Publishers regularly cut deals with console manufacturers to release DLC on their platform before a competitors. However, Bethesda won't be doing the same with Fallout 4.
Pete Hines, head of PR at Bethesda, confirmed over Twitter that Fallout 4's DLC packs won't be a timed exclusive to PS4 or Xbox One:
This is a break from Bethesda's strategy for last generation. Fallout 3's and Fallout: New Vegas's DLC was released on Xbox 360 and PC simultaneously, with PS3 gamers getting the content months later. With Skyrim, every DLC pack was exclusive to Xbox 360 for at least 30 days.
Why the change for Fallout 4? It's possible that Microsoft didn't want to renew this exclusivity. Xbox boss Phil Spencer explained in a recent interview that he wants to focus on first-party exclusives (video game franchises that Microsoft actually owns) rather than paying other companies to make their games exclusive to Xbox consoles:
My strategy is more around our own first party franchises, and investing in franchises that we own, and probably fewer exclusive deals for third party content. I want to have strong third party relations, but paying for many third party exclusives isn’t our long term strategy. This year, the fact that we’re shipping Halo 5, Gears of War, Forza 6, Fable, we can only do that and build that best line-up we’ve ever seen really on the back of franchises that we own.
Still, I'm surprised that Sony didn't land timed exclusivity for Fallout 4 DLC on PS4. They've developed a taste for these types of deals. Black Ops 3's map packs will come to PlayStation before Xbox - a first for the series. The PS4 and PS3 versions of Destiny have received exclusive content as well. Wouldn't Sony jump at the chance to get a similar window of exclusivity for Fallout 4, given how huge of a release that game could be?
It's possible that Bethesda realized that, hey, platform-exclusive deals suck. They punish gamers for the tiny sin of buying the "wrong" video game machine. I'm sure these deals are lucrative but they aren't great for customer relations. It would be nice if more publishers realized this.
Bethesda hasn't provided many details about Fallout 4's DLC. However, they did say that they'll offer a $30 Season Pass so players can buy all the add-ons at once. This premium DLC will also be supplemented by free updates and modding tools.
