DLC Discussion

[Storm the Lycanroc]

With the main series games debuting on the Nintendo Switch it opens up new possibilities. One of those possibilities is DLC which could expand the overall experience of the base game.

The question I wish to discuss is if they are going to have DLC for Pokemon Switch what would the positive and negative aspects be?

 

[PirateKing]

I’m all for it if they do it right, DLC is a great way to increase a games longevity and stick in stuff they don’t wanna spend the main development time for. I would throw $5 to get a Battle Frontier or new story pack or Red’s hat a few months after a game comes out without a second thought.

Plus they can actually add in new forms or mythicals and have it be a surprise like it’s supossed to be.

 

[Mega Altaria]

If Game Freak decides to introduce DLC into the Switch games, which is highly unlikely anyway, one advantage that comes with it is that there is a potential that Mythical Pokémon can be bought indefinitely to allow for a virtually infinite supply, meaning that through the introduction of DLC, Mythical Pokémon can be more available to players. And also there is the possibility that multiple Legendary Pokémon can be obtained legitimately without trading. Or very rare items like the Master Ball, Rare Candies and Max Revives can be readily obtained that way.

However, that could also make Pokémon games from then on have a 'pay-to-win' nature, especially with Mythical Pokémon only being available through microtransactions. This affects overall gameplay experience, especially with the ability to enter the online competitive scene and the potential to ramp up the difficulty to insane levels or game progress is so slow that players are forced to purchase DLC to beat the game quicker. Other aspects of gameplay can be affected by this, especially with the availability of Hyper Training, certain items required to readily create competitive Pokémon in-game and the availability of the Oval Charm and the Shiny Charm.

 

[WishIhadaManafi5]

I hope that they don't go this route, as Switch games are already expensive enough. If they do end up going there, then it would have to be something good enough to warrant it. Like more areas to visit, more gyms to rebattle against.

 

[Akashin]

There's no way they'd get away with locking Pokemon, even just new Forms, behind DLC. Even locking proper accessibility (relative to one-and-done events, depending where you live) to Mythicals is a stretch that I can't see them touching.

If they were to try getting their feet wet with DLC, I could see them starting with something simple like costume DLC. That's harmless enough, and something that people who are interested can freely opt into without it hurting people who don't. Story DLC would be fine too, but I can't see them jumping right into it.

 

[Aetius]

The ones you mentioned are spin-offs titles, so I'd welcome with open arms DLC on Pokèmon Switch.
Sure, I'd have to pay, but if I buy a season pass, I'd have every new DLC at, what, 30$/Euros?
Besides, I'd really like this to be the case, because that would be the perfect excuse to extend the game's life even more IMHO.
Just imagine downloading new clothes, a battle facility, free gifts etc...

 

[Trainer Yusuf]

We have made a minor argument about this on the Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon thread, but yes, DLC are coming and will most certainly involve locking Pokémon behind DLC.

IMHO it could be good or bad depending on whether they use this to expand this game post-release or to just fork over extra cash since retail sales are going down.

Edit: An obvious idea I discussed with others was introducing another sub-region as a DLC, that would expand the regional dex and give excuse for introducing a new batch of Pokémon, but it would also be completely optional(especially since the bulk of the new species will be generic stuff), while worth the price.

Edit 2: A few more ideas for DLC stuff:

-DLC battles. PWT had them, so I can see them being a thing, especially to tie in with the animé.
-DLC items/forms: Same as above, though I suspect these will only happen for a single game and then they will be made available through conventional means.
-DLC modes: These would be a bit more weird, since they would focus on changing in-game rosters and wild encounters. But they are very cost effective and it would be a clever way to introduce hard/easy modes post-game.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

They'd have to walk a very fine line with DLC to avoid complaints that they're charging you for things that should've been in the game to begin with. Given Game Freak's nature of trying to use certain gameplay features to help sell the games, this may be an inevitability to some degree. But if done right, it could really improve upon the third version formula and event distributions.

For one, DLC should mark the end of traditional third versions. Well, sort of. They should release DLC that includes traditional third version content for about $10-$20. However, they may also want to try and sell full games to people who didn't buy the original, so alongside the DLC release they could pull a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and include an updated version that bundles in the new DLC.

As for events? Those should be free unless they up the ante. Paying money for just another Pokemon is a bit of a ripoff. However, if they go back to having event locations, maybe adding in some new Pokemon catchable and a story arc? Then maybe paying $5-$10 for that is worth it.

 

[Captain Jigglypuff]

I don’t think paid DLC is ever going to make it into the main series. Free DLC yes since we sort of have that with Mystery Gift. They may offer a new area to explore but I honestly don’t think GF would charge us to play it. PMD And Pokken are different because they are spin offs and have reasons to have paid DLC. Games like Sun do not since catching and battling are the main objectives.

 

[Storm the Lycanroc]

Personally I just worry if they have DLC for this game will there be enough content to justify spending $5-20. I'd rather see them release larger chunks of content than smaller microtransactions worth.

 

[Storm the Lycanroc]

Here are a couple of ideas I've come up with for what the good DLC could be:

• Locations - New smaller areas where different Pokemon can be found. Ones that weren't found in the base game or regional Pokedex.
  
• Story Content - New pieces of story content that would extend the longevity of the game. Similar to Delta Episode (ORAS) and Rainbow Rocket (USUM).
  
• Clothing - New pieces of clothing that could be based off the fashion from the past regions. Examples being something tropical outfit from Alola, a fashionable outfit from Kalos, and Japanese style outfits from Kanto/Johto.
• Classic Outfits - In addition they could have outfits based off the old protagonists as a way to celebrate the history of the game. If not the whole outfit then maybe just their hats. Similar to the DLC outfits they made in Breath of the Wild as a homage to older games.

 

[RileyXY1]

I don't want things that should be in the base game to begin with to be locked behind DLC. I don't want Pokemon to turn into a "pay to win" game.

 

[Frozocrone]

DLC already exists in Mystery Gift.

If they do expand on DLC though, I hope visiting prior regions is an option.

 

[RileyXY1]

DLC already exists in Mystery Gift.

If they do expand on DLC though, I hope visiting prior regions is an option.

I don't want them to do that because I believe that extra regions is content that should be in the base game.

 

[Storm the Lycanroc]

If the developers are feeling generous then maybe they can give away free DLC. Things that add to the base game and overall experience.

I doubt Nintendo would let them remove a large part of the game. They're not as greedy and evil as EA right?

 

[Pokemon Power]

You know what I'd like as DLC? Passports to past regions. I would love to visit Kanto where it all began, or Sinnoh due to it's unique facilities like the Super Contest and the Great Marsh.

 

[WhiteBlair]

GameFreak must have thought any DLC introduced to the Pokemon franchise would be easy money; not to mention the annual PokeBank fee and the high demand for 3DS VC titles, but they weren't interested with the franchise to get one once it was asked to Masuda last time. Would it change with it being Switch? Perhaps, but I don't think so. I would rather prefer them to implement a cloud data for save files first, so any possible corruption that comes with DLC's won't erase the file.

However, if introduced, I'd very much like to see Battle Frontier, a small map to explore, a few new Pokemon with new dex entries like US/UM did, mini games to spend time. That way, we'd have different opportunities to do except finishing the Dex, breeding, battling and shiny-hunting like we all do for a couple of years now.

 

[Bolt the Cat]

I wouldn't get your hopes up for past regions as DLC, that's a wildly unrealistic expectation. Recreating old regions has shown to take several years to develop and they wouldn't make as much money as they would selling them as remakes. And that's not even getting into other issues like your Pokemon reaching Lv. 100 before even finishing the 2nd region. It just flat out wouldn't be worth it for them to sell entire regions as remakes. Whereas third versions are quicker to develop and don't sell nearly as well as other games, so it's more profitable to sell that as DLC. The most additional content we'll probably see out of DLC is something like BW2.

 

[RileyXY1]

I wouldn't get your hopes up for past regions as DLC, that's a wildly unrealistic expectation. Recreating old regions has shown to take several years to develop and they wouldn't make as much money as they would selling them as remakes. And that's not even getting into other issues like your Pokemon reaching Lv. 100 before even finishing the 2nd region. It just flat out wouldn't be worth it for them to sell entire regions as remakes. Whereas third versions are quicker to develop and don't sell nearly as well as other games, so it's more profitable to sell that as DLC. The most additional content we'll probably see out of DLC is something like BW2.

I agree. They would be better off releasing past regions as remakes than releasing them as DLC. I don't want the game to go to the "games as a service" model so I'm very worried about the inclusion of DLC.

 

[Storm the Lycanroc]

If they were to create a whole other region then they might aswell release it as a separate game. We've already seen they had trouble with multiple regions in HG/SS.