'Dragon Quest XI' News: Series Creator Yuji Horii Reveals Why They're Not Offering Paid DLCs for the Game
Even without post-launch DLC, the upcoming RPG is still expected to keep players occupied for upwards of 100 hours
Gamers these days are very familiar with DLC and microtransactions. They are everywhere, and regardless of whether or not people are happy about their emergence, it seems like they are here to stay. That said, not every major game coming out in the near future is going to follow the trend of featuring DLC, and "Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age" is set to be one notable exemption.
So, exactly why is this new RPG deviating from what has become the norm in the video game industry?
Series creator Yuji Horii provided answers to that question during an interview with US Gamer's Nadia Oxford.
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According to Horii, there was a desire on the part of the developers to offer a game reminiscent of a past era, an era when DLC and microtransactions weren't commonplace. Horii indicated that they wanted to stand out from many of the games being released now by presenting something that would be complete, right from day one.
Oxford summed it up by stating that nostalgia is a reason for why this new RPG is not going to feature DLC or microtransactions.
Now, while many gamers have grown weary of some examples of microtransactions essentially turning games into pay-to-win offerings, the current opinion on DLC is not quite as negative.
There are instances wherein post-launch DLC really does add something substantial to a game that was already quite packed with content, and players have grown to appreciate those kinds of offerings.
Inevitably, some fans out there will start to wonder if "Dragon Quest XI" featuring no post-launch DLC will end up making it feel short or incomplete.
Ultimately, it will be up to the players to decide for themselves if "Dragon Quest XI" can benefit from post-launch DLC, but one thing that is certain is that the developers have not skimped on the content for this game.
Over on the game's official website, developers shared that the game features plenty of mini-games and side-quests. If players decide to check out and attempt to finish all of those, then they can count on their play time going north of 100 hours.
An estimated 100-hour-plus play time for a completionist playthrough may not be that impressive these days, but it's worth keeping in mind that the upcoming RPG does not feature an open-world like many of the other games that are considered time sinks.
Instead, it's possible that players will end up spending plenty of time with this game because they are trying to find all the collectibles as well all the individual pieces of armor and weapons. Preparing for optional bosses may be a lengthy ordeal, too. Getting the playable characters up to their maximum levels could also end up being a time-consuming exercise.
For now, the only time fans are likely concerned with is the stretch that goes from now to the day that the RPG is officially released.
"Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age" will be officially released for the PC and PS4 in the west on Sept. 4. A Nintendo Switch version of the game is also expected to be released later on.
