Video games can take a lot of time to make, and require the hard work of either a few or many people depending on the size of the studio developing the game, as well as various other factors. These days, once a game has been launched, sometimes additional content known as DLC is expected down the line.
While the development of DLC for a game can start right after a successful launch, this isn't always the case. Sometimes, it can also take much longer than expected for DLC to finish development, due to all the different obstacles a studio can face while working on it.
7 Cuphead Delicious Last Course
Cuphead is now partially known for having a long gap between its initial launch and its DLC. Cuphead launched for PC and Xbox One in 2017, with a Nintendo Switch release in 2019, after being first revealed in 2014. The DLC expansion for Cuphead, Delicious Last Course, was announced in 2018 but didn't launch until 2022.
In an interview with IGN, Maja Moldenhauer stated, "If it takes longer for the game to come out, it takes longer. Who cares?" and later cited that for Studio MDHR having a product to be proud of is better than being driven by the potential money that could be made from it.
6 Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Complete Version
Initially launching for the Nintendo Switch in 2018, Super Smash Bros Ultimate wasn't fully completed until 2021. This is due to the DLC fighters, stages, and other things that came with the two Fighter Passes. The first downloadable character revealed for the game was Joker from Persona 5, while the final downloadable character to be revealed was Sora from Kingdom Hearts.
Although gaps between the release of each new character were only a few months long, there was always some speculation about who would be the next video game character to be added to the roster, particularly before Sora was announced as the final character for the game.
5 Final Fantasy 15: Episode Ardyn
Final Fantasy 15 is well-known for its long and complicated development history, and its post-launch character episode DLC is no exception. Episode Gladiolus, Episode Prompto, and Episode Ignis, which all focus on the respective members of Noctis' party that they’re named after, all launched in 2017.
Episode Ardyn, the final DLC episode that focuses on the game's antagonist, didn't launch until 2019, three years after the initial 2016 launch of the base game. Three other DLC episodes, Episode Aranea, Episode Lunafreya, and Episode Noctis, were ultimately canceled, with Episode Ardyn being the last piece of DLC released for the game.
4 The Sims 3: Into The Future
The Sims 3 initially launched for PC and mobile in 2009, and for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo DS in 2010, with a Nintendo 3DS version launching in 2011. While The Sims 3 had a steady stream of post-launch DLC for several years, its final DLC expansion, Into The Future, was not released until 2013, four years after the initial launch of the base game.
The Sims 4 launched for PC the following year, although the game did not launch for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One until 2017, and as of writing, it still continues to get new DLC.
3 Into The Breach Advanced Edition
Turn-based mech strategy game Into The Breach originally launched for PC and Nintendo Switch in 2018. In June 2022, there was a surprise announcement for a free Advanced Edition update for the game slated for a July 2022 launch. The Advanced Edition of Into The Breach adds new mech squads, new missions, more weapons, new and stronger enemies, and new music.
While surprise DLC announcements don't happen often, they still happen from time to time, making the four-year gap between the game's initial launch and the launch of its DLC less of a wait since only the developers knew about it and fans weren't expecting it.
2 Mario Kart 8 DX Booster Course Pass
Mario Kart 8 DX is the enhanced Nintendo Switch version of 2014's Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U. Although DX has content not previously available in the Wii U version, fans had been wondering for several years if there would be DLC or if Nintendo would jump to Mario Kart 9.
In February 2022, five years after the DX version launched and eight years after the launch of the original Wii U version, the Booster Course Pass was announced. The Booster Course Pass is a season pass with six sets of eight tracks from previous Mario Kart entries to be released in waves, with the first wave launching a month after the initial announcement.
1 Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning: Fatesworn
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning originally launched for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in 2012. THQ Nordic acquired the license six years later and released a remastered version of the game, Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning, in 2020. The two initial DLC expansions were included, The Legend of Dead Kel and Teeth of Naros, which both launched the same year that the game initially came out.
A third DLC expansion, known as Fatesworn, was announced in December 2021 for a 2022 launch window, ten years after the launch of the original game, and is exclusive to Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning. This makes Kingdoms of Amalur a game with one of the longest gaps between initial launch and DLC, if not the longest.