Are DLC Fighter Characters 'Unfair'? Team Ninja Boss Says Yes

Hayashi has stressed that Team Ninja's upcoming game, Dead or Alive 5, will not feature any purchasable DLC characters.

So, are additional DLC characters in fighting games unfair? Especially paid DLC characters? Team Ninja boss, Yosuke Hayashi, believes so as he revealed to VideoGamer in an interview recently. Hayashi has stressed that Team Ninja's upcoming game, Dead or Alive 5, will not feature any purchasable DLC characters.
"We have no plans to sell characters as downloadable content," said Hayashi in the interview, referring to Dead or Alive 5.
That will be good news for fighting fans, who have had other publishers shove on-disc DLC characters into fighting games. With Dead or Alive 5, all 20+ characters being crafted for the game will be made readily available without additional purchasing. Hayashi provided a few reasons for this method of approach. He stated:
"We don't feel that it's right for fighting games. "It makes it an unfair game, and we don't think that's the right way to go for fighting games. "Balance is extremely important, and it's also very hard to do."
Gamers will have good reason to take such news with caution though. DLC has been on the rise in games lately, especially content that alters fundamental gameplay components. Even Tecmo Koei have sold DLC for their recent game, Ninja Gaiden 3. Personally, while it is great news to hear such comments, I don't think anyone would be surprised if things changed in the future. What Hayashi has said certainly rings true, especially since balance can be tricky in fighting games. It may make things a bit too familiar for gamers though, as the majority of the 20+ characters expected to be in Dead or Alive 5 are returning veterans from previous installments, meaning there isn't much room for new faces (aside from the Virtua Fighter characters). What should also be pointed out is that Hayashi's comments only speak of no character DLCs, as such, other 'frivolous' DLC like additional costumes could still be in Team Ninja's plans. What do you feel about DLC characters in fighting games? Do they make things unfair? Do they give rise to balance issues? Have your say in the comments section below! Dead or Alive 5 is slated for release on the 25th of September 2012 in North America for the PS3 and Xbox 360.
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