News broke earlier this week of Mass Effect 3's day-one DLC, "From Ashes," and fans have since lashed out against everything from the entire practice of DLC to Bioware themselves. Producer Michael Gamble took to their official forums yesterday to clarify some things and attempt to stamp out the fires of outrage.
The pack includes a new squadmate (a Prothean, a race previously thought to be extinct), a new mission, a new weapon, and alternate appearances for every character. The character and mission are included in the Collector's Edition, which, as Gamble points out, has already become difficult to find a preorder for.
"The Prothean is optional content that is certainly designed to appeal to long-time fans, which is why he is part of the CE offering (the version many fans would be likely to purchase)," Gamble said, emphasizing that "the content in “From Ashes” was developed by a separate team (after the core game was finished) and not completed until well after the main game went into certification."
"Mass Effect 3 is a complete – and a huge game - right out of the box." That's as may be, and ample amounts of DLC make every shred of sense from a business perspective—but that doesn't mean stunts like this will ever sit well with fans.
Is EA's influence on Bioware's business practices turning the developer's practices shady? Do you prefer larger expansions, smaller microtransactions, or no DLC at all? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter.
