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Left 4 Dead DLC: Free PC, 360 Pay Up! PDF Print E-mail
Tuesday, 29 September 2009 22:50

Today the new DLC for Left 4 Dead, Crash Course, was released.  Now I believe that developers need to be properly rewarded for their hard work.  However.  I am unhappy with the current DLC situation Valve has created.

PC users receive the new DLC for free.  $0.00.  Just download it and go, you're ready to enjoy a new map and whatever else it bundles.

360 users receive the new DLC for... a price.  A 560 price.  Whatever that translates to in US dollars.

What.  The.  Hell.

As someone who owns the game on both platforms - yay.  I guess.  I'm only paying for the DLC if I choose to get it for the 360.  I have the wonderful benefit of downloading it, for free, on PC, essentially trying it out, and then I can decide whether or not I want to spend my hard-earned money to also enjoy it with my XBL friends.

I will grant Valve this:  Because L4D is distributed through Steam and is not a Games For Windows Live [GFWL] game, they are not able to easily charge for the DLC as they did with the 360 version.  I understand that it would greatly complicate things for them to also be charging their PC users.  

However, as we saw with the Survival DLC, it is possible to have free DLC via the XBox Game Marketplace.  If you are going to offer something for free on one gaming platform, then it is my firm belief that you should also be making that exact same piece of work free on the other platform.  Why are you punishing your 360 user base?  Because it's easier to charge them?  Either cut your losses or level the field for your users.  

I suppose this could be some "brilliant" marketing/financial ploy.

 

  1.  Your 360 users likely also own PC or will not purchase the PC version.  Therefore, if they want the DLC, they must (and thus will) pay for it.  Profit!
  2. Your PC users will feel happy and feel special.  They will tell their friends who aren't already playing L4D (do those PC gamers exist?  I kid.)  They increase their PC userbase and sell more copies.  Profit!
  3. Your users which own the game on both platforms will try out the DLC and if they like it, will purchase it for the 360.  Profit!
  4. Your PC users will be guinea pigs for their 360 friends.  If they like it, their 360 friends pay for the DLC.  Profit!
 
So while as a gamer and a consumer, I am unhappy with the situation and find it unfair, I can see where Valve profits from an otherwise ugly (in my opinion) situation.  Of course, it's important to remember that if someone loves a product, they will tell Y people about the product.  If they dislike a product, they will tell X people about the product.
 
Most of the time, X > Y.
 
Are you paying for it?  I'm going to wait and see.   Owning it on PC gives me the advantage of test-driving it.  I also haven't played the 360 version in a while (much less any other game...)

 

 
 
Comments (1)
PC OS
1 Sunday, 04 October 2009 19:23
William
Hey Snow. How've you been? I had missed that you added a twitter feed and been updating this site. Thanks for the news and reviews.

I've been thinking about a new PC. Will you pick up Windows 7 this month, or will you stick with Vista or even XP for a while longer?

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