Over the weekend, Arc System Works announced that Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle would be launching on May 31st in Japan and Asia for the PS4, PC and Switch, with the West getting the game on June 5th. So far so good, but the second announcement was that Cross Tag Battle would also get an additional 20 characters as DLC. As you might imagine, people were not pleased.
The base roster of Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle is only set to contain 20 characters, so in effect, half of the full cast of characters will only be available via paid DLC. That paid DLC will include Blake Belladonna, one of the four main characters of RWBY. Only Ruby and Weiss from that series will actually be available on launch, with Blake and presumably Yang requiring you to spend more money.
But it gets worse, somehow. Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle has been announced to feature at EVO Japan 2018 which takes place later this month, with a demo that includes all 20 base characters playable months before release. If the full launch roster is ready to be shown to the public, and we’re five months away from release, then it’s reasonable to assume that Arc System Works are now spending their time working on DLC characters that could easily be featured in the main game.
Now, DLC characters in fighting games certainly aren’t anything new, and when done right they’re a great way of extending the lifespan of a game, whilst letting the player base know that the developers intend on updating and evolving the game post-launch. We’ve done our fair share of DLC wishlists in the past for the likes of Tekken 7 and Dragon Ball FighterZ. However, to announce that you’ll be doubling your roster through DLC months before release is harder to defend.
It gives off the impression that you’re intentionally locking content behind DLC just to make more money. Plus, it’s probably inevitable that Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle will be getting some kind of “EXTEND” or Definitive Edition which will bundle together all the characters into one package about a year after launch anyway. That’s more money for the money piles.
Naturally, fans were upset, with the hashtag “FIXBBTAG” doing the rounds on Twitter. Lots of users were calling for Cross Tag Battle to be delayed so that the DLC characters can be incorporated into the main roster, whilst commentators like Jim Sterling were able to take a few well deserved shots at Arc System Works. Ultimately though, it won’t be commentators or critics who will force them to change this practice: it’s the customers, who will vote with their wallets.
What about you? What do you make of this kind of practice? Sound off in the comments.
Source:Â Gematsu
If you’re interested in more fighting game content, check out our list of the 6 Fighting Games We’re Most Excited For In 2018.Â
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