Watch Dogs 2‘s multiplayer DLC, entitled “Showd0wn,” was originally planned to be part of the game’s “No Compromise” DLC, which players could only get by either paying for it individually or buying the game’s DLC season pass. However, IGN reports that now “Showd0wn” will be its own DLC and will be free.
In explaining the decision to make “Showd0wn” free, Kris Young, Watch Dogs 2‘s live producer, stated,
There are two main drivers behind making Showd0wn free for all of our players. The first is that we want everyone to be able to participate and play it. We really wanted to have as many people as possible playing the mode for a better challenge, better matchmaking time and quality, and a healthier, more active community. The other is community feedback we’ve received since we announced the original plans. Our community asked for more multiplayer content, and that’s also a reason why we’ve decided to make Showd0wn accessible for free for all players, while replacing it with more single-player content in No Compromise.
“Showd0wn” will reportedly contain three types of multiplayer gameplay modes and they will be called Steal the HDD, Doomload and Erase/Protect the Servers. There will be fifteen locations where each of these modes can take place. The DLC will also give players access to new clothing, a mechanic that will allow players to switch between weapons faster and multiplayer functionality for drone, motocross and eKart races.
The “Showd0wn” DLC will be available for all platforms on April 17. The upcoming single-player DLC “No Compromise” is scheduled to come out on April 18 for PlayStation 4 and on May 18 for Xbox One and PC.