Dark Souls II promises not to be a launch pad for microtransactions – once you buy the game, you’ve got the whole package.
Downloadable content is a fact of the modern games industry, but that doesn’t mean that everybody has to buy into it. Dark Souls II developer From Software, for example, has no interest in selling any post-launch DLC for its upcoming gruesome death simulator. The developer doesn’t want to hold anything back: just like in the old days, buying the game means you get the entire experience. And free-to-play? Not happening – but maybe later.
“For Dark Souls II, we don’t even expect any additional downloadable content because we want to deliver a full game, the full experience, to fans who purchase the package from day one,” says Dark Souls II producer Takeshi Miyazoe. “We did do additional content for Dark Souls, but generally downloadable content for Dark Souls II is not really being considered. Buy the package and you’ll get the full experience, and you’ll have as much fun as anybody else.”
From Software seems to have a plan, and they’re sticking to it. Miyazoe shot down any hopes for a Vita installment, and laughed at the idea of Dark Souls coming to Nintendo consoles. “I think the audience for the Wii U is a lot different from the audience for Dark Souls,” he said.
Despite this old-school philosophy, Miyazoe says that From Software is open to free-to-play, but it won’t be happening for a while: not until the developer can figure out how to do it well. “Pay per death? That would be terrible … Spending a couple dollars on certain items does not help the experience.” It’s still a young franchise, though, so the option might come further down the road.
Source: Edge
