Just a thought I got before going home last Friday from work. Is there really a future for exclusive and/or locked content? What got me thinking about this was probably apart of the “Free”-theory by Chris Anderson. That many services will be both free and paid for in the future, that the majority will settle with the free content, and a very small number actually will pay, maybe for something with that little extra. But with the internet’s possibilities, will this model really be durable?
As soon as people have gained access to “locked” or exlusive content, it becomes open to all. Well, it won’t just won’t open up, but the people with access now have the power to make it available, if they would like to or just choose to. Take a news article for example, the paying visitor get the full text, and the free version just is the introduction or summary. Even if its illegal, it wouldn’t be any problem for one of the paying visitors to just copy-paste the text and spread it through the “underground-network” of the internet to the non-paying people. Underground may be a exaggeration, but the scenario is not unthinkable. My point is this; even if some content in theory is meant to be exclusive and accessible to the paying group, in reality it means nothing. If information is available to a few “special” or just those willing to pay, it will eventually leak out the rest. It only takes one person. One of the philosophy of the internet is that information is free and through the new medium be spread.
Another interesting aspect is (especially in games) when people have paid, but won’t get access to the full product or content. A recent news have created a debate in the gaming community concerning this, when EA announced that Battlefield: Bad Company will be sold in two different versions. Nothing strange with this, happens all the time, and when its a game I’m planing to buy I usually pick the special edition. But in this case the better version, Gold Edition, will include 5 extra weapons. However, people who buy the cheaper version will have the option to pay to unlock these weapons. If you develop a game, or something else for that matter, in today’s connected society and after it’s release develop extra content or features and sell them, no problem. But when you sell a product with content or features, which require the buyer to pay extra to unlock, we should be concerned.
If company sell a product packed with content, but you have pay for some, then fans will find ways to access these somehow. Take the old GTA Hot Coffee controversy. It hadn’t been huge if it weren’t for the simple fact that the “mode” already was in the game, and one person simply unlocked it.
Again, I’m okey with paying for extra content after the games or products been released. But I won’t pay extra to access content or features that’s already in the game once I bought it. And what about those not connected to the internet? They buy a damaged product in my view. And if companies really think they will fool the users and earn more money, I would suggest to think again. This new model will create irritation and encourage hacking to unlock all content somehow. Never underestimate the power and commitment of the consumer. Who want to pay full price for a 2/3 of a product?