Capcom have dramatically altered their policy on post-release content and decided to offer future DLC for free providing you invest enough time playing Street Fighter V. Previously, the studio was heavily criticized in lieu of evidence which proved they sold individual characters already stored on Street Fighter X Tekken’s retail disk. According to the PlayStation blog, each piece of DLC can be acquired via “Fight Money” which accumulates as your playtime increases. The press release specifically stated:
“Players also have more freedom in their decisions, as they only need to purchase or earn the content that appeals to them. This will also create more long-term engagement, because the more you play the game, the more you are rewarded and can earn new content. The player base is never shrunk by requiring a paid update like in years past. Players can take a break from the game, but then come back at any time and continue to play with the characters they already own, with the newest gameplay balance.”
This system also caters to players without a lot of spare time and allows them to purchase content through “Zenny”, a premium currency. Balancing both of these initiatives in a fair manner is extremely challenging. While I’m pleased to see a more consumer-friendly approach, I cannot help being skeptical of Capcom given their recent history. What constitutes enough gameplay to access new content? Will it be a sensible amount, or implemented in a grind-fest free-to-play model?
Street Fighter V is set for release in March 2016 on PlayStation 4 and PC. The launch version contains a core roster of 16 playable character with 4 brand new exclusive models.
