"Crash Course," the upcoming downloadable campaign for "Left 4 Dead," may be free for PC gamers, but Valve's latest expansion pack will run 560 Microsoft Points (about $7) for Xbox Live users. The decision runs contrary to the developer's standard practice of keeping DLC free for game owners, but in this particular case, they're pointing the finger at Microsoft for demanding a price.
"We own our platform, Steam," Valve's Chet Faliszek told Eurogamer. "Microsoft owns their platform. They wanted to make sure there's an economy of value there."
The kindly worded explanation clearly credits the Xbox makers' business goals for the 560-point charge. The first "Left 4 Dead" DLC, which included support for "Survival" and "Versus" modes made through the XBL system without a price point, but one free offering seems to be all Microsoft wanted to let through the doors.
"We had the one DLC out for free," Faliszek explained. "And I think... they have to look and say, wow, we're kind of being unfair to everybody else if these guys can do that."
Faliszek also emphasized Valve's desire to keep DLC free, even if they don't always succeed.
"It's not like [Valve is] looking at this as, 'Oh my god, we need some money, we're going to charge,' obviously, or we'd do it on the PC," he said. "So it's just kind of the way the system works right now."
Will the 560-point coast influence whether or not you download "Crash Course" on Xbox Live? What do you think Faliszek's assessment of the situation? Share your thoughts in comment section below.
