SOE is ditching its traditional pattern of releasing DLC for DC Universe Online. Rather than waiting to release content as part of an entire themed package, SOE will now be splitting up the types of content that you would normally get in DLC packs into their own deliverables.
"Previously we would actually deliver all of our DLC four times a year in an entire DLC pack. That included some kind of player package, like a super power; it would include the content included in that DLC; it may or may not have included Legends characters. But everything was tied up into one deliverable," explained creative director Jens Andersen. "Everything had to be finished on a certain date and everything had to be themed together. The expectation was set with Fight for the Light that we introduced light powers, there was Green Lantern content. It was all themed around a certain thing."
Under this new release format, content will be released separately. What this means is that new content won't be held up because one thing isn't ready to go.
"It also frees us up from tying everything in thematically just because it has to be part of the DLC," Andersen said. "So we can do a legends character and a super power and a bunch of content that have nothing to do with each other but they are very popular with the fans and the fans want to see them. We can deliver that more easily now."
"It also lets us make sure that if we need to take extra time with something for any reason, it doesn't create a hold up and create a log jam for other stuff that can come out now," he added.
So from here on out, legends characters will be released separately. Player package upgrades, like super powers, will be released separately on their own deliverables.
Perhaps the best thing about this change, according to Andersen, is that it'll allow SOE to deliver content all year long as opposed to something every three months. "We're really excited about this move and I think it's going to be a great thing for the quality of the deliverables, the frequency, and the variety," Andersen concluded.
