EA: Paid DLC Game Demos Coming Soon

Electronic Arts has plans to release premium DLC for games prior to their releases.  This initiative looks to gauge consumer sentiment and reaction of new titles and will give the publisher important details of the marketability of their products.  Michael Pachter, a games analyst for Wedbush Morgan, reported these new online plans after speaking with Nick Earl, the big boss over at Visceral Games.

Pachter noted that this paid downloadable content would be sold for 10 to 15 dollars through console online networks such as PSN or Xbox Live.  This PDLC would essentially be “very long game demo”.  Nick Earl believes that ” the release of the PDLC first limits the risk of completing and marketing the full packaged version, and serves as a low cost marketing tool.” Pachter recently changed his tune on Electronic Arts as a company, and sat down with GI to talk about it.

Update: Kotaku caught up with Electronic Arts and was told that they are exploring new strategies with downloadable games, but they do not plan to charge gamers for traditionally free game demos. Jeff Brown of EA said that the publisher is working on a ” number of projects for delivering premium content to consumers before, during, and after the launch of a packaged goods version of the game.”  but “None of the proposals call of charging consumers for traditionally free game demos.”