Reaction to UEFA Becoming FIFA 12 DLC Overwhelmingly Positive

One of the more interesting developments so far this year is EA Sports taking what was a full retail release every four years in UEFA EURO and making it downloadable content for the latest FIFA. At $20 the add-on is immediately more appealing than spending $60 for a full game but as DLC will offer less in the way of content and none of the gameplay improvements that normally would have resided in the product.

Based on the results of the poll that went up late last week EA Sports made a decision that on the surface is at least pleasing fans. 70% of respondents feel they are now more likely to purchase UEFA EURO 2012. For 19% their decision has not been influenced one way or the other while only 11% are less likely to buy UEFA as DLC compared to full retail. Those are startlingly decisive numbers displaying strong support for the idea.

Of course whether the encouraging consumer response translates into anticipated sales numbers, and whether revenues will be higher and the profit margin larger, is what will matter to EA when evaluating it’s success in the coming months. By going the DLC route they’ve restricted the potential base of consumers to those who have FIFA 12 and internet connections. Doing so however trimmed significantly the development, production, and marketing costs required with delivering a whole new standalone title.