Evolve Director Says Game's DLC Not Meant to "Leech Money"

Last summer, developer Turtle Rock Studios co-founder Chris Ashton sparked debate when he said Evolve was purposefully designed for DLC, an area in which he said the game would support "more so than any game ever before." Now, Evolve creative director Phil Robb has spoken out in an attempt to calm concerns about the game's extensive DLC plans.

Robb says in an interview with Destructoid that Ashton's choice of words was "unfortunate." He explained that Evolve's architecture was designed in such a way to allow Turtle Rock to support the game long after its release. The backlash over Ashton's comments came from a misunderstanding of what he actually meant, Robb said.

"That was hugely disheartening for me," Robb said. "I don't like people thinking we're doing underhanded, dirty sh**."

"If we're going to make money we want to feel good about the way we've done it" -- Phil Robb

"We have the game set up in such a way that we can expand upon it if that is the desire," he explained. "Our plan is one we pushed for as consumers. Never split the community, no pay to win, all that kind of bullsh** that are hallmarks of DLC plans specifically made to leech money out of people."

Also in the interview, Robb said he understands that some may view DLC as a way for developers to "milk" players for even more money, and acknowledges that such practices may have turned some gamers off to add-on content. But he also hopes that gamers give Turtle Rock a chance to prove that they aren't trying to pull a fast one on them.

"If we're going to make money we want to feel good about the way we've done it," Robb said. "We don't want to feel like we've hoodwinked people."

All Evolve DLC maps and modes will be free, but Turtle Rock will sell extra characters, including the Behemoth monster, as well as other expansion packs, sometime down the road.

This isn't the first time Robb has addressed Evolve's DLC plans. Just last week, Robb wrote a lengthy blog post defending the game's DLC options.

The Evolve release date is February 10, 2015. The game will be available on that date for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. For more on Evolve, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.