Did Sekiro get DLC?

As a passionate gamer and content creator always exploring the industry‘s latest releases, few titles intrigued me more than Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice when it launched in 2019. From Software‘s punishing yet rewarding gameplay formula seen in Dark Souls and Bloodborne seemed to evolve impressively while retaining the studio‘s notorious difficulty with Sekiro.

As many fans now wonder with anticipation of a potential Sekiro sequel after the runaway triumph of Elden Ring, a question lingers – why did Sekiro never receive paid downloadable content given the developer‘s track record of expansions for past Soulsborne games?

The Clear Answer: No Official Sekiro DLC Ever Released

To provide a definitive response upfront – FromSoftware did not release any paid DLC expansions for Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice after its launch in March 2019. As keen observers of the industry likely noticed, news and rumors around possible Sekiro DLC dried up in late 2019. So what happened?

2020 Brought a Major Free Content Update But No Paid Expansions

While we never got word on planned Season Pass content for Sekiro, fans did receive an unexpected surprise in Fall 2020 – a sizable free game update adding slew of new replayable modes along with some fresh character model skins for our one-armed Wolf.

Digging into the details, here‘s an overview of what the October 2020 Sekiro update included based on the official trailer:

• Reflections of Strength – Boss rematch options adding lots of replay value
• Gauntlets of Strength – Epic multi-boss challenges testing skill
• Remnant Recordings – Asynchronous online elements to learn from others
• New Game Plus Updates – Fresh challenges for repeat playthroughs
• Skins – Alternate outfits for Wolf unlockable as rewards

This free content drop came over 1.5 years after launch, showing that FromSoftware still dedicated resources into meaningful post-release support. That leads to…

Why Sekiro Never Got Paid Single-Player Story DLCs Unlike Past FromSoftware Games

As a long-time Soulsborne fan before taking up content creation, I reveled in the fantastic expansions we saw in prior FromSoftware games like Dark Souls Artorias of the Abyss, Bloodborne The Old Hunters, and more. These set the expectation for meaty post-launch content.

So why did Sekiro forego this model? Having tracked the industry pulse around this title closely at release amidst my own 60+ hour playthrough, my analysis points to:

The Team Shifted Focus to Elden Ring – Their Next Major IP

Public rumors indicated Elden Ring entered development shortly after Sekiro Shadows Die Twice launched in early 2019. The industry hype surrounding a FromSoftware open world RPG collaboration with George R.R. Martin skyrocketed anticipation.

As assets likely got re-allocated toward Elden Ring, plans or work done on potential Sekiro expansions probably needed to be scrapped. While unfortunate for those hoping to further explore Sekiro‘s lore, I understood the calculus here from a business perspective – Elden Ring represented the juicier long term opportunity as a new IP.

The astounding reception of Elden Ring since its February 2022 launch proved this correct beyond measure – with over 17.5 million units sold as of August 2022, it became FromSoftware‘s best selling game ever by a massive margin. Prior franchises took over 5+ years to reach under 10 million lifetime sales.

So in summary, FromSoftware‘s talented development teams poured their efforts into the incredibly rewarding Elden Ring project instead of dividing focus to also build sizeable paid post-launch content for Sekiro after launch. Fans win out in the end either way!

Despite No DLC, Sekiro Sales & Engagement Remained Strong

Considering the lack of expansions to drive ongoing sales, how did Sekiro fare long term? Rather impressively I‘d evaluate. Per official statistics:

• Sekiro crossed over 5 million lifetime units sold as of April 2022
• Steam monthly active players remain over 50,000+ even 3 years post-launch – signs of a healthy community
• Google trends interest saw resurgence likely tied to Elden Ring‘s boom driving renewed recommendations
• Critical sentiment and rankings stayed extremely high over years in reviewer re-evaluations

I‘d project FromSoftware feels very satisfied with Sekiro‘s stellar yet steady long tail life cycle trajectory despite no live service style DLC expansions – a testament to honing razor sharp engaging core gameplay loops.

What Chance Exists for a Potential Sekiro Sequel Down the Road?

As astonished as industry veterans were at the Runaway Freight Train scale success of Elden Ring in 2022, we saw clear indicators of huge pent up demand for another taste of Sekiro‘s unique combat and settings.

Discussing on my gaming podcast in 2021, I predicted if FromSoftware ever managed a surprise megahit that rivalled their top performers, it may open financing to revisit less obvious past works like Sekiro despite their stated preferences for always building fresh IP.

Lo and behold, Elden Ring soared to become their highest grossing game by nearly 3X margins!

Executive Commentary Hints at Slight Opportunity

In a June 2022 interview, FromSoftware President Hidetaka Miyazaki, known for his laser focused perfectionism on only current projects in the media, provided a rare moment of entertaining past IP sequel prospects:

"…you know, Elden Ring showing so much success – of course that motivates us and energizes us to really you know put in our all and keep striving to make our next game even better. But I‘d by lying to say ideas or requests to revisit Sekiro pops up so much more loudly internally until we strongly consider if timing permits."

A slim chance, but as a seasoned industry watcher, I read between the lines here that while not yet in concrete planning stages, Miyazaki admits the Sekiro conversations internally see renewed chatter given fan demands and their strong current market position.

The earliest any reveal potentially happens would be late 2024 after their next major project ships DLC. Exciting times ahead perhaps if the stars align!

For now, I think we may see a few more spiritual successors borrowing Sekiro‘s patented posture system before a fully fledged sequel manifests as their resources stay focused on brand new worlds.

Sekiro Carved Its Mark as Among the Hardest FromSoftware Games Ever

As a remarkable analysis from our small but growing gaming site demonstrated, Sekiro tests the skill ceilings of even seasoned experts at punishing combat flow more than any prior FromSoftware game.

Veterans praise Bloodborne or Dark Souls 3 as peaks of the Souls combat formula. So how did Sekiro surpass these previous pinnacles by most fan accounts? Study of frames data and player reactions reveal:

• Deflect timing windows severely more constrained vs dodging
• Unblockable perilous attacks introducing new mix-up knowledge checks
• Far lower margin of error – instant posture breaks or health loss
• Limited ranged abilities or magic builds to ease encounters

Many compare Sekiro closely to a masterclass rhythm game where one misstep tanks tempo for a fatal blow.

Quantifying the hardcore mentality this bred, various publications and fan surveys peg Sekiro comfortably in the top 3 most difficult modern AAA games, often at #1.

A remarkable achievement cementing the mystique of FromSoftware‘s less lenient brand of tough but enriching game design shining through. Surely inspiring the legion of titles soon aiming to capture this masochistic magic.

Critics Awards, Praise, & Sales – Industry Agreed on Sekiro‘s Brilliance

All the above stand true despite Sekiro also facing understanding deluge of scathing first week criticism around allegedly going "too far on lack of accessibility options".

Thankfully, aside from some questionable detractors, Sekiro saw widespread mainstream critical acclaim backing its uncompromising vision, racking up multiple Game of The Year awards such as:

The Game Awards GOTY 2019

IGN Best Game of 2019

GameSpot Game of The Year 2019

Cementing FromSoftware‘s rightful place among the most daring yet excellent AAA studios.

The sales figures covered previously already demonstrated Sekiro‘s commercial success as well living up to its astronomical pre-release hype.

Judging by Steam reviews yielding Over 90% positive sentiment from 80,000+ owners, the intent with perceived difficulty clearly landed for the silent majority too.

The one downside for ardent fans invested in Sekiro being a lack of substantive single player DLC to expand one of the most uniquely compelling game worlds seen in ages. Alas, we make our peace by returning vigorously through NG+ cycles while the thirst for a sequel builds.

The Bittersweet Still Evolving Legacy of Sekiro Continues..

From my lens as an aspiring industry analyst and commentator, I evaluate Sekiro as a resoundingly well crafted work despite its unorthodox departure from the signature FromSoftware mold – a special case study of avant-garde AAA.

We explored why this unique title skipped receiving the beloved DLC expansions many came to expect from the studio, with resources shifting instead toward their new fantasy epic Elden Ring that took the world by storm.

Yet as intended from the mythical directorial mind of Hidetaka Miyazaki, Sekiro clearly left a bold mark pushing FS combat depth further while pioneering new ground in Japanese historical fiction. All culminating in ringing endorsement from critics and fans that it earned a place among the finest game design achievers of our era.

For now, we wait with patience and optimism that Sekiro 2 manifests someday to gift us a chance at mastering the blade once more…

– Lawrence Fong (@Law_GonGames)