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GR Asks: How do devs decide the size and price of DLC?

Inside dirt on the varying costs of Fallout and Oblivion DLC

Words: GamesRadar US
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Welcome to GR Asks, our weekly Q&A with the games industry that answers questions submitted by YOU. Is there something game-related you’ve never seen addressed? Message GRAsks  and we may just get it answered!

GR Asks: How do developers decide the size and price of downloadable content?

Answered by: Todd Howard, game director for Fallout 3

“For us, it’s a mix of what excites us, what we can actually accomplish, and what we feel the audience wants. Our strategy with Oblivion was to try lots of things from the very quick and inexpensive, like the Spell Tomes at one dollar, to mid-size things like Knights of the Nine at $10, and then the huge Shivering Isles at $30. It was very experimental for us, both in terms of content and cost. At first we priced it based on what Microsoft was charging for a theme, so if a theme is 150 points, then Horse Armor should be 200 points.”


Above: Oblivion’s first DLC, the infamous horse armor

“Even though it sold like mad, people certainly felt that was too much money and moving forward we priced it based on what we thought it was actually worth, and didn’t worry about established prices. I think there’s precedent now for pricing, but when we started, there wasn’t. For better or worse, we helped set that precedent with Oblivion.”


Above: Recent Fallout 3 DLC “The Pitt” offers about five hours of play

“For Fallout, we decided the sweet spot for us developing and for what the users wanted was to do themed “packs”, not one-off weapons or armors, but a pack that comes as one long adventure that has its own identity, that has some more meat on it. And so far, that model has been very popular both internally and externally.”

Thanks, Todd!

Want to ask GamesRadar a question? Simply send a message to GRAsks via our community features and we’ll try our best to find a definitive answer.

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26 Comments
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Ddz53  - 6 months 12 days ago 
Horse armor lol
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DEFAULT  - 6 months 12 days ago 
it seems they learned pretty quickly from their first gamechanging release. thank god dlc is worth it now
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garnsr  - 6 months 12 days ago 
Their DLC may be more worth it now than the horse armor was, but I think the pricing for add-ons like costumes and weapons, which should be unlockable in the game, is still crazy. And $10 for three more missions, like Saint's Row 2, just seems like too much. Capcom and Namco are leading the charge to charge for every little thing that we expected to get for doing a good job once upon a time. And there's no physical storage space needed for this stuff, they can keep it around forever, charging the same amount for old games' add-ons, unlike disc-based games that drop in price eventually. It's almost all profit for DLC.
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GeneralTickTock  - 6 months 12 days ago 
Ahh, why did we all fall for that shiny, shiny, horse armor?

DLC can be really fun, but its mostly really not worth it.
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RebornKusabi  - 6 months 12 days ago 
I have no correls with saying that I loved Oblivion so much that I bought the Horse Armor as soon as possible >_>

With that said, I will not be buying any of the DLC for Fallout 3. I love that game and consider it, Dead Space and Metal Gear Solid 4 to be the best games that came out last year.

Why not? Bethesda released as "Game of the Year" edition for their last two games after everything came out, so I don't see why they won't do that for this one.
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jar-head  - 6 months 12 days ago 
DLC is Awsome, but what is with halo 3? i Need to buy ANOTHER DLC To play on xbox live, Besides Lone wolves? WTF???
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Backfire001  - 6 months 12 days ago 
Halo 3 are bullshitters with the dlc (Unlike Call of duty,for the most part) i know,ill probally sell my hard drive with that shit on there,as well as some other Dlc,Dl. Games,for about 120$ (No im not offering this yet),so i can get a 120 Gig Harddrive without the worries of losing space =D.

Never Bought Horse armor,since,i have the goty version of oblivion,and will be selling my copy of fallout 3 for the fact it glitched SO bad,it broke.

reCaptch-of guerilia
Huh.
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THORSTEINTHESTAFFSTRUCK  - 6 months 12 days ago 
That is odd, I thought I was your audience and yet here I am on my PS3, with Fallout 3 and 0 DLC. Hmmmmmmm....
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Analogic  - 6 months 11 days ago 
I really, really like this kind of "episode"-like DLC's that Bethesda is using.

It keeps the game interesting

I played through Fallout 3 in like two days, and then I just stopped playing, because all of this "exploring" and such doesn't really interest me. But as soon as new DLC becomes available, I rush and buy it, just to get some more Fallout 3-atmosphere, and new interesting stuff to do.
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sinkingfeeling  - 6 months 11 days ago 
I own a PS3 and as such have 0 fallout DLC. I hate Microsoft for starting this 'pay for exclusives' crap but i also hate Sony for just allowing them to and not trying to counter bid them.

I love Fallout 3 and am just disappointed it all had to end, until i restarted that was. Still, no DLC sucks!
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Xplosive59  - 6 months 11 days ago 
bethesda you bunch of douche bags if ps3 owners are also your audience why not give DLC to us aswell.
I know you were bribed by MS to get exclusivity for it but thats no excuse for us ps3 owners getting a watered down glitchy experience unlike 360 owners
why make the graphics worse on a more graphically capable system isnt that basically console racism?
If the Xbox owners get a different ending to the game where they can still go wondering around why cant we?
That brings me onto the fact that you say the endings are endless and that they are so amazing, endless were you smoking crack when you said that, there are 4, FOUR! and the endings have barely any difference and felt like someone spilt coffee over the real ending and made up one in their lunch hour, im suprised you didnt say IT WAS JUST A DREAM or that kinda crap!
Its not that i think fallout 3 is a bad game i absolutely love it but whats makes 360 owners better than Ps3 owners

P.s you R Douche bags Bethesda
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solidocelot  - 6 months 11 days ago 
console racism lol
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richtaur  - 6 months 11 days ago 
Good stuff. I'm especially glad you spoke with Bethesda as opposed to anyone else because they release some of the most anticipated DLC.
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SwishiestB0g  - 6 months 11 days ago 
About the Halo 3 DLC, the only way to get people to buy them is to make then needed. As it would spoil the game for the people who did buy them as they wouldn't be able to play on the new maps as fewer people would have them.

I love fallout's DLC except for the first, it was kinda stupid you get to do it once you know?

If Bethesda chooses to take said money from MS then it's their choice and it's not racism.
If you wanted better graphics then you would have had to wait for another few weeks, months, or maybe even a year. Don't be mad at Bethesda be mad at Sony for not doing anything about it.

Anyways, LOVED Fallout 3, keep up the great work Bethesda!
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JohnnyMaverik  - 6 months 11 days ago 
"it seems they learned pretty quickly from their first gamechanging release. thank god dlc is worth it now"

nonononono >.< Morrowind was a gamechanging release, and u can pick up GOTY, with both the expansions and the construction kit for modding for dirt cheep these days, and it was only about the price of one game when it was released AND ALL THE DLC, IS, FREEE!!!! Why, oh why, did Bethesda become greedy -_-
Give us more free shit bethesda!!!
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BadLadJon  - 6 months 11 days ago 
so i spend about £200 more on a PS3 and still get ripped of for DLC? damn i wish i had an Xbox 360
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Tombat14  - 6 months 9 days ago 
hate halo 3 DLC but mythic looks cool

recaptcha:inc hangouts
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OldRustyDusty  - 6 months 9 days ago 
The DLC theme packs are nice, 5 hours of gameplay isn't too shabby, but I still prefer a whole huge $30 expansion over a couple of small packs. Shivering Isles was absolutely spectacular, and Morrowind's 2 expansions, Tribunal and Bloodmoon were both quite good as well. Something is just more appealing and enjoyable when a bethsoft expansion can easily bring in another 30+ hours of gameplay.
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Slay3r  - 6 months 9 days ago 
Look at it this way at least you guys can get DLC i live in the middle of nowhere and so i cant get XBOX LIVE so im forced to read about these things
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Spybreak8  - 6 months 9 days ago 
More please, I like these GR asks articles. I also need to beat Oblivion and Fallout 3 to appreciate the DLC thats out. Grabbed Shivering Isles when it went down to 15 bucks but I still haven't play it lol.
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