I doubt that I will get anywhere near enough votes or comments to make this anywhere close to statistical relevance but here we go. Also: LONG post coming.
With the great reception of Chaos Wastes as well as an apparent ramp up in premium cosmetics and other premium stuff, the financial model of Vermintide 2 is something which can be discussed again to great lengths.
At the moment, it can be a bit confusing - especially for newer players - why some content is priced and why it is priced like that, while other stuff has been released seemingly for free. It is confusing and also not consistent. Ultimately, this is obviously a matter of economic viability (which we have to take into consideration by gut feeling). But there is also the point of public perception which is - at least for - of equal importance and interesting. Because considering this community Fatshark could do something awesome and still be bashed for it. Over the course of this OP several polls will appear. It may be recommanded to first read through everything before starting to vote although the polls only concern specific topics. To the main question:
Should Fatshark release all or some of the already existing DLC content for free?
- Yes
- No
0 voters
I mean this does sound like a good idea from a community perspective. But even if it is feasible there are a lot of pitfalls:
1. Total Inclusion versus Partial Exclusion
Most existing paid DLC’s consist of several elements like Bögenhafen has the maps and the cosmetics or Ubersreik has the maps and the weapons. Question here is everything should be given for free or only the most relevant content. In this regard, consistency and precedence have to be considered. I think maps are the most important content and most would agree if something should be free it should be the maps. But what about the rest? Precedence-wise most cosmetic stuff is regarded as Premium in some sense. Also all weapons which have been added are paid so far be it as part of old DLC’s, of Premium careers or as weapon pack. So some consistency could be targetted there while also keeping some stuff as potential revenue. But what about the odd items? Keeping Weaves paid in such a scenario would most likely be the final nail and if Fatshark has any further motivation for them, trying to breath some life back there with some changes could be accompanied with making them free. Cataclysm? Opinions diverge wildy there. And personally I think, Cataclysm should share the same fate as Beastmen: either should both be free or be paid as you would received otherwise “different” Cataclysm difficulties which is not a good thing (we have it at Legend and below already). Technically, Beastmen have been given out for free with CW anyway. Then again, some people hate them on a religious base in the same manner Beastmen hate all civilization. So giving them out for free could even lead to backlash. But at least the game would be homogenized for all players (and they can’t be deactivated any longer :P). Making Beastmen free also runs risk of precedence if we get new enemy races somewhere down the line. So there are at lot of potential options and their perception to be considered
Release should go for:
- Total Inclusion (Everything free)
- Partial Exclusion (Some free, some paid within consistency)
0 voters
2. Compensation versus Non-Compensation
Next topic covers the scenario of old stuff being released for free. Lots of people have already bought this stuff. And “some” may either react angry or entitled that they should receive compensation. One could argue that Fatshark doesn’t owe the players anything and we had access to paid content for the longest time. So if there is no compensation it will be perfectly acceptable. The problem would also arise less if some stuff like cosmetics and weapons stay paid. Compensation if done could be delivered in the form of the Premium Careers/Cosmetics. People who bought paid DLC’s could get a token (smal token/large token depending on the paid DLC) they could exchange for hats/skins once.
Prior sales should be:
- Compensated
- Uncompensated
0 voters
3. Conditioned versus Unconditioned
As said before, one of the main questions is feasibility. As such Fatshark could consider a scenario where they make the releases conditioned. They could just give out all the stuff for free, either at once or timewise to stay in discussion. They could also tie it to certain conditions, basically how much skins they sold. Think about something like a kickstarter where you see a progress bar and at certain stages old content will be released for free, like: 25 % Weaves, 50 % Bögenhafen, 75 % Ubersreik, 90 % Cataclysm. This would make it transparent for people when and why content will be remade into FLC. However, “people” could interpret it for begging or - as said - for a Kickstarter campaign for an already bought and released videogame. So again a question of public perception.
Releases should be:
- Conditioned (in a publicly visible manner)
- Unconditioned
0 voters
4. Old Content versus New Content
A last - probably rather easy - question concerns accompanied risk. Considering that Fatshark HAS to make money, should it better release old existing DLCs for free or keep the goodies for future stuff. It would leave old content kinda the dust and saying there is a phase of “exclusivety” could be argued somehow. New content on the other hand is the better draw in.
So if ressources are too limited should Fatshark focus on free releases for:
- Old Content
- New Content
0 voters
So here you have it. Lots of things which can be discussed and mostly based on opinion. So go on and vote and discuss. Do it. - Taking out shotgun while looking ready to shoot ignoring bypassers. -
While once going free it will stay free for the most part. But yea, it is a relatable position. Other people would be more greedy.