These days, a large majority of new game releases tend to have optional DLC expansions, even if those expansions are limited to something minor like a cosmetic item pack. Taking a slightly different route, Dontnod Entertainment and Focus Home Interactive's upcoming game, Vampyr, won't include DLC of any kind.
In Vampyr, players take on the role of a doctor living in early 20th century London who also happens to be a vampire. The game is set to release in 2018 and will feature RPG, stealth, and combat scenarios. However, according to Focus Home Interactive’s president Cédric Lagarrigue, Vampyr won’t be getting any DLC to augment or expand its scope.
Speaking in a recent interview with MCVUK, Lagarrigue said that he and the rest of Focus Home Interactive hope that Vampyr will stand well enough on its own without DLC, and that it will sell well enough to warrant a sequel:
“This is a purely solo experience; we did not plan DLC. We would prefer, if the reception of the game justifies it, to think about a sequel. We and Dontnod already have some ideas, as there’s so many incredible things to offer in such a universe.”
Earlier in the interview, Lagarrigue said that Vampyr will be considered a success (at least in Focus Home Interactive’s eyes) if it sells at least a million copies. Although, he also clarified that it would only have to sell about half that number in order to turn a profit.
Even though Vampyr is technically an indie game, it has a slightly higher budget than most other indie titles, operating in a sort of middle ground area where its budget is higher than most other indies but less than what a typical AAA game has. Vampyr was originally supposed to release in late 2017, but was recently delayed into Spring of 2018 so that Dontnod could resolve a last-minute technical issue.