Splinter Cell Conviction just hit stores yesterday and already publisher Ubisoft’s trying to make sure you don’t trade it in. Ubi just announced that they’ll be refreshing the Splinter Cell experience with new guns, new skins and even new maps for their multiplayer Denial Ops mode. Call it the anti-Stimulus Package.
Like EA’s Cereberus Network for Mass Effect 2, this move is a clear shot at trying to undercut on the used-games market, which never generates profits for publishers. The motivation for the gambit is to keep getting new copies of SCC out in the world. Free weekly content just might be the way to do it. It’s also a win for Microsoft, who got the console exclusive for Conviction, as it means players will be popping in the game at least once a week to see what new content they can get. Microsoft’s exclusive with Splinter Cell Conviction was framed as a business decision by Ubisoft (as opposed to a technical one) and it’s clear that there’s a close partnership going on between the two companies. The big question remains what exactly Ubi will charge for when it comes to DLC, because there’s no way they’re going to grow a dedicated group of Splinter Cell users and not try to make money off of them.