Dontnod’s upcoming title Vampyr is a third-person action game in which the player controls a doctor who happens to become afflicted with vampirism. Originally set for a 2017 launch, Vampyr was pushed back to 2018 for further polishing.
Thankfully, it doesn’t appear that the polishing is going to consist of finding ways to carve up the game for DLC purposes. In a recent interview, Cédric Lagarrigue (president of Vampyr’s publisher, Focus Home Interactive) stated that “[Vampyr] is a purely solo experience; we did not plan DLC.”
He goes on to elaborate that, if the game meets with a positive reception, “We would prefer...to think about a sequel.” Lastly, when it comes to sales expectations for the title, he explains that it’s not being created or marketed as a blockbuster title, and that Vampyr would be considered a success after around a million sales. Reportedly, only half that would actually be needed for Focus Home and Dontnod to make their money back.
All of this combines to make a surprisingly reserved and reasonable approach to Vampyr’s launch. Compare this to games like the aforementioned Evolve, or even the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront 2, in which large chunks of content are gated off behind DLC or teased with microtransactions. Even the sales expectations seem incredibly reasonable, especially compared to such storied examples as Square Enix’s ludicrous expectations for 2013’s Tomb Raider.
What’s perhaps most reassuring about all this is that the information is coming from the game’s publisher. Game publishers are frequently the ones held responsible for developing the monetization side of games, while the developers are generally the ones “just in it to make a good game.”
While this isn’t always accurate, it’s certainly become a trend, with the likes of EA, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. drawing the ire of gamers. Regardless, while this by no means ensures that Vampyr will be successful, nor that it will eschew all forms of monetization (microtransactions never came up in the interview), this remains a promising development for a forthcoming game and an example of restraint.
Vampyr is slated to release sometime in Q1/Q2 2018 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.