GTA IV Episodic Content Exclusive to X360

mcgovern

Like the title says, Microsoft has paid $50 million to get two exclusive episodes.
Thats a lot of consoles....

wes

i wonder what there gonna charge for the content...

ciano1

what exatly is an 'episode' is it just one mission or is a strand of missions ??

Ciaran500

We've no specifics but they did say it was a signifigant expansion.

grizzly

Read these sums on another board;

50 Million USD for downloadable content? MS said themselves that there are about 6 million Live users. About 70% are downloading content. Let us say 50% of them are willing to pay for GTAs downloadable content
So let me calculate 50 millions divided by 2,1 millions are USD 23,80 per user.

Would work out to about 1000 points per download.

tman

grizzly wrote:

Read these sums on another board;

50 Million USD for downloadable content? MS said themselves that there are about 6 million Live users. About 70% are downloading content. Let us say 50% of them are willing to pay for GTAs downloadable content
So let me calculate 50 millions divided by 2,1 millions are USD 23,80 per user.

Would work out to about 1000 points per download.

I'd say they splashed out that amount of money to tempt more people to buy the 360 over the PS3, there's no way they can be expecting to make it back purely from sales of the DLC

johnny_ultimate

Ive said it before, and Ill say it again: episodic content such as this is just a way to get a little more money from us. Id say a large percentage of people on this board (myself included) will pay 60-70 euro on this game. Now we have the privilige to pay for some more stuff. This is the one thing that annoys me about Microsoft these days (actually, it has always been that way) - every little thing involves some kind of monetary transaction. I for one enjoyed the days when everything came on the disc

I apologise for the excessive ranting, but all these extra content downloads are becoming increasingly common. That said, if the DLC does turn out to be of proper expansion pack size, then it will be worthwhile. But the 'minor' expansions that are all over the place these days are the ones that I rant about.

grizzly

johnny_ultimate wrote:

But the 'minor' expansions that are all over the place these days are the ones that I rant about.

I don't get it – if you don't think a extra content is worth the money, then just don't worry about it, don't get worked up about it. Vote with your wallet!

johnny_ultimate

grizzly wrote:

I don't get it – if you don't think a extra content is worth the money, then just don't worry about it, don't get worked up about it. Vote with your wallet!

Oh I don't buy it. Just seems like a worrying trend to this one gamer

grizzly

I hear what your saying – I thought the same thing. Chopping a game into 40 parts and bleeding you €5 a pop to get it all. Luckily there is enough competition in the other systems and PC games to keep it in check. People will pay for good content, but you can only charge people so much before it leaves a bad taste in there mouth and they go somewhere else. A another console or the pub!

tman

johnny_ultimate wrote:

Oh I don't buy it. Just seems like a worrying trend to this one gamer

It was especially worrying in crackdown. download some of the free dlc, and they start to push they content that you have to pay for in the game itself... cheeky bastards:mad:
So long as DLC is totally optional and isn't pushed on you in any way, I don't mind it.

lee_baby_simms

johnny_ultimate wrote:

Oh I don't buy it. Just seems like a worrying trend to this one gamer

You're dead right. Charging extra for stuff that should have been in the game to begin with is a rotten practice and its becoming more common.

Guitar Hero 2 was a prime example. Scumbags.

mcgovern

People, you have to remember that downloadable content came from PC gaming and not Microsoft.
A lot of PC games are more episodic on PC than any 360 game, e.g. Half Life 2, SiN, Ratchet & Clank etc..

This deal is not able selling dlc though, its about people buying a 360 to play GTA IV, this could easily sell several 100k consoles.

lee_baby_simms

mcgovern wrote:

People, you have to remember that downloadable content came from PC gaming and not Microsoft.
A lot of PC games are more episodic on PC than any 360 game, e.g. Half Life 2, SiN, Ratchet & Clank etc..

Expansion packs that are developed and released months after the game is out are a different story.

This is specifically about exploiting the customer in a calculating way.

Removing a part of the game before release and and claiming it to be a 'collectors item' or 'limited edition' and charging a premium for it.

Its greedy and dishonest.

00sully

lee_baby_simms wrote:

Expansion packs that are developed and released months after the game is out are a different story.

This is specifically about exploiting the customer in a calculating way.

Removing a part of the game before release and and claiming it to be a 'collectors item' or 'limited edition' and charging a premium for it.

Its greedy and dishonest.

yes but are they taking out content to release after? or are they just planning episodic content ahead of time?

I think people are getting carried away, fair enough for miniscule updates (horse armour and the likes!) but for new tracks, new branches in stories (HL2) etc.. its perfectly fine. in fact its better than waiting for years for a sequel.

again, if its worth it, buy it, if not then dont.

johnny_ultimate

lee_baby_simms wrote:

You're dead right. Charging extra for stuff that should have been in the game to begin with is a rotten practice and its becoming more common.

Guitar Hero 2 was a prime example. Scumbags.

Indeed. As soon as you coughed up your 110 euro for the game, and put it in the machine, there was already 'new' songs available to download at a pretty high price.

As I said, it isnt the proper expansion packs that are the problem - they have been around for years and usually supply a worthwhile amount of new content. Something like the Shivering Isles or the Half Life episodes (proper episodic content with at least 6 hours new gameplay) is OK by me, but the Oblivion mini-quests that are available seem a bit greedy to me. DLC is great in many ways - free new content, retro games etc... But I can't help but be annoyed when Microsoft refuses to let Epic release new GoW maps free (initially).

Zapp Brannigan

From what I've been reading Sony apparently are going to get their own Episodic content. Not that I really care I usually never finish GTA games cos I get bored with them so I dont think I'll be splashing out my points.

Mitch Connor

i don't mnid the dlc for gta - its not that it has been taken out of the game, PS3 users won't get the content at all, so it is something that is definately extra to the game.

chrislad

lee_baby_simms wrote:

Guitar Hero 2 was a prime example. Scumbags.

No, it wasn't. Guitar Here 2 was EXACTLY the same as Guitar Hero 2 on the PS2, bar some updated graphics, which aren't important. The OPTIONAL downloadable content was from a different game, the original Guitar Hero. Yes, the packs were badly put together with the song people wanted split unevenly but that's capitalism for you. In no way was Guitar Hero 2 a rip off. It was exactly was it said it was. You got the full game as it originally was. Whether the extra content was expensive or not is neither here nor there in relation to this. It was extra content that was never included in the original so how could it not being there be a rip off?

quad_red

grizzly wrote:

Read these sums on another board;

50 Million USD for downloadable content? MS said themselves that there are about 6 million Live users. About 70% are downloading content. Let us say 50% of them are willing to pay for GTAs downloadable content
So let me calculate 50 millions divided by 2,1 millions are USD 23,80 per user.

Would work out to about 1000 points per download.

It's got little to do with making the money back. It's strategic and designed to shift consoles.

And another poster said that Sony will probably have their own DL content for the PS3.

I seriously doubt that. If it does happen it'll be delayed a good while after the 360's.

MS hardly shelled out that much money for something that isn't exclusive.