What is DLC? Because I think gaming companies have forgotten.

DLC has been around for a long time now, a game comes out, a year later or so, you get a DLC but these days the big question is, is that DLC or cut content from the base game you want us to buy?

I feel like everything I am writing now is thanks to large gaming companies just gaslighting us to think the way they say it is, is the right away. Which brings me to the new topic DLC, it stands for Downloadable Content. It was never a big thing when I was younger but it really started to grow around the early 2011s when before it used to be called Expansion packs. You had Dying Light with extra content, Red Dead Redemption, some of these were even free, little funny extras for the fans. They often came way after the game was done with sometimes years before the new content would arrive.

This new content would add to the game, maybe another level, maybe more story, maybe more collectables. When I think of DLC, my brain goes right to Metro Exodus where, after a year of the game being out, they brought out two, one very story based answering questions and expanding on a level you go to in the main game and another, larger in a new space, playing as a different character.

They were not expensive and really gave something new to the story. Another great one was for Zelda breath of the Wild and Cult of the Lamb. They give you more, but you don’t need it to enjoy the base game, good price for what its worth and just fun after the fans have finished the base game.

So if I love DLC so much, why am I here talking about it? Because game companies (cough cough Nintendo) have forgotten what a DLC is. In their latest direct they showed a DLC for Donkey Kong Bananza, their new game that has not been out for long yet they brought out DLC. A new level with some rogue like elements which got everyone thinking, is this just base game content hidden behind a pay wall?

The game is already so expensive with it being 70 euros and now another 20 for a small little level. Ok fine, you want to do that but the fact is why is it out so soon, this isn’t extra content for fun, this isn’t a gift for the fans, this is just the level behind a pay wall.

Also in this direct they have showed a new Pokémon game, afterwards they talked about DLC… for a game… that is not out YET! And they are all acting as if this is normal but its not. What worries me, if more games do this, you are just making the base game, slapping on a high price then locks the next part of it behind another pay wall.

This is not the DLC we know about that really adds to the game. I feel lately all these companies are just here for greed and it is getting worse, they keep forgetting that us gamers, we know this stuff, we know what DLC is meant to be, we look back to what we used to be able to get and it just doesn’t add up.

Honestly, if Nintendo had just waited a year for their Donkey Kong Bananza DLC, no one would have battered an eye lid. I do fear for gaming but us gamers aren’t stupid, if we don’t like something we show it with our wallets.