How Long After a Game Releases is it Reasonable to Expect DLC?

[A Link In Time]

I was reading Nintendo Life's hopes for the Switch in 2019, and one of their requests was Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC.

I feel that ship has sailed. The game's been out for almost two years with the only noteworthy addition being Labo support.

Most games get DLC a few months after release and are supported for a year or two.

It's different for PC games that are constantly patched, but that's a different story.

So I think if a console game hasn't received DLC a year after launch, it most likely won't ever. And a year or more gap of support means the well has most likely dried up.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[Spiritual Mask Salesman]

I'd say mayne a year maybe 2 years worth of DLC, but there different factors that should be took into account when it comes to DLC releases.

I think if the game is still popular, has a large enough amount of people still playing, and that particular series of games doesn't have any new game set to release anytime soon, than DLC would still be worth releasing. A console game is rarely supported for longer than 2 years, and usually people move on from the game which is why we don't see DLC 3 or 4 years after the release of a game too often.

 

[Spirit]

There have been a few games to have DLC a while after release.

I think it depends on the sales and status of the game. They added Labo to Mario Kart and yeah that's not much but the fact they're still adding to it at all is what's important.

Mario Kart is also extremely popular. Throwing another character in there like Pauline wouldn't be much of an ask. We got the Master Cycle Zero and BotW Link not too long back... the DLC doesn't have to be premium or even too substabtial to count.

I don't think there's really a limit on when a DLC ship sails. Sometimes DLC comes around through crowd funding and fan requests much further down the line.

 

[the8thark]

These days it's more like "how long after the DLC is announced, should we wait for the game to be released". Pretty hilarious to have the DLC announced before we get a release date for the base game. It has happened before, we all know it.

A patch is technically DLC but it's not what most people think of DLC. Actual DLC updates? I think as long as the game is still selling well fine put out DLC. The DLC needs to sell well too.

 

[NintendoCN]

I say it should come out after the game would most likely be beaten, that way the DLC will be bought right away and in theory have more sales altogether.

 

[Fierce_Deity]

A year or two is reasonable. I am surprised that Nintendo abandoned BotW after the champions ballad, seems like they could have done a few things more maybe.