Fri, May 21, 2010 | 19:39 BST
SCEA’s Dyer wants more disc content, less DLC
SCEA’s Rob Dyer has said that he would prefer it if publishers were to put more content onto gaming discs, instead of releasing the extras through DLC.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview with Gamasutra, Dyer said that as it stands, only 70-73 percent of people are getting the content, when it should be 100 percent.
“That way, 100 percent of the users are going to get it,” he said. “What are we, north of 70 percent on the network now? 73, I think. Microsoft probably the same… [That's] still a significant number of people that aren’t able to get, whether they don’t have broadband, whether they just flat out can’t get on the network.
“Whether or not you do it, they’re not using it. I want it on the disc, that way when they buy it, they get it. So, if I can do that, that’s great.
“Now, you can talk about why DLC is important to help limit the used game business and to keep people holding onto [the game]. I’m all about that, too. I love that. But I want it on the disc so that 100 percent out there that can play this thing”.
Dyer also feels that Microsoft’s focus on DLC exclusivity is “hysterical”.
“I think it’s hysterical that they’re aggressive about that because if you’re a publisher and a developer, you have to make a decision as to how you’re going to have that delivered as a DLC exclusive,” he said.
“They’ve got two different machines. Are you going to give it for the arcade user or the guy that actually has a hard drive. We don’t have to worry about that.
“We also have the ability to put a lot more than 9 gigs on a Blu-ray disc, and in fact, I want to do more than that because it really shows off the difference between our machine and their machine”.
You can get the full interview through the link, and read up on what Dyer believes is PSP’s biggest issue in the US here.
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Posted in: America, Development, Hot, Journalism, Sony
Tags: dlc, rob dyer, scea
16 comments
#1
AHA-Lambda
21/05/10, 7:44 pm
Do my eyes deceive me? head of sony america wants less dlc??
That’s what everyone has been wanting since…well EVER!!
#2
Tallon 4
21/05/10, 7:47 pm
Rob Dyer +1
#3
Razor
21/05/10, 7:51 pm
Good luck with that Rob.
Pack stuff on disc, or sell it afterward for more money? Easy decision for a publisher to make.
#4
reask
21/05/10, 7:53 pm
Hear Hear.
#5
Shifty
21/05/10, 8:21 pm
Rob Dyer instead of talking bull shit how about asking your First Party Developers to do the same…….take for instance Uncharted 2 and Kill Flop 2 both those games came out with DLC instead of accusing multi-platform developers of less DLC maybe u should look closely in your backyard ass hole.
#6
Dr.Ghettoblaster
21/05/10, 9:13 pm
pro-consumer dig it!
#7
sennasnit
21/05/10, 9:26 pm
@5
shut the hell up…
#8
hitnrun
21/05/10, 11:41 pm
If Sony makes this a policy instead of a suggestion, it would convert me in a heartbeat.
But I have a feeling it’ll remain just another volley in the pissing match. There is too much money in the offing for serving up slabs of DLC that are either crap or should have been on the disc. Sony gets their cut of that, too. If they had won this gen, they could put the screws on the publishers, but now they have no leverage.
#9
LordCancer
21/05/10, 11:58 pm
Even if you have Internets you prolley got something that’s slow and anti anything bigger than an email. Comcast is screwing us around right now, from a 16mbps to 3mbps connection same price and Im being harassed by some loser from orientation that’s acting like we just signed up even though we’ve had the damn thing for over a year.
Take advantage of our features… yeah right… cant even stream a video from comcast site anymore.
I’m back to requiring multi gig files on disc. my high speed internet isn’t fast enough to cross the street without getting hit.
my only other option is qwest dsl/fiber. upload sucks. even though they supposedly have fiber now, you still only get like 768k upload.
All content needs to be on disc until high speed internet is available and affordable. If separate discs or game of the year editions whatever is necessary to deliver content to the consumers.
There all digital future will never happen in america if comcast has its way.
$50 for 3mbps is asinine.
#10
frostquake
22/05/10, 10:31 am
Sony said something I agree with…Wow I can’t believe I just typed that, after years of complaining, it feels good to say that!
#11
Hakkiz
22/05/10, 10:38 am
@9
Bloody hell. And I thought broadband is expensive in Finland. I guess ~$50 for 24 megs + IPTV service ain’t that bad now…
But good point, there could be DLC disc or beefed-up second editions.
About the actual news, I think it’s reasonable for Sony to talk like this. On the other hand if they were in the same position as MS they could be saying, for e.g., the same thing Namco said: there needs to be less content on disc, cheaper retail price and the rest of the game will be delivered via online. It’s just about where you stand right now. Come next gen consoles and their point of views are likely to change.
#12
Dralen
22/05/10, 3:33 pm
Agreed, Mr Dyer.
#13
Holesome
22/05/10, 8:01 pm
Key points:
- distribute DLC on disc, in addition to downloadable, so that 100% of the PS3 consumer, especially the ones without internet connections, can play the content.
- distribute more content on BR to make use of BR, justify it’s existance, and try to make it seem like games are so big that they all require BR. This is a sales tactic for Sony and BR vs DVD.
On the flip side:
- All developers have the same option of being able to deliver DLC on disc no matter what the platform. Consumers will adopt the method they want for obtaining game add-ons.
- adding DLC on disc with the game could increase the cost of the game and/or delay game releases.
- you can’t add DLC that hasn’t yet been created to games being released.
- will DLC put on the game discs still cost the consumer to unlock them? Paying for unlocking content already on game discs has always been a sore spot.
- more and more consumers are obtaining internet access and this will only increase over time so this would mean, depending on consumer sentimant, that less and less people will require discs. Is this just a stop gap?
- DLC downloads helps combat pirating, especially for DVD platforms.
- less discs produced and distributed is better for the environment due no material, manufacturing, and distribution costs.
#14
theevilaires
22/05/10, 8:10 pm
Won’t happen because the game (this industry) has changed. Soon we won’t have disc at all and that’s all due to the stupid consumer who are going to let publishers like E.A. walk all over them.
#15
OlderGamer
23/05/10, 3:19 pm
Thing is so much of the dlc in question is online MP stuff, so the disc based idea for folks w/o internet seems silly.
As far as less dlc and more disc based – love it, but like Tea said never gonna happen.
#16
Amored
25/05/10, 6:20 am
This kinda makes sense for Sony, as they can get more content on their bluray-discs than what Microsoft can get on their DVDs. Sony could sell more games, if devs/publishers add more content on the discs, as that would force the Xbox 360-versions to use multiple discs, which people don’t like.
Personally, I could care less how many discs a game needs…