Thanks
@Project Bokuho - i feel like i watched a different interview it came up in.
but still I don't buy it.
1. How a character who is wanted early in development by the director, isn't green lit, but later in development (when things are typically more strained) IS green lit - yet early enough to be promoted pre-launch. I would guess the answer is that when proposed as paid DLC, then resources were made available. That's still portioning off existing content at launch for money. But with my experience of business, I think this is a choice that gets made WAY earlier than is being described, at least in pencil.
2. The logistics of not being on disc. She IS available day one as DLC, and all DLC is fancy patches that you sometimes have to pay for - Tira could have been added as part of one of the patches that are coming if it really was too late to add here to the disc.
3. She's not in the story/development etc - well again, she's DLC day one, so she's fitting in in some lesser capacity anyway - and that lesser status makes her something you have to pay extra for? that's not a justification.
Nothing he said comes anything close to explaining what is clearly a monetizing strategy/opportunity as such. I don't begrudge that being the decision, but I do begrudge it being dressed up as something else. We have to draw the line somewhere with this arbitrary pay-walling of characters and content in games at launch, and if they didn't know this they would be more transparent about it. It doesn't favour gamers and eventually it won't favour the developers either.
I'm not aiming my frustration at Okubu, I think most people in his position care about giving the players the best possible. Its more about publisher/board pressure I'm sure. But I feel
sure there is a better way to go about addressing budget based decisions without bullshitting anyone. Nothing in what he said precluded her being added as free day one DLC.
