FFXIII DLC off the cards again

By Oli Welsh Published 16 February, 2010

"It's the complete package".

Make your mind up. Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase has denied that there are plans to release any downloadable content for the RPG epic, just weeks after saying there would be.

"Regarding the DLC content, we feel that the final product is 100 per cent enjoyable... it's the complete package. So we're not planning any DLC at this time," Kitase told the PlayStation blog.

He also moved to clear up talk of a large amount of content that had been cut from the game, which many guessed might form the basis of future DLC plans.

"In regard to the rumoured cut content, we feel it was taken out of context," Kitase said. "There are a lot of ideas that are brought to the table, and then the team takes the best ideas out of those, and the final product is polished that way. There was content that were 'ideas' that didn't make the final content, but the team isn't looking to release that as downloadable content."

There seems to be some confusion here, but we're going to err on the side of "not happening".

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About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (31) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Widge #1 2 years ago

    SE PR machine, well oiled and rolling onwards to victory

  • Pughie #2 2 years ago

    "Games producer in contradiction shocker"
    why can't people just tell the truth

  • Murton #3 2 years ago

    That's funny, the original reports of cut content gave the distinct impression that the assets had been created and were complete and were then cut, now after the "content cut for DLC" rage we're told that no assets were complete and they were concepts, not content.

    As much as I hate it when devs/publishers refuse to give an answer or only answer in PR speak I have to say that I dislike this behaviour of "new contradictory answer every time the question pops up" even more. Games companies will be much better off in the long run if they just tell it like it is from the beginning and the sooner that the industry at large realises this the better it will be for everyone.
    Edited by Murton at 16/02/10 @ 10:28

  • M_of_the_sys #4 2 years ago

    I imagine that all the people outraged about content 'cut' from the game being made into DLC are happy about this?

  • Kremlik Verified Co-Founder, Crash To Desktop #5 2 years ago

    I wish they'll make up their *beep* mind, well they still have 3 weeks to change back again.

    TBH Personally I don't like the combat system to the game as as with FFXII it was fine at the start but then just ended 'watching' the game play itself out due to the AI doing most of the work, with this 'single character' lark, they missed the point why many like the series - money is 100% on VSXIII to be better

    @M - you've kinda missed the point, the 'DLC' WAS ment to be the cut content - now all we're getting is the 'final product' which is just the striped down game.
    Edited by Kremlik at 16/02/10 @ 10:08

  • ignatiusjreilly #6 2 years ago

    I imagine that all the people outraged about content 'cut' from the game being made into DLC are happy about this?

    So you believe him? Personally I think there will be DLC coming, and this is just PR fluff designed to placate people in the way you've suggested they should be ;)

  • metalangel #7 2 years ago

    Don't they know people want an "aggressive DLC schedule" so that their game can slowly fill up with extra junk that they likely can't use as they've passed the stage in the game where the content would have been useful? Tsk.

  • linksdad #8 2 years ago

    Our great reasonably priced (1200msp) DLC contains 46 all new random encounter permutations at 1.25% the frequency of the old vanilla encounters offering brilliant value and longevity to our already overly long game.

  • sfp_noodle #9 2 years ago

    sure SE, we believe u. jus like we believe MS will 'never release a stand alone 250gb HDD' :)

  • Flabio #10 2 years ago

    The change in meaning here could just as easily be a case of who did the translations of the interviews...

  • TeaFiend #11 2 years ago

    Didn't the reverse of the 360 box have "Downloadable Content" on it?

  • M_of_the_sys #12 2 years ago

    @Kremlik

    I stated in a previous comment that this 'cut' content would've likely been stripped from the game anyway and would never have seen the light of day - hence why I didn't mind so much. If this article is to be believed, which I for one don't, it would suggest the content isn't being released at all.

    @ignatiusjreilly

    I also think it's PR fluff.

  • jamie_fear #13 2 years ago

    @TeaFiend

    I think when it says 'Downloadable Content' on the back of the box it can refer to Themes and Gamerpics too, not just DLC.

  • Murton #14 2 years ago

    @Teafiend: check the manual for the PS3 version of Oblivion, on page 7 or 8 (can't remember which) there's a section called "Downloadable content" even though Bethesda had no intention of releasing any for the platform, and the back of every PS3 game's box says that a broadband connection and PSN account are required whether they contain multiplayer or have DLC planned or not.

    The back of the box thing is just a cover so that the customer is aware in order to get the best possible experience (read: the inevitable patches) they need those things, otherwise they'd find themselves on the wrong side of a couple of consumer laws. It's when you see it printed in a manual or visible in the game's front end that it becomes a head scratcher.

  • ckyman2 #15 2 years ago

    " FFXIII-2" sorry to be a nonce but wouldn't that be Final Fantasy 14 lol, and I am sure there will be weeks of gameplay before we even start to think about DLC, by which time the game will have sold enough copies for them to be comfortable to announce extra content which sounds to me what there doing lol

  • alan_stealth #16 2 years ago

    all the gimps that were so happy to jump on the "oh its cuz they have to fit in all on 1 disc for the 360 - if it was exclusive for the ps3 it could be 400gb and so much better".

    G
    I
    M
    P
    O

  • Darren #17 2 years ago

    Personally, I'm not convinced that 40-50 hour JRPGs need DLC anyway so it doesn't bother me one way or the other whether FFXIII has any or not; there'd be enough value on the disc already to keep me busy for weeks anyway.

    Announcing DLC before a game is released has the negative affect of making it seem like you're getting less value for money, that the game has had content intentionally cut to be sold later at a price, so if Square-Enix do add DLC to FFXIII then it's perhaps better that they leave it for a few weeks before announcing it.

  • Gastrian #18 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 17:56:43 13-04-2012

  • ckyman2 #19 2 years ago

    wow I touched a nerve :S

  • Bigglesworth #20 2 years ago

    Just a couple of clicks from here and you arrive at: "According to an apparent translation from GAF, Final Fantasy XIII producer Yoshinori Kitase has told OPM Benelux that [...]"

    Just goes to show, you shouldn't really base news items on Google Translate =)

  • TeaFiend #21 2 years ago

    The "Downloadable Content" bit on boxes represents ingame content. It is not for extra material or as a "cover my arse" type thing.

  • TeaFiend #22 2 years ago

    @Bowlby:
    It is hard to do well. Do you tell people that the game that has been worked on for a few years has some content out on release day? Many consumers will be angry, even though the company has had a large amount of time to work on it (the whole manufacture time and more, potentially). Or if a game has content released for a year after that costs up to say, £40ish in total. People will be angry at paying the price of a new game for bits of new content.

    It is very hard to win. Years ago small pieces of content were released for free (see official map packs, Morrowind having official mods, patches adding new game content) but now they are being charged for it. Developer time is still used, people want to get paid for their work. DLC is not a five minute job. Usually.

  • FortysixterUK #23 2 years ago

    Yeah screw the DLC, if it's not there at the start it won't be purchased. Simple as that.

  • GamesConnoisseur #24 2 years ago

    Don't ruin the chance for many people to accuse Xbots of ruining FFXIII by forcing Square to limit the game cos of needing to fit in x360.

    At least that is one of the common and tired argument I read in lots of posts related to FFXIII in other sites!

    DLC new costumes for Lightening and co is more likely than a full addition of city/level as it's 3/4 linear until late in the game. So gamers won't see DLC sooner unless in form of costumes or power ups?

  • darkmorgado #25 2 years ago

    I thought the CE edition of the 360 version is supposed to come with exclusive DLC? I've seen it advertised as such in GAME and Play.com.

  • TeaFiend #26 2 years ago

    Unless DLC is made alongside the game, it will take a while to show up. Think of how long it took for some of the Fallout 3 DLC to appear and they knew they were doing a lot of it before the game was released. It took a lot of programming, art, design, audio and testing to get to the final stages.

  • FladgeMangle #27 2 years ago

    @Gastrian

    Good post, but you forgot the "abc: final fantasy n" category.

    As in "Crisis Core : Final Fantasy VII", which was a role playing game and "Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII", which was a 3rd person shooter.

  • Emmit_Assassin #28 2 years ago

    What's wrong with Square Enix at the moment? Bit all over the place, aren't they? The right hand dunt seem to know what the left is doing, fake shots all over the shop, one says 'we're doing dlc with cut content' and the other says 'no we're not'...christ...get it together will you?
    I've still pre-ordered FFXIII though, can't wait!
    And I'm looking forward to it being more linear. I got bored and overwhelmed with Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, Eternal Sonata (on a friends machine) and the like. I used to live for massive JRPG's, and now I just can't get into them. My tastes have changed so much in the last 10 years or so.

    Here's hoping the game is more together than its makers...

  • Nazo #29 2 years ago

    I'd be surprised if they didn't release something. They usually re-release them in Japan with some minor features added and the Western voice-over. I can't see them getting away with a full-price release for this in the age of DLC so I'd expect the 'international' content to be a download.

  • firefly #30 2 years ago

    @Gastrian @Fladge Mangle

    Or "abc: final fantasy", such as Dissidia. Seems to be the naming convention for universe crossovers.
    Edited by firefly at 17/02/10 @ 09:10

  • FladgeMangle #31 2 years ago

    True, true.

    Messy, isn't it?