I'm with you on this one Jason.
Already paid for the plane once. Not paying for it again. If they want to make additional features available at a reasonable cost then fine, but I can't say I would entertain the idea of spending more than $10-20 on an upgrade for a $40-50 module. I can't speculate at this point on how much they will ask for the upgrade, but I can say, in my opinion, each plane module being $80, maps $50, Campaigns $10-20, Assets $20-40, $, $, $, $, $, $, $ is making me kind of annoyed at this company's pricing model. That coupled with the purchases I've made and countless "rewards" that were stripped every year. I couldn't use them on products that already had a discount. Products being discontinued and not supported like the HAWK... This company's decisions have repeatedly left a sour taste in my mouth. We open the door on this one for the "II" label and a helmet and radio... I wouldn't be surprised if it's the F-18 or some other plane next.
Is it all bad? No it's not. For the most part DCS and ED are going in the right direction, but they could be doing better. A lot better.
How about investing in your brand growth and giving back to the community?
There's plenty of opportunity out there for it. The community A-4-E mod for example. Take that bad boy on and make it free to the community like the SU-25. The Thunderbolt "II" and this module. Bundling a map with a plane purchase every once in a while. There are so many things you can do PR wise and branding, but it all gets overlooked. When you stop caring about your brand, so does everyone else. What do you think got us here? I don't want to confuse that with caring about your coworkers or all the work you do, but instead your brand's reputation. Now is the time to capitalize on an opportunity.
I would ask you to stop and think is growth stagnant? Why? How do you expect to grow moving forward?
If your answer is offering more paid content... You'd be wrong.
Want more? Grow your brand not your wallet.
This doesn't mean give everything away, but engage with the community, listen, and start thinking about the business from the consumer's point of view.
Hopefully you read this, and engage.
All of us want to see you successful.