Is FOMO to blame for the mixed reception of Ichiban’s Holiday? Dave the Diver’s first paid, time-limited DLC causes controversy

by

Dave the Diver’s “Ichiban’s Holiday Content Pack” debuted yesterday, yet the response has been somewhat divided. The main issue seems to be with the content itself, but what appears to be more frustrating is that it’s a time-limited paid DLC. It’s worth noting that the previous DLC (Godzilla) was also time-limited, but it was free. So, why is our honest character, Ichiban Kasuga, receiving all the criticism for this decision?

Poor Ichiban!

As a die-hard gamer, it’s hard not to feel a pang when I see the less-than-stellar reviews under Ichiban’s name on Steam. After all, Kiryu was our beloved protagonist in Yakuza and Like a Dragon for so long, but Ichiban came along and completely stole our hearts, right?

Previously, all add-on content for the game character Dave the Diver was free, with the exception of the Digital Extra Pack which only offered a boat skin and music. We received the Dredge Content Pack gratis, and the Godzilla DLC came at no additional cost. However, it’s important to note that the Godzilla DLC had a limited time offer for download, available from May 23, 2024, to November 23, 2024. Once the deadline passed, it was removed from the store. But if you managed to download it within that window, you could play it for as long as you like afterwards. The Godzilla DLC received positive reviews despite being relatively short (just a boss fight). Despite its brevity, it was still an exciting experience.

As with before, we find ourselves in a similar predicament. The DLC for Ichiban’s Holiday will be available from April 10, 2025, to October 9, 2025, but this time it comes at a cost. I understand that the price is minimal (under $7), yet I can’t help but question why it isn’t free this time and why we’re limited by a time frame for purchase again. If you miss out, it will vanish permanently. I wonder what has led to this sudden change?

Certainly, it’s about licensing matters. While we don’t have complete information regarding our partnership with SEGA, it seems reasonable to assume they are handling it. Granted, the fear of missing out does lend a bit of logic to this scenario. However, let me clarify that this is simply a policy that SEGA and MINTROCKET mutually agreed upon.

To add some variety, Vampire Survivors received a complimentary expansion in collaboration with SaGa: Emerald Beyond, a Square Enix property. When asked about the reason for this free DLC, here’s what the developers had to share:

Emerald Beyond, an intellectual property owned by Square Enix. Here’s what the game developers explained about this free add-on:

Administrative tasks: Sorting out these administrative tasks for our collaboration took an extensive amount of time, and it would have been even more complicated if there had been any monetary transactions. This is just how it goes with large corporations regarding such procedures.

It’s important to note that Square Enix and SEGA are separate entities, so the development team behind “Dave the Diver” might have chosen to charge for the “Ichiban’s Holiday” DLC because it is longer than the “Godzilla” DLC.

Read More

2025-04-11 21:03