Dragon Age: Inquisition Drops Support For "Last-Gen" Consoles

[thepyrethatburns]

So, uhh... I don't remember if this happened, did Dragon Age Inquisition have a Season Pass? Becauuuuuse that's... kinda important.

It did not.

As someone who is not upgrading, I can't really get angry over this or even rip on EA for this decision.

1) At least, we got the game unlike Mortal Kombat X which was promised but hasn't been released and, at this point, probably won't be released.

2) This is the reality of DLC. EA is under no obligation to sell me DLC for a console that they have decided is a money-loser. If they had sold a season pass (Hi, Ubisoft!), then they would have the obligation. As it is, EA delivered everything that was paid for.

2a) EA never promised DLC for the last-gen console either. They never led me on to believe that I was going to get all the DLC. They did not sell me the game and include any reasonable expectation of future DLC support. This may be an issue with selling DLC as a separate product but that's a discussion for a different topic. EA offered the game on sale and last-gen players such as myself bought it. That was the extent of the deal between us.

3)At this point, it's really time for everyone who is still on last-gen to **** or get off the pot. I went into the last-gen knowing that it was going to be my last console generation. As such, I accept cancelled games and no DLC as an inevitable part of dropping new gaming. It is insane to expect the game companies to keep supporting the older consoles when we have had a year and a half to transition over. Gamers either have to accept that the party is over or pony up the cash for a new console. Either way, this doesn't really strike me as something that I can really throw in the "EA is evil" case file.

 

[Ten Foot Bunny]

Uh, the third paragraph of the story says that EA is doing the same thing; any previously purchased DLC on the old platform is free on the new platform - though it is manufacturer specific but that's to be expected.

Huh... that's what I get for trying to read and write on only two hours of sleep. Thanks for pointing that out! Now I feel like a total idiot. lol

I'm glad I didn't re-buy that one DLC, because they definitely weren't giving it away for free as of two weeks ago.

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EDIT - I checked the instructions for importing your save games to the newer consoles, and the list of transferable DLC only mentions Jaws of Hakkon and Spoils of the Avvar. No mention of the Deluxe Edition Upgrade that I purchased on the 360. The Xbox store still tells me I have to re-purchase it. Additionally, the instructions specifically state that you need to install the deluxe edition content before importing your old save or you'll need to equip different gear, but I don't have a deluxe edition code to get the content because I purchased the content separately.

I put in a help request to EA and will post their response when I get one. Hopefully they'll do the right thing here.

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From the instructions:

What happens if I purchased DLC packs on my PlayStation®3 system or Xbox 360 console?

If you purchased the Jaws of Hakkon or Spoils of the Avvar DLC pack on your Xbox 360 console, you can download them on your Xbox One console using the same gamertag at no additional charge.

If your savegame data from your Xbox 360 console included these DLC packs, you must have them on your Xbox One console to load your imported savegame data.

What if I have preorder promotional items or Flames of the Inquisition items installed on my PlayStation®3 system or Xbox 360 console?

If you have preorder promotional items or Flames of the Inquisition items installed on your Xbox 360 console at the time of the export, you can import the savegame data on your Xbox One console.

If you do not have the same content installed on your Xbox One console, the savegame loads, and you must equip alternate equipment and/or armor.

If you have the same content installed on your Xbox One console, the savegame loads as it appeared on the Xbox 360 console.

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

While it is a bit sad that support for the older consoles is being dropped, it should mean that future DLC will come out faster, and be all the more polished, as Bioware won't have to worry about "downgrading" it for inferior hardware.

Do you even videogames, Steve? BioWare began their DA:I antics on 360 by downgrading the whole fuckin' game; it's genuinely one the ugliest and least technically proficient games I ever played in that gen. They simply didn't give a single fuck about "support" for the 360 version from the beginning, so cutting off DLC is just another backstab by BioWare/EA.

Should I have bothered with DA:I on 360? Given that it was the only system I could play it on, and I generally trust BioWare, yes...

Luckily for the exploitative and/or lazy mugs at BioWare and EA I decided before Jaws Of Hakkon (which is apparently rather shit) that I'll just be getting DA:I again on XB1 with new DLC (though now I might wait for a GotY version, to minimise how much cash I throw their way).

 

[TallanKhan]

Oh screw you EA, you release a game and say there will be DLC and then let people buy it for their preferred platform before telling them that some of those platforms won't support the DLC. Dick move EA. Dick. Move.

This shit is why I don't buy your games any more.

 

[Made in China]

3)At this point, it's really time for everyone who is still on last-gen to **** or get off the pot. I went into the last-gen knowing that it was going to be my last console generation. As such, I accept cancelled games and no DLC as an inevitable part of dropping new gaming. It is insane to expect the game companies to keep supporting the older consoles when we have had a year and a half to transition over. Gamers either have to accept that the party is over or pony up the cash for a new console. Either way, this doesn't really strike me as something that I can really throw in the "EA is evil" case file.

You're looking it from the wrong viewpoint. Some people can't afford the upgrade, and are still grasping at every high end game that comes their way - for example, I'm still holding on to my PS3 because of Persona 5. If the PS3 was my main gaming device and I played DA:I on it, I would feel cheated not getting all of the DLC. I mean, the graphics downgrade was a known risk, but removing content and gameplay is a risk not known until now.
While you can say nothing was removed because the DLC is yet to be paid for, it's still blocking last-gen players quite aggressively. Said upgrade, just to play one DLC of one game, would be in the hundreds of dollars instead of the dozens. You get more perks, like a new gaming console, but you're still doing it for only one game that you already own.

 

[laggyteabag]

Well that is just silly. Why release a game on a platform if you are just going to cancel all further support for it? I mean, for those of us who play the game on a current gen console or PC, it can only mean good things, but to those who were super invested in the game on the last gen consoles, it must really suck being told that they cannot experience the rest of the game's story without upgrading their hardware.

 

[Gatlank]

I bought the game on PS4. In fact, I bought a PS4 specifically so I wouldn't have to worry about the PS3 hardware holding the game back. But this is total bullshit. You don't do a cross-generation release and then drop support for the old generation halfway through the DLC period. That's fucked. The game shouldn't have been brought the the older consoles at all if this was a possibility. And I don't believe for a second that someone at Bioware/EA wasn't seriously considering this possibility for some time before the game released.

They could have been considering that possibility, but they were definetly sure they could squeeze more money from the game if it was released on older consoles even if support was cutted on a later date.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

"To continue playing this game, please insert 90 dollars for next gen graphics!"

 

[Xathos]

Well, as someone who bought the deluxe edition at Gamestop for PS3, this leaves me miffed to say the least. At the time, it seemed obvious, the other Dragon Age games were on PS3, and even though it was releasing for PS4, they wanted to complete the trilogy on PS3. Naturally, that would include DLC, and though I knew it was going to look and run better on PS4, I was fine getting it for PS3.

Hearing some stuff that the game was held back because of going Cross Gen sucked, but I took it as a necessary evil. This type of stuff just happens sometimes afterall. But this new DLC going for just PS4/Xbox One/PC only, just annoys me to no end. I suppose it just comes across like they made it cross gen to rake in some more cash. Can't say that doesn't make sense, only that I kinda wish it WAS just next gen only like Arkham Knight. Imagine the kind of game we would have gotten then! To be fair though, I have no idea how well Inquisition sold on last gen systems VS next gen ones.

At least they gave us the ability to transfer our save files, because God knows how many more people would have gotten mad at that! It is nice that some DLC will be able to be gotten again for free, but I find it weird that other stuff like Pre-order weapons aren't included in that. What about the Deluxe edition stuff? Am I really forced to find another one?

I like Inquisition a lot, and this doesn't make me want to boycott Bioware games or anything like that. I just feel super annoyed that I now have to buy the same game twice. I won't be able to get a PS4 for awhile, and I would have happily waited to get Inquisition since I plan to get the new Mass Effect as well. Granted, we don't know how much more DLC Inquisition will have, but I have to imagine with such a large world to play with, there wouldn't be at least 2 more story centric ones. Would be stranger if there was only one more. Still haven't beaten the game (got to before the final mission though). Stopped due to annoying bugs, and was just waiting to see if any DLC was going to take place after the story or not.

This stinks, and makes me wonder how this game would have looked if it was just next gen systems only, but I know I'll eventually just move on over to PS4. I'm just going to have to deal with this.

 

[Aiddon_v1legacy]

Okay, does EA just literally not give a shit about their reputation, or are they just reeaaallly this dumb?

Or is the entire thing BioWare's fault? God, I can't help but feel like no one knew what they were doing with this game. Everything from marketing to design has just felt all over the place.

Considering how they and just about every other Western publisher/dev seem to be desperate to kill off last gen, I'm gonna guess it's a problem with both. It's just ridiculous at how they keep trying to wipe out any signs of the seventh gen and seem to treat people who won't buy a PS4 or XB1 with contempt.

 

[Random Argument Man]

Well... That's a real Phallic form move towards us. I haven't got the money to buy a new console and buy the game for this generation...

 

[thepyrethatburns]

3)At this point, it's really time for everyone who is still on last-gen to **** or get off the pot. I went into the last-gen knowing that it was going to be my last console generation. As such, I accept cancelled games and no DLC as an inevitable part of dropping new gaming. It is insane to expect the game companies to keep supporting the older consoles when we have had a year and a half to transition over. Gamers either have to accept that the party is over or pony up the cash for a new console. Either way, this doesn't really strike me as something that I can really throw in the "EA is evil" case file.

You're looking it from the wrong viewpoint. Some people can't afford the upgrade, and are still grasping at every high end game that comes their way - for example, I'm still holding on to my PS3 because of Persona 5. If the PS3 was my main gaming device and I played DA:I on it, I would feel cheated not getting all of the DLC. I mean, the graphics downgrade was a known risk, but removing content and gameplay is a risk not known until now.
While you can say nothing was removed because the DLC is yet to be paid for, it's still blocking last-gen players quite aggressively. Said upgrade, just to play one DLC of one game, would be in the hundreds of dollars instead of the dozens. You get more perks, like a new gaming console, but you're still doing it for only one game that you already own.

A year and a half. 18 monthes. Even if we go with a price of $630 for console, a couple games, and tax, that's $35 a month. Right now, the console is at 374-399 so, with tax, putting $25 aside a month for the upgrade would have been enough to buy the console by now. Maybe it is blocking last-gen players quite aggressively ....like EVERY generation upgrade. The main difference is that previous generations didn't really have the DLC issues that this gen and last gen had. As I said, that is an argument for another post. But the "can't afford it" argument doesn't hold water at this point. Over the past year, the libraries have been dwindling to nothing both for online purchases and physical. If you have been able to buy games in the past year, you have been able to put the money aside for the inevitable upgrade.

I understand the urge to grasp at every new game that we really shouldn't have got. I preordered MKX for my PS3 only to find out that it isn't coming out (Yes, no official announcement has been made but we all know it's dead.). As a DA:I 360 owner, this announcement isn't doing me any good either. (Frankly, I was surprised to get any DLC.) However, the end of the road was inevitable. As we've seen with cross-platform games in the past gen and console-exclusive bonuses, selling a game for a platform does not create an obligation to sell/release all the DLC as well. Maybe it does suck for the individual gamer but most of the people complaining probably could have upgraded by now if they had been willing to engage in a very small amount of deferred gratification over the past year and saved the money that they were spending on other games towards a new console.

 

[Jakabotch]

The good news is that Bioware has implemented a "save transfer" feature for the last-gen versions of the game, which should allow you to seamlessly upgrade to current-gen.

EA Corporate dictionary

SEAMLESS
adjective | seam·less|

Forcing a customer to pay $350 dollars for a new system and rebuy a $40 game just to access $20 worth of DLC for arbitrary reasons based almost solely on graphics.

Examples of SEAMLESS

"If we give them an easy way to transfer save data and act like we're doing them a favor, we can call the entire process of bending them over a barrel seamless."

 

[Duffeknol]

So much whining about EA. Yeah, it's a shitty move. We're forgetting Rockstar is doing the same when it comes to GTA V, and Blizzard when it comes to Diablo III on the last generation.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Fine by me, god knows why anyone would play that game more than once. So boring. Only fun part was the banter between the British elf girl and horned guy. See, i totally forget their names, thats how much impact the game had on me. Best thing about it was when she said she wanted to ride him and use him as a weapons platform. Ive played tons of games again to get different endings but cant be bothered to replay DAI again after i completed. So that DAI and ME3 that i cant be bothered to play again.

 

[infohippie]

Should I have bothered with DA:I on 360? Given that it was the only system I could play it on, and I generally trust BioWare, yes...

Well that was your error. I began treating Bioware with great caution after the Dragon Age 2 debacle, and the Mass Effect 3 issues followed by their clumsy damage control confirmed for me they were no longer to be trusted. And of course, EA is EA.

It's a pretty shitty move, yeah. But on the other hand it's WAY past time for the old consoles to disappear from the market. It should have happened five years ago, really. They've far outstayed their welcome.

Edit: with that in mind, I hope Sony and Microsoft are planning their next consoles already. The current gen is already way behind the technology curve and must be replaced in no more than five years, or they will hold games back as badly as the previous generation did.

 

[Uhuru N'Uru]

EA own BioWare
Take Two own RockStar
Activision own Blizzard

The owners are all publishers and the devs are simply employees who do as their told or lose their job.

These owners made a cynical decision to sell the games on last gen for profit and have a moral obligation to sell all the DLC as well.
It's irrelevant whether or not they have a legal right not to. It's still an anti-consumer practice and should be condemned regardless of whether you like the game or not.

As for saying "everyone can afford a new console". That's rubbish, I have an extremely high end PC that I saved up for 4 years for and think it was well worth the sacrifices I made.
That's not right for everyone and if they decide to get games released on last gen. they should expect to get all the content for those games.

They should then get a PC, in their price range, to avoid all crossgen bull in future as I did after PS2 became last gen.