Analyst: EA will release pre-release premium DLC

A recent visit to EA was very fruitful for video game analyst Michael Pachter, as he learned of a new initiative within the company to create pre-release premium DLC, as well as a downloadable Jack the Ripper game from Visceral Games.

EA has been testing the downloadable content waters of late in various ways, including high-profile releases like Battlefield 1943, as well as launch DLC like The Saboteur's Midnight Show and Mass Effect 2's Cerberus Network meant to cater to new game purchasers. It looks like the company may soon be trying another method of selling premium DLC to customers, as video game analyst Michael Pachter has stated that EA's Visceral Studios revealed plans to him regarding pre-release premium DLC that would, in his words "essentially be a very long game demo, along the lines of 2009?s Battlefield 1943."

Pachter went on to explain that the 3-4 hours worth of content would sell for $10-15 and serve as both a marketing tool and a method of quality assurance testing that would allow fans to deliver input that could be used to create the final retail product. Using Battlefield 1943 as an example again, Pachter noted "If DICE were able to follow Battlefield 1943 with a full-blown European WWII campaign game a few months later, it would have been a wild success." We have contacted a member of the DICE team regarding Pachter's comments and will report if we receive a response.

EA's new DLC strategy wasn't the only nugget of information Pachter gleaned from his visit to Visceral Games. While the developer's 2011 project, Dead Space 2, was already common knowledge, Pachter's notes on the developer also revealed a download-only project based on Jack the Ripper, due out on the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade. Given the company's propensity to create violent games (Dead Space) and adaptations of popular stories (Dante's Inferno), it could be interesting to see their take on one of the most mysterious serial killers of all time.

What are your thoughts on EA's rumored DLC developments? Would you buy lengthy pre-release DLC? Are you looking forward to seeing Visceral's take on Jack the Ripper?

SOURCES: Analyst: EA To Release Paid DLC Prior To Packaged Game Launches [Gamasutra] Visceral?s Jack the Ripper title is downloadable, says Pachter [VG247]

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