Borderlands DLC has generally been considered a success.

JUNE 5, 2010 • The game industry is becoming increasingly reliant on releasing Downloadable Content (DLC) to generate additional revenue and extend a product’s momentum well beyond launch.  However it is clear that: 1) DLC works much better for some products than others and 2) the timing of a DLC release is critical to its success.  It is also appears to be important that the first DLC release hit shortly after launch and be followed up by regular releases in the following months.

With the increasing importance of post launch support of console games, the GamerDNA data provides valuable insight into the traction levels of downloadable content.  For example, Take 2 Interactive released the Gearbox developed FPS-RPG hybrid game, Borderlands, on October 20, 2009.  As popular online co-op game, Borderlands developed a core following that responded well to DLC releases.  Gearbox released $10 DLC packs on Xbox Live on November 24, Dec 29 and Feb 22.  As can be seen the launch of DLC corresponded to post launch spikes in play and also allowed Borderlands to maintain a fairly solid user base into May 2010.

While Borderlands DLC has generally been considered a success, the chart below shows a perspective on DLC for another Xbox 360 game, Two Worlds.  Two Worlds was a fantasy RPG released by SouthPeak Interactive in August 2007.  The game achieved modest sales success despite generally low reviews and play dropped off considerably after several weeks.

However, South Peak Interactive stuck by the game and announced the availability of two new expansion packs in early 2008.  The first expansion pack, Tainted Blood launched on March 13, 2008.  This was followed a month later by the Curse of Souls expansion pack on April 3, 2008.

A major difference between Borderlands and Two Worlds was Borderlands had its first DLC expansion pack available six weeks after launch.  The game was still fresh and had a solid usage base that was still at about 30% of its peak usage base.  The launch of the first expansion pack was quickly followed by additional expansion packs that enjoyed even greater success.

In contrast, the first Two World DLC expansion did not release until six months after the game had shipped.  By that time, the fairly small initial Daily Usage was only about 3% of its peak.   Not surprisingly the launch of new DLC for Two Worlds barely made a dent in total usage.

The moral of the story is clear.  Active game usage for most products is a fleeting thing.  Keeping usage going with additional content needs to be done while usage is still at reasonable levels.  Six months after launch is far too long to wait for releasing DLC.  In today’s market consumers move through products extremely fast.

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