Gaming media was abuzz yesterday with their mixed reactions to the announcement of Alien: Isolation’s pre-order DLC. I wrote an article that took a comprehensive look at the entire situation and came out of it in a similar position. Enjoying the idea of the old cast getting together but not liking how it was executed.
The DLC in question “Crew Expendable” and the preorder GameStop exclusive DLC “Last Survivor” had the original cast of the film reprising their roles as the crew of the Nostromo. Hardcore fans and casual fans alike discussed the ethical practice of exclusive pre-order DLC, questioning not only each other but Creative Assembly itself. People went directly to the source and questioned the developers a game about their decision of the pre-order only DLC. Interestingly enough, the developers responded to the fans directly on their Facebook page:
It’s genuinely been great to see the reaction to The Crew Expendable and Last Survivor pre-order bonus content we announced yesterday and how excited you all are to re-experience those classic scenes from the original movie with our Alien. It’s been absolutely amazing for us at the Studio.
However, some of you have been asking if the two pieces of content are only available through pre-order or if we’ll be releasing them at a later date as well.
So, I can confirm today that we do plan to release both Crew Expendable and Last Survivor at a later date and we’ll have more details for you guys on that shortly.
Best, Nee.
Fans, of course had mixed reactions to this as well, some asking for the entire thing to be free and that it should come with the game without preorders, others questioning the practices of DLC altogether. The DLC is still absolutely unnecessary to enjoy the game. If you’ve seen the first film than you’ve essentially played the DLC. If you haven’t seen the film, go see one of the best Sci-Fi/Horror Films of all time. Then you won’t have to buy or preorder the DLC. This DLC, pre-order or not is strictly made for the fans of the franchise and those who want to play as these characters. It’s annoying but compared to DLC practices of other companies completely harmless and absolutely optional.
