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Valve hopes to keep TF2 content free

But admits it doesn't "have full say".

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.