Valve hopes to keep TF2 content free News
PC
Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
News
by
Tom Bramwell
Valve has reiterated that it hopes to release extra maps for Team Fortress 2 as free downloads for PS3 and 360 owners.
"The maps will come to the console versions," VP of marketing Doug Lombardi told Eurogamer at a recent Left 4 Dead event. "There's a bit of work that makes sense for us to bundle them up and release them as packs."
Asked whether that still meant for free, Lombardi said: "Oh, for free, definitely, as much as we can. You know, we don't have full say over that, but we have some say over how that works.
"So, for us, for free is the way to go. The gamers play the game, they want to keep playing the game, so we've collected their fifty bucks at the start, and once they're in the park, they can ride any ride they want in the park. So, for us that's been the philosophy."
Extra content for Valve games is generally free on the PC, and the company said that would extend to console games when we spoke last May.
Lombardi says that while some "bigger companies" find it difficult to understand that, given the time, effort and money that goes into its DLC, it's all about keeping the customer happy.
"For us, we see it as an investment on our next product," he said. "Gamers won't hesitate when they see a game coming out from Valve. They'll think 'I've heard of this but will it be worth my money?' We want to take that off the table."
The most recent addition to Team Fortress 2 on PC is the Badlands map.
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
Comments: 1-13 of 13 in total
|
Triggerhappytel
04/03/08 @ 07:22
0
They don't have the full say? Then who the Hell does? Surely not EA?!
|
|
0
"For us, we see it as an investment on our next product," he said. "Gamers won't hesitate when they see a game coming out from Valve. They'll think 'I've heard of this but will it be worth my money?' We want to take that off the table."
Well, they've certainly done that as far as I'm concerned. I preordered the Orange Box, and I got my TF2 beta just like I was promised, and now I'm getting lots of great balance tweaks and gameplay additions. I don't even question whether the updates will be effective anymore because I know they playtest the hell out of everything and aren't afraid to drop what doesn't work, even if it means losing a lot of work. Valve are a great bunch of developers, and they can afford to be because they make so much damn money that free content isn't hard to do. |
|
BrokenSymmetry
04/03/08 @ 08:22
0
The problem is of course in Doug Lombardi's statement: "For us, we see it as an investment on our next product. Gamers won't hesitate when they see a game coming out from Valve." Free content is great advertisement for Valve itself, but the other companies involved in publishing and distributing that content (EA, Microsoft) don't get that advantage (at least, they don't see it). That's why the extra content will not be free on consoles.
|
|
0
Valve is great. They already gave us five games in one box where others would have charged extra for every single game. And they continue supporting Counter-Strike. Can't other developers see Valve's secret to success?
DLC is customer support. Nice to see that some people understand this. As long as your content is not a great addition to the game experience it should be free. But you're welcome to charge for a stupid airplane skin, Ace Combat. Way to go, Namco, and what about the Katamari Katastrophe (tm)? I know it's all about supply and demand. But happy customer = returning customer, too, right? |
Comments: 1-13 of 13 in total
Want to comment on this article? Log in, or register!
