Paying for character DLC
Hey, long-time reddit lurker and enjoyer of this game.
I wanted to make this post, in regard to Aether studio layoffs and the casual update not bringing in as many people as they wanted.
This might be a controversial suggestion, but I would be happy to start paying for each character as DLC. Even though it was originally promised that character updates were free Rivals2 now has a decent sized character roster of 16. SF6 started with 18 and the new Avatar Legends game (with similar pricing), will launch with 12. Assuming the campaign mode will likely be free (as a part of most launch packages for video games) I don't think it's unreasonable to start paying for new fighters. Most fighting games, maintain production through paid character DLC as their main long-term revenue source.
I make this suggestion as a mid 30's small business owner. Income streams are important to manage and be realistic about and by not charging for character DLC, Aether Studios are cutting off (what I assume) is a massive potential part of their revenue. They are outputting 1 character per every 3 months, a steady stream of skins and also new free content and modes. This is a pace that Triple-A studios are barely keeping up with. Dan should not be sacrificing a living wage for his work. It leads to burnout and is not healthy long-term for the game or himself.
For the casual audience the only major content that this game is missing is a campaign mode but as an indie-studio, Aether Studios aren't working with a lot of publisher reserves like Capcom or Bandai Namco which would've allowed them to launch with it. Even then these companies are not immune to mismanagement like Riot launching 2XKO, a 2v2 fighting game with 10 characters and no single player content. Paying $5 for a new character every 3 months is not an unreasonable ask from this game's core audience.
I know the general gamer population gets upset about broken promises and predatory monetization, reasonably so, but Aether Studios and Dan have more than displayed their dedication to this project.