It's a common sight in the game industry when somehting niche goes seemingly mainstream: promises made in earlier stages of development are often scaled back or abandoned. With Dark Souls II anticipation hitting a fever pitch in advance of its early March release date – despite that probability that many of the hype-driven newcomers will likely give the game up to a dusty shelf or a trade-in long before they finish their quest – producer Takeshi Miyazoe said that the possibility of DLC for the game is back on the table.
It's all dependent on what the fans want to see, Miyazoe recently told OXM. "There is definitely potential, I think," Miyazoe said. "Again, it's all about fan feedback. Right now we are concentrating on completing what we've got, but I think there are next steps on how we can expand on Dark Souls 2."
The increased commercialization of Dark Souls may not entirely be a good thing, as it has led to the apparent edition of "mainstream" game elements like a (mercifully, completely optional) co-op voice chat feature as well as the ability to fast travel right off the bat and reset your character stats if need be.
But it's hard to imagine that From Software would be so swept up in the corporate space that they released anything but story-related DLC that provides more world to explore and bosses to defeat, as was the case with the original game's Artorias of the Abyss add-on content. Players being able to suddenly buy better weapons or equipment through PSN and XBLA still seems like a highly, highly unlikely prospect, if not an impossibilty. (Miyazoe previously told Edge that there were no plans for Dark Souls II DLC at all.)
Since the decision will be largely based on fans, and given the type of players that Dark Souls fans tend to be, it seems fairly certain that the series' best interests will be kept at heart. That said, players should exercise caution fast traveling without exploring an area first, however, and if not flat-out refusing to use voice chat, might just want to opt out of playing with anyone that doesn't speak in a flowery Elizabethan-inspired tongue.
Prepare to plod around very slowly through many extremely dangeous and unforgiving environments when Dark Souls II drops March 11.
Via OXM
