Here's the situation. Games are 60 bucks. It's been that way for what, since last gen?
Guess what has happened since last gen? The cost for making games has gone up. A lot up. Stupid up.
How are they going to still turn profits and convince the guys at the top of the ladder that their next game is a good idea(darkstalkers let's say), if they can't put proof in the pudding with sales results?
You can't raise the price of the game from 60 to higher, because it'd turn off the whole possible consumer base. So, they have an allotted budget and development cycle. In that time and with those funds they get as much done as possible, wrap it up, and make some plans for extra income from the people who want to stick with the game and give them more motivation to keep putting it in in the form of DLC.
Now we haven't seen how they plan to dish these characters out, but if it was like $4.99-$6.99 for 2-4 characters, then I'd be okay with this.
I like games getting support after release, and I like DLC being something desirable by me. These kinds of DLC's also help fund new versions of the game with discounted prices as well as pay for updates the game may need post launch.
I'm much finer with paying for DLC I want. I'm also glad it's DLC that isn't on disc already. This means they are still working post launch.
If the cut off time/budget made it so these 12 could never come, that would suck more than paying a bit here and there months after launch for extra incentive to refresh your thirst for the game.
Now, if they announce a Super SFxT in this same year with those 12, for 40 bucks? I think we can 100% start writing off Capcom's launch games altogether. I'm not into beta testing your games (MvC3), just so I can get the real thing 6 months later.(UMvC3)
Luckily SFxT is Ono's team and is a full ass product on the disc here at 60 for launch. He likes to do new versions a year down the line. I'll gladly drop 40 bucks next year for Super SFxT if it adds more of what I may very well fall in love with.
Gaming is my only hobby and personal guilty pleasure to spend $ in, and I'm perfectly alright with paying for things I want.