Hardcore gamers tend to regard day-one DLC roughly the same way that African antelope regard crocodiles, but Steam researcher and indie game marketing advisor Chris Zukowski reckons that enough PC gamers turn up for at least two specific types of launch DLC that game developers should absolutely sell them.
At a GDC panel discussing what he described as "golden goose" indie games, or those with significant wishlists and sales on Steam, Zukowski shared some data collected from real golden goose studios. He acknowledged the funk around day-one DLC, but insisted "you have to do this" when it comes to at least two things, or at least with those golden geese: supporter packs and digital soundtracks.
Supporter packs are often attached to cheap or free games on Steam as a way to kick a few extra bucks toward creators, not unlike a tip jar, while digital soundtracks can go right onto the music shelf you have next to your virtual game library. A supporter bundle might add something as simple as "a little crown" for the player character, or an alternate gold texture for some tool or other – an example Zukowski jumps on.
"It's totally cosmetic, worthless, but totally worth it," he says of supporter packs. "I don't recommend expansion pack DLC, because people on Steam complain about that, but supporter pack and soundtrack, excellent stuff to do." Therein lies the rub: when people complain about day-one DLC, it's because that content is treated as something that was clearly ready and should've been included in the base game. But a separate soundtrack or clearly optional tip jar aren't necessarily treated the same way.
For fun, I had a quick look through Steam's new and trending games, and it took me about 33 seconds to find exactly this kind of supporter pack. Zero Stress King: Idle Defense, a $4.99 incremental tower defense game (on sale for $3.99), has a $2.99 supporter pack that adds a "beach mood" and, you guessed it, a "golden cup."
"Thank you for supporting the development of Zero Stress King. I'll drink this cup of coffee in your honor!" says developer Pauloondra.
Zukowski reckons there are enough Steam users willing to spend extra on their favorite games to make this launch DLC worthwhile from a developer standpoint. One unspecified developer reported a 2.59% attach rate on their support pack, which earned them $11,531 for very little extra work. "That is an $11,000 gold texture," Zukowski reiterates.
One developer also earned $60,980 from their game's digital soundtrack, which had a similar 2.8% attach rate. Here's another current example: Raccoin, an $11.99 roguelike "coin-pushing dopamine machine" that's threatening to devour some of my hours has a $2.99 digital soundtrack. It came out today, March 31, published by Balatro publisher Playstack, and is already at 249 Steam user reviews clocking in at 94% positive. I would wager that soundtrack has earned aptly named developer Doraccoon a little extra cash.
Even with those relatively low conversions, the minimal effort involved in making and listing these DLC – recolor or slap together a basic cosmetic, and bundle up music you've already made – can be a huge boon for indies trying to make the most of their launch, Zukowski argues. The data stands out to me as an interesting case of Steam player behavior, and of ways that PC gamers will happily spend extra money on games they like in a way that isn't – and perhaps precisely because it isn't – tied to long-tail monetization or gameplay effects. And I'm the sort of person who'll buy a second copy of volume one of a manga I really like just to collect alternate cover art, so you won't catch me throwing stones.
