Producer Explains Timing Behind Mass Effect 3's Day-One DLC

DLC is once again the subject of contention, as BioWare and Electronic Arts find themselves working to explain the game's $10 day-one content to a skeptical audience. As executive producer Casey Hudson explained in a series of tweets, work on the game's From Ashes DLC began after Mass Effect 3 proper was completed.

In a series of tweets, Mass Effect 3's Casey Hudson explained how the game's day-one DLC was scheduled:

"It takes about 3 months from "content complete" to bug-fix, certify, manufacture, and ship game discs. In that time we work on DLC.
"DLC has fast cert and no mfg., so if a team works very hard, they can get a DLC done in time to enjoy it with your 1st playthrough on day 1.
"On #ME3, content creators completed the game in January & moved onto the "From Ashes" DLC, free w/ the CE or you can buy seperately."

It's a nice reminder to some folks that games aren't finished the night before they arrive on shelves; there are often months between when a game is essentially done and when it can be sold. If a team can roll right into work on DLC, it certainly makes sense.

But it also raises another issue: Why did BioWare or EA decide that this aspect of the story (a pretty darned important one, too) was best told in a series of side missions? We'll find out in a little more than a week.