Creative Assembly has addressed a backlash to the price of new Total War Warhammer 3 DLC and called on players to stop directing abuse at staff.
Total War Warhammer 3 Shadows of Change, which adds three new Legendary Lords for Tzeentch, Grand Cathay, and Kislev, and 11 additional units, costs $24.99 / £19.99, or 40% of the price of the base game itself. This is higher than previous DLC packs for the fantasy strategy game. The Champions of Chaos Lords Pack, for example, adds four new playable Legendary Lords and costs £12.99. Lord and Race packs for Total War Warhammer 2 are even cheaper, and offer greater value, players have pointed out.
The price increase for Shadows of Change sparked an angry response that spilled over into Total War Warhammer 3 Steam reviews. There, the game has a “mostly negative” user review rating for recent reviews (it’s “mostly positive” overall, showing the backlash relates to recent events).
“The DLC policy is a complete rip-off,” Steam user Jolsn wrote in the “most helpful” user review posted in the past 30 days. “They add the bare minimum of new factions they can get away with and then charge you half the price of the full game to add a new one every few months. I get needing to make money and I have no problems with games that cost 60-70€ but this just leaves a sour taste in my mouth that makes me not ever come back to your games.”
In a statement posted to the Total War website, Creative Assembly chief product officer Rob Bartholomew said the studio’s costs have risen, which means DLC prices have risen accordingly.
“To get right into it: our costs are up,” Bartholomew said. “Unfortunately, that means that prices have to rise. We know any increase is going to be tough, which is why our prices have remained fairly stable over the past few years. The downside is that any increase today is going to be more noticeable.
“There’s no good time to increase prices, and we have not taken this step lightly. However, this is the business reality of supporting Warhammer 3 and ensuring we’re able to offer the years of extra content that are currently planned.
“That said, we do need to challenge ourselves to ensure that this cost still offers good value. Ultimately, that’s up to each of you to decide and we’ll keep trying to balance that. Of course, we want more people to play, we want to continue to deliver content you’re excited to see, and we want to do that for as long as we can.”
A follow-up statement from senior game director Rich Aldridge reinforced the value of the Shadows of Change DLC, explaining why it stands out.
“The Changeling plays like no other in the series,” Aldridge said. “Scheming and tricking your enemies into conflict with one another whilst leeching off other settlements feels great and we really hope it opens up new gameplay opportunities.
“I’m equally itching to see how you get on with Yuan Bo the Jade Dragon and Mother Ostankya, two new characters for the series and Warhammer world, both of whom have their own agendas and are ruthless in their actions.”
“We need to ask you again to stop directing abuse at individual team members.
Bartholomew ended by admitting some players may wait for discounts or sales before buying the DLC, but called on the community to stop harassing Creative Assembly developers.
“We know this is a tough change for some of our players,” he said. “We know this may mean some of you wait for future discounts or sales. And we know that this explanation does not make the situation any easier. But it’s important for you to hear from us and we hope that, if nothing else, this helps clarify why this decision has been made.
“Finally, we need to ask you again to stop directing abuse at individual team members. Frustrated as you may get, these are human beings who spend many hours representing you and your voices within the studio. All of our work gets easier when they are treated with respect.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
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