14 DAY TRIAL // Noted games designer and the creator of franchises like Gears of War, Cliff Bleszinski, has talked about BioShock Infinite and how games that don't rely on multiplayer need a constant stream of downloadable content to keep players hooked on the experience.
Bleszinski has been a big proponent of multiplayer and did a lot to promote this feature with franchises like Unreal Tournament or Gears of War, which impressed millions of players with their top-notch online modes.
Now, the designer, who has since quit his job at Epic Games to pursue personal projects, has talked about other titles with GamesBeat, including BioShock Infinite.
While he praised the creator of the game, Ken Levine, he emphasizes just how crucial DLC will be for the upcoming game to stay popular and relevant.
"My concern for that game and that franchise is making sure that they keep that disc in play. Even if that campaign is 16 hours, a die-hard fan will rock that in a weekend, and then he’s going to be like, 'Why am I going to keep this disc?' I don’t know how long the game is. I don’t know what their DLC [downloadable content] plans are."
"But if I was running that game or franchise and I knew that the multiplayer might not work out — I don’t even know what their plans are for the multiplayer — I would start some sort of plan to have consistent DLC every quarter. However big or however small."
Bleszinski then exemplifies his statement with Borderlands 2 made by Gearbox Software, which has already received three story-based expansions and plenty of other content since its release in September of last year.
"That’s what Randy [Pitchford] and the guys at [Borderlands developer] Gearbox get. In the current era of disc-based games with DLC, you have to add DLC relatively quickly to fight the battle against GameStop putting out those flyers: 'Trade in your game in a month!' They’re winning the battle against used games."
Considering more and more games guarantee new content through Season Passes, DLC is here to stay.