The Case for DLC in Video Games – Eastward: Octopia

In 2021, a small development team by the name of Pixpil Games created an indie masterpiece: Eastward. What I loved about this game was the fact that it had simple but effective gameplay mechanics, beautiful art design, and a gripping story that took me on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. As it paid homage to the adventure stories of old, such as the 2D Legend of Zelda games or Earthbound, it was a game that was all its own.

Did it win any awards? Unfortunately, not. However, it did create a solid fan base so that, when the time was right and the publishing and developing team were ready to put out a sequal, they would have fans ready to commit.

Now this brings be to my thoughts on DLC, or downloadable content.

DLC…sucks.

There are a few developers and publishers that have managed to get it right when it comes to DLC, but to be frank because you know I’ll give you nothing less, DLC is just a cash grab for some of these companies trying to extend the life of their games. That’s it. And for those who do it right, like Motion Twin who created Dead Cells and their UNBELIEVABLE DLC’s for their game, they may have been a smash hit, but they didn’t try anything new.

You know what I say? No risk, no reward. That’s where Eastward: Octopia comes into play.

Eastward: Octopia is not just an expansion on Eastward, it is a completely different game. Pixpil Games leaped from an action-adventure title to, I can’t believe I’m saying this: a farming sim/comfort game.

Drop mic – exit stage left.

And the crazy part, as if that’s not crazy enough: it’s a great DLC. Honestly, it’s hard not to call this a full-blown game because this could have been released as its own standalone game and I would have bought it on day one without any question whatsoever.

Why? Because it’s $4.99. I can’t even go to McDonald’s and piece a dollar menu meal for $4.99, let alone get a full 20-hour gaming experience for that price.

So why is this all so important when it comes to video game DLC?

Well, it’s more of a thought, but I’d love to hear your input on it, and I’d love to hear some serious inquiries from the developers who read my articles. DLC for most video games take a current product, in the case of Dead Cells they took the base game and added additional content that extended the life of the video game but did not change the base game or the gameplay mechanics of the game. Now, don’t get me wrong, some DLC does enhance the gameplay dramatically, such as some of my previous articles talking about Cyberpunk 2077’s DLC: Phantom Liberty, which even won an award at the Game Awards last year.

But in the case of Eastward, they basically created an entirely different game based on the previous IP, which not only branched Eastward into a new product category, but it also branched into a new market because action-adventure and farming sim are not the same thing. I don’t know what possessed Pixpil Games to completely do a 180 and diversify their game to this extent…but I love it. It created a brand-new gaming experience with an IP that I would have never thought possible, all for a price that is practically an impulse buy.

So, here’s my idea: what if developers used DLC to diversify their game to create a proof of concept? I’ll give you an example:

Persona 5 was a smash hit of a video game, arguably one of the greatest JRPG’s I’ve ever played in my entire lifetime, and that’s not hyperbole. They just released their new game Persona 5 Tactica, which created took the original IP of Persona 5, which is a traditional JRPG, and created it into a tactics-based RPG. VERY DIFFERENT.

But some game developers just don’t have the capital to be able to create a new game without proving to their backers that the IP is profitable enough, or popular enough, to diversify into a completely different genre of game.

But why not try?

I think DLC is the perfect platform for that kind of innovation so that those who already enjoy the base game can try something completely different in an IP that they’re invested in. Sure, more of the same is fun and I can’t deny that it works because…it does. But why can’t other developers take the risk and try it out for themselves too?

But what do you all think? Did Pixpil Games tap into something, or do you think Octopia is a one-off thing, and that developers and publishers should stick to what they know will make them profits? Let me know!

And, for those of you who are interested, last week I talked about KIA and how they’re going to LITERALLY be in League of Legends games…yeah, you should check that out (it’s right here).

And, for everyone else, have a great week, play some video games, and don’t be a normie!