Let’s Get Some DLC Going for These 4 Big 2019 Releases

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

One of the early game of the year candidates, Sekiro, could use some extra content. It’s already a filling adventure, but we’re getting to the point where many people have completed the game. Fans of the game would certainly love to see more of 16^th century Japan.

It’s well on pace to be one of the best-selling From Software games of all time. The title reached 2 million sales in only 10 days which is just 1 million short of Dark Souls 3 lifetime sales. The potential audience for this game is massive and continues to grow each month. Giving that audience some more content could be a financial boon if implemented properly.

A developer walks a fine line when it introduces additional paid content to a title like Sekiro. Part of the fun is the mind-numbing difficulty. If paid weapons break that difficulty, then that would be incredibly counter-productive. The game could be viewed as “pay-to-win” If overpowered weapons are a part of the add-ons.

Fortunately, From Software has a stellar history when it comes to maintaining and even cranking up difficulty throughout their DLC. Bloodborne and the Souls games have some of the notoriously most brutal paid add-ons.

Based on From Software’s history, it’s just a matter of time until we get DLC for Sekiro. As of right now, nothing is planned. However, not expanding the deep world they built would be a massive mistake. There’s a large audience for Sekiro and it makes sense to strike while the game is still fresh in the public’s mind.

Tetris 99

Tetris 99 has been one of the most unexpected hit titles of 2019. It meshes classic Tetris gameplay with the frenzy of the battle royale genre. There’s nothing else quite like it.

The only issue is the lack of features. Playing Tetris competitively against 98 other people online is such a rush. The music that plays when you get down to the final 10 players is terrifying and exhilarating. Yet, doing the same thing repeatedly can wear you out. We need more game modes in Tetris 99. A little DLC would do this game a ton of good.

When the game first came out there were rumors of other game modes coming in future updates (presumably as free DLC). There was a data mine that found the code for team battle, COM battle, and Marathon modes. That doesn’t mean that they’re sure to happen or that they’re in the works, but each or any one of those modes would be a welcome addition.

Each round is different, and the core of Tetris’ gameplay never gets old. If you keep beating your head against a wall trying to achieve a first-place finish though, it can grind you down. Having a training mode as a part of the hypothetical DLC would be immensely beneficial for less experienced players. It could teach players about t-spins, Tetrises, and targeting strategies. It could increase the skill pool and give the players who consistently finish 99^th a path to improvement.

Yoshi’s Crafted World

Yoshi’s Crafted World is one of those fantastic Nintendo games that could use some DLC but seems to be an unlikely candidate for it. Yoshi’s Wooly World on the Wii U had a multitude of extra costumes that were unlocked via Amiibo. Sadly, the game never received any DLC.

As we move into the next generation for Nintendo, they seem to be more open to paid add-ons. Breath of the Wild was the first Zelda game with DLC, but Mario Odyssey has still not seen any major additions.

Then there’s Fire Emblem which has been getting loads of day-1 DLC since the series came to 3DS. Clearly, Nintendo of 2019 is closer than they ever have been to your typical AAA developer when it comes to DLC. They still have a long way to go, but expansions and season passes are becoming common for some of their bigger titles.

Extra levels for Crafted World would be a welcome addition. Giving players new costumes for collecting all the smiley flowers in a DLC level would add more value to the extra content. They could also release harder extra levels to give the game a much-needed difficulty increase.

Outside of more levels and costumes, there isn’t much else to add, but it would give players a good excuse to come back. The massive number of collectibles is meant to push replayability. However, DLC would help bring back players that ran through the main story and then dropped the game.

Yoshi is clearly one of their big titles on the Switch. Nintendo released a rather surprising number in its latest earnings release: 1.1 million. This is the number of Crafted World copies sold in Nintendo’s last fiscal year (ending Mar 31).

It’s an impressive number for a series that’s usually not viewed as one of the company’s bigger franchises. What’s even more impressive is that this figure only accounts for the game’s first three days on the market. It’s clear there’s an audience for Yoshi and its DLC.

Wargroove

Wargroove is the Advance Wars game people have been waiting for and then some. It has the classic gameplay of the series with the addition of a level editor. There are nearly endless combinations that you can create and upload to let other players enjoy. The community is incredibly active and have already created tons of creative maps.

Even though Wargroove has a way to create endless levels, it still needs DLC. The game is still fresh and the tools for level creation haven’t reached their peak.

It would still be a good idea to get to this before it becomes boring. The key is finding the sweet spot where you can release DLC before the original content stales. You also need to consider the possibility of overwhelming the average player with too many tools. It’s much easier said than done and we’re certainly no experts when it comes to weighing those feelings among a gaming community.

Tossing in some extra single-player levels would also be a great addition. They already have a roadmap they can follow. The Fire Emblem series has been successfully doing add-on content for seven years now. Adding additional, non-canon levels is a great way to get characters in unexpected and downright fun situations.

Chucklefish is currently looking into the possibility of DLC. They made this announcement just about three months ago and we have not received any updates on extra content. Their openness about bringing more Wargroove to the world is encouraging. It would be fantastic if they can find an economically feasible way for them to release some stellar add-on content.