ and.... 3.99€ here.

Today's exchange: 1 Euro = 1.3004 U.S. dollars

Aside of this, I'm fine with 1€/car.

Doing some math. IF all GT5 users (over 7 millions, just counting main accounts) buy DLC, every car returns to Sony cash about 7,000,000 $
Is that enough to cover development cost
Just a speculation, as they aren't going to sell that much DLCs

 

[jonjwlee]

Do you have proof of that?

Sorry for flogging a dead horse, but does anyone have proof that the Scirocco was already in development when the game was released? How can someone extrapolate that out of "missed at the last minute"?

 

[Koenigseggfan]

Sorry for flogging a dead horse, but does anyone have proof that the Scirocco was already in development when the game was released? How can someone extrapolate that out of "missed at the last minute"?

Kaz has already said it, in a famitsu interview. Also an user here on GT Planet had asked kaz about the car (before that interview) , and Kaz gave him the same answer ( that the car didn't make it in time by a small margin) . I will quote a post of another user ( in another thread ) , that has both links for that interview , and that post on Twitter .

Yes. I found the original source. It was said by Yamauchi in a long Famitsu interview, of which I even translated a portion long time ago (didn't remember that):

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=4343011#post4343011



http://www.famitsu.com/news/201012/16036986.html

Also look here:

http://twitter.com/#!/Kaz_Yamauchi/status/10379194345197568
(ぎりぎりで間に合わなかった = Didn't make it in time by a small margin)

And here (the person who got answered in the above tweet, I think):

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?t=137247

From that interview:


"Are there cars you regret not including due to limited development time?

Yamauchi: yes, there are many. For example the Volkswagen Scirocco didn't get included just by a small margin. Regarding race cars, an example is the Jaguar XJR9; I also feel mortified that the Ferrari 365GTB/4 (Ferrari Daytona) which was even in pamphlet photos wasn't included."

 

[jonjwlee]

This all points to the same thing - he wasn't able to include it at the last minute. What Yamauchi didn't say was what stage in the game's development that the Scirocco just missed its spot on the final car list. It could be that they had already developed the car but it had just missed the deadline the studio gave the game to reach gold status, or it could be that they were just planning out the cars to model early on and they decided that they simply wouldn't be able to model the Scirocco in time. So how can someone say that the car was already in development by the game's release?

 

[Vaxxtx]

Where were you when all the rioting was going on?

If GT5 is the end of the world for you, there are other games out there. Merry Christmas.

I was playing flights sims when I heard about GT5's release. I only picked it up a few months later, expecting a good (not even great) game. I was and still am a bit disappointed.

GT5 is not the end of the world for me. I am happyily playing FM4, and a bit of F1 2011. Very content.

This all points to the same thing - he wasn't able to include it at the last minute. What Yamauchi didn't say was what stage in the game's development that the Scirocco just missed its spot on the final car list. It could be that they had already developed the car but it had just missed the deadline the studio gave the game to reach gold status, or it could be that they were just planning out the cars to model early on and they decided that they simply wouldn't be able to model the Scirocco in time. So how can someone say that the car was already in development by the game's release?

You just answered your own question. It was in development, not totally finished. Not sure whats hard to understand about that.

 

[Imari]

...or it could be that they were just planning out the cars to model early on and they decided that they simply wouldn't be able to model the Scirocco in time.

It's hardly "missed at the last minute" if they decided early on that they couldn't model it...

 

[Boxxsterr]

In regards to the OP I feel the DLC is more than reasonably priced and if you really want whats in the DLC and your that hard up for a few dollars you shouldn't be playing GT5, IMHO. Im sure if GT6 came out tomorrow you'd have no problem forking out the retail price to the game.

I believe alot of the DLC was either on the table to be released with the game but was unable to be released due to time tables or they might have been stock piling to be able to give us DLC. I'm sure they have plenty of cars and tracks that are ready for DLC. But you should consider GT5 more of a GT6 prologue. You need to realize that PD is a business no some rich guys play thing.

 

[GTP_Monkey]

Same here I think its very reasonably priced.