In 2017, industry analysis firm SuperData Research released a report titled the Digital Console Market and Monetization Trends. It estimated that in 2017 alone, the video game industry would rake in approximately $4 billion in revenue from sales of downloadable content (DLC) and microtransactions.
On these statistics alone, it’s clear that video game DLC is now a major part of the industry and developers are eager to release more content in order to add to our experience of a game. But not all attempts at releasing fun DLC have paid off and over the years there have been plenty of duds that have been labeled as just plain weird.
1. Far Cry Primal: Legend of the Mammoth
Far Cry Primal is set in 10,000 BC after the Ice Age and it’s pretty big on using animals in its gameplay, including its incredibly unusual Legend of the Mammoth DLC. This expansion to the game allows players to complete some missions as a woolly mammoth – rather than a human man.
The missions are suitably mammoth themed and see players defeating mammoth killers, taking on rhinos (in some sort of prehistoric turf war), avoiding mammoth traps, and leading mammoths to safety. While this DLC is ridiculous on paper, the Far Cry franchise is known for its ridiculousness and so in a weird way, the Legend of the Mammoth DLC works well.
2. Resident Evil 7’s 21
In Resident Evil 7’s Banned Footage Vol 2. DLC, players can play one incredibly horrifying game of blackjack where characters Clancy and Hoffman are forced to play a game of blackjack as part of the 21 mini-game. Per the rules of this DLC, whoever loses the round will have their fingers chopped off. The stakes only go higher with each round.
Resident Evil 7 is no walk in the park and the Banned Footage Vol 2. DLC probably isn’t the best way to play blackjack online or in a video game. There are plenty of other ways to play casino and other table games that don’t involve the gore of this iconic horror series.
3. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion’s Horse Armor
One of the most infamous pieces of DLC ever released for a video game is the horse armor from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The DLC, which cost around $2, offered up a bright gold outfit for the player’s horse along with a crimson red saddle. While the DLC did look great, players have long disputed whether it’s really worth $2 and one developer of the game has since apologized for it (well, sort of).
The controversy surrounding the horse armor DLC is perhaps why subsequent games in The Elder Scrolls franchise have had much higher quality DLC. For example, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s Dawnguard DLC features vampires and vampire hunters.
If the DLC revenue is any indication, video game developers are unlikely to stop releasing new add-on content any time soon. As such, gamers can probably expect many more weird pieces of downloadable content to be released in future.
Can you guys think of any weird DLC that just wasn’t worth the price you paid for it? Let us know in the comment section below!