"Titanfall 2" developer Respawn has already said that all their DLC will be free. Bioware may be following Respawn's example for Mass Effect: Andromeda.
According to entertainment website Cinema Blend, Bioware general manager Aaryn Flynn has been responding to questions from fans on sites and social media such as NeoGAF and Twitter. One of the questions he answered recently was in regards to whether or not "Mass Effect: Andromeda" will have a season pass. His simple response was "Nope."
Games that plan on having large paid DLCs almost always have season passes. This basically acts as pre-orders for DLC as well as provides discounts to buyers since the price of the season pass is always lower than the combined prices of the DLCs.
Since Bioware has categorically stated that Mass Effect: Andromeda will have no season pass, this could mean that the game could have big DLC that is free or it won't offer any large DLC at all, only small DLC for purchase such as maps or items. There are no major games so far that did not offer any big DLCs so it is likely that Mass Effect: Andromeda will be offering its large DLCs for free.
Gaming website Game Rant reported that the prospect for free DLC is further supported by the fact that another Electronic Arts game, "Titanfall 2" has already set the precedent. The developer, Respawn, is already giving away DLCs for free to game owners.
The objective of Respawn is to develop a strong relationship, one with trust, between the players, the community, the game itself, and the studio. They hope that by giving away more content for free, players have a reason to stay invested in the game and the studio and to be invested in the community.
Free DLC then can have three purposes. It helps keep prices high since games will still give better value with each additional content.
It prevents active player numbers from shrinking further because it encourages players to remain or return to playing the game. It helps attract new players to the game because of the better value from the additional content and the fact that there are still players who play the game with more new players still coming in.
This is a win-win situation for everyone. Big DLC that is free makes sense not only for Mass Effect: Andromeda but also for the rest of the gaming industry.
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