While it is true that it is considered that DLCs began well into the new millennium, for years many games released expansion packs that were the precursors of this strategy that we now consider part of our industry. It is difficult to find a clear culprit, but in the lists, Oblivion’s “horse armor” DLC holds a prominent place due to the ridiculousness of selling armor for our mount for 2.50 US dollars. However, for Bruce Nesmith, a veteran of Bethesda and The Elder Scrolls, many complained and laughed, but they bought it as if nothing had happened.
Bruce Nesmith, former game designer at Bethesda and writer of Fallout 3 and Oblivion, among others, has reflected on the impact of the downloadable content “Horse Armor” for that RPG released 18 years ago. Although the idea of selling outfits for horses generated a lot of controversy at the time, Nesmith argues that it was part of a crucial learning process in the industry. “The story of the ‘horse armor’ is that you are going to make mistakes when you are the first to jump into the pool with something like this,” he said in an interview with Videogamer.
However, even though Oblivion is considered a pioneer in the paid DLC for trivial content, Nesmith does not forget the lack of honesty in many players. “Everyone made fun of it and yet, they bought it,” he commented. In this case, the Bethesda veteran did not provide data, but he did hint that “it must have sold millions of copies” of said armor, as this good reception surprised the development team. Something that, at the end of the day, has solidified variable content DLCs in the industry.
The former designer also attributes this change in acceptance to the evolution of multiplayer games. “We can thank online games for a much greater interest in DLC related to aspects,” he states. The purely aesthetic nature of many current DLCs, which do not affect gameplay, has become more accepted, especially in competitive games where the character’s appearance becomes an important part of the individual or group experience of the players.
It is normal for Bethesda games to launch with errors
In parallel to the discussion about the Oblivion DLC, Bruce Nesmith also reflected on the trend of Bethesda games launching with errors. According to Nesmith, the massive scale of Bethesda’s games and the complexity of interactions between characters and objects contribute to the appearance of bugs. Despite acknowledging that the studio could benefit from a higher degree of polish, he argues that the wide range of gameplay possibilities offered by their titles partially compensate for the errors, as they allow players to enjoy unique experiences.
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