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Grid Autosport rep on controversial DLC: 'It sells'
In an unexpected show of honesty, Codemasters has defended the latest DLC release for Grid Autosport by pointing out that, despite the angry protests of the Internet masses, such additions earn good money. Yesterday saw the debut of the Grid Autosport "Boost Pack," a $3 DLC item that grants players a permanent 50 percent increase to experience points as well as additional cash. Fan reactions were largely negative, with many wondering why Codemasters would release an item that shortens the effective lifespan of its new racing sim. Ben Walke, the game's community manager, offers a candid response: "Regarding the boost pack we did similar with GRID 2 as a car unlock, we got a bit of flak from that but in all honesty and without any PR bull shit ... it sells," Walke wrote. "There is a silent subset of players that do like that sort of content but whether or not it's here to stay is something the industry is yet to work out." Walke then denied allegations that Codemasters had made Grid Autosport more of a grind than necessary to drive sales of the Boost Pack. "Under no circumstances did we make the game a grind on purpose (that much I can promise you), in the grand scheme of things it's still relatively easy to progress via single player and online it's not that difficult to earn money." This controversy comes only months after a similar uproar over the heavily DLC-laden Forza Motorsport 5. Whether you agree with Walke's point or not, he's right about this sort of thing becoming a trend in gaming. If you don't like it, we suggest you not purchase the DLC. [Image: Codemasters]
GRID Autosport DLC plans include new cars, 'mini-expansions'
GRID Autosport makes its public debut tomorrow, and to celebrate, developer Codemasters offers one final blog entry to discuss the studio's post-launch DLC plans. While GRID Autosport will debut with 80 cars, Codemasters plans to expand the game's virtual garage via periodic car packs. It's not known how many cars will be included with each pack, but Codemasters has three such DLC additions planned so far. In lieu of issuing solitary tracks as unique DLC, Codemasters will instead release "mini-expansions." The developer has three of these additions planned, each centered around a particular theme. "The mini-expansions will each include a selection of new locations, some will include new cars and in some cases new game modes entirely," Codemasters said. The studio has yet to reveal any sort of pricing scheme for its planned DLC, but does note that both the PC and PlayStation 3 iterations of GRID Autosport will offer players the opportunity to pre-purchase the entire slate of additions at a discount via Season Pass. [Image: Codemasters]
Grid Autosport announced, bringing 'authentic' drives to PS3, Xbox 360, PC in June
Codemasters whisked off the sheet on Grid Autosport today, a new entry in the racer series that's swerving onto retail shelves as soon as June 24 in North America and June 27 in Europe. The UK studio unveiled the game for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, which are the same platforms Grid 2 was released on last summer. In an extensive introduction, Community Manager Ben Walke said Codemasters is building GRID Autosport based on community feedback to Grid 2. According to Walke, the prevailing message the studio heard was the wish for a more authentic racer experience that tracked closer to some of the studio's previous games. "If Grid 2 raced off into a more narrative-led world of racing with more accessible controls," Walke said, "it's clear that for many of you, that wasn't what you wanted or expected from Grid 2. So with Grid Autosport we had the opportunity to make a much more focused motorsport game, a desire that many of you have expressed directly to us, and a game that in spirit goes back to some of our earlier titles in terms of content and handling." To that effect, Walke explained car handling in Grid Autosport veers slightly closer to a simulation than the original Race Driver: Grid, with the game's five different disciplines offering distinctly different drives. While the game is targeted to offer a more realistic experience, Walke noted that Codemasters' aim is for something "authentic, not clinical." Also, just to stress that Codies is listening to the fans, Autosport features the return of the cockpit view, as well as a dashboard view to provide a total of two in-car cameras. In terms of more on-the-box features, Autosport promises 22 locations with 100 different routes to drive, a single-player career mode and once again RaceNet support for multiplayer. [Image: Codemasters]
