Downloadable content has become a matter of course, especially when it comes to fighting games and additional characters. But Dead or Alive 5 won't be offering extra fighters as DLC, as Team Ninja feels that the practice makes the game "unfair" and throws off the balance.

"We have no plans to sell characters as downloadable content," said Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi.

"We don't feel that it's right for fighting games," Hayashi told Videogamer. "We feel like this is a kind of sport, and you don't change the rules for sports. Everybody plays by the same rules. You don't have a 14-player soccer game versus an 11-player soccer game. That's just not fair. It's a similar thing to if certain people have all these characters and others don't. It makes it an unfair game, and we don't think that's the right way to go for fighting games."

He also raises balance as a delicate issue that can be harmed by the addition of new characters. "Balance is extremely important, and it's also very hard to do," he said. "Even with over 20 characters that's still a real challenge. If we had 50, how much more time would need to balance the game?"

These comments are very similar to recent ones from Tekken producer Katsuhiro Harada. Both seem to be reacting to moves like those of Capcom, which has taken fire for its DLC structure. Harada noted that while he wouldn't sell characters, he might make them available for free, and he could sell non-essential, cosmetic items. Hayashi's comments about Dead or Alive could leave open for this possibility as well.