Mass Effect 3′s From Ashes DLC was not developed alongside the core game, series executive producer Casey Hudson has revealed.
“It takes about 3 months from ‘content complete’ to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC,” Hudson said on Twitter.
“DLC has fast [certification] and no [manufacturing], so if a team works very hard, they can get a DLC done in time to enjoy it with your 1st playthrough on day one. On ME3, content creators completed the game in January and moved onto the ‘From Ashes’ DLC, free with the [Collector's Edition] or you can buy separately.”
The developer’s interesting insight into BioWare’s activities may have been triggered by negative responses to the revelation of the From Ashes DLC yesterday; some fans raised concerns that the DLC was a piece of the core game, without which it could not be considered complete. Critics accused BioWare and EA of profiteering by not including the DLC with all new game purchases, but instead only with the widely sold-out Collector’s Edition.
Hudson’s comments seem to refute this concern, as well as those of gamers who feel DLC creation sucks resources out of core game development.
Highly anticipated RPG shooter hybrid Mass Effect 3 arrives on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in early March.
