Oblivion Blog

Two days ago, Bethesda released the third official module of downloadable content: Wizard’s Tower. The previous two modules didn’t quite catch my interest, but this one sounded too intriguing to resist - particularly to my magic focused new character who was still in need of a house anyway.

Before I talk about the actual content, I would like to mention a few things about the download experience. For the most part, it is a typical e-commerce transaction. I added the content (priced at $1.89) to a shopping cart, clicked on “Checkout”, and typed in my address and credit card information. After the order was successfully processed, I was given a download link and an activation code. I also received an email confirmation with the same details. Next I had to complete the download, run the installer, and type in the activation code I received. After that, the new content was automatically activated. The next time I started the game, I received a message informing me that I had inherited a Wizard’s Tower, along with a new quest to visit it and a corresponding map entry.

While the download experience was certainly very smooth overall, I can’t help but think that it was a bit more involved than it should have been. The procedure strikes me as adequate for a standalone downloadable software purchase, but not for a $1.89 piece of downloadable game content. I believe the following suggestions would constitute significant improvements:

1. At the minimum, the content download website should allow users to register an account in order to avoid having to enter the same information on future transactions. I usually don’t have my wallet with me when I sit at the PC, and having to get up to get it and then manually type in all the credit card information might prevent me from completing what otherwise could have been an impulse purchase, particularly given the low price.
2. While the suggestion above would definitely simplify the purchase of multiple modules of content, each module would still have to be manually downloaded, installed and activated. I think a more integrated experience would be preferable. Users should be able to browse modules from within the game, as well as download and install them, without having to leave the game or enter any activation codes.
3. The solution above would be pretty ideal, but I would still have to enter my personal and credit card information at least once. Downloadable content is clearly the way of the future, and several publishers have developed content streaming and download systems, such as Valve’s Steam. Soon enough, most games will be bought and downloaded online, and this movement is starting now with addon modules as in the case of Oblivion. Once this really takes off, players will likely only have to register with 2 or 3 major download providers, rather than for each individual game. At that point, downloading game content will truly become an impulse purchase, similar to Xbox game content or mobile games, which already benefit in similar ways from an existing customer relationship with Microsoft (in case of downloadable Xbox Live content) or with the carrier, both of which handle billing for downloadable game transactions.

It’ll be interesting to see where this is going in the next few years. I personally can’t wait to stop wasting space with bulky retail game boxes any more…

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 26th, 2006 at 11:07 pm and is filed under Misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.