Charging for 'Left 4 Dead: Crash Course' On XBL Not Valve's Decision.

Valve's Chet Faliszek has told Eurogamer that upcoming downloadable Left 4 Dead 1 expansion Crash Course costs money on Xbox Live because Microsoft insisted upon it.

The Washington-based developer traditionally refuses to charge for DLC - as Robin Walker put it when we asked in May 2007, "You buy the product, you get the content" - and this explains why it's free on PC.

"We own our platform, Steam. Microsoft owns their platform. They wanted to make sure there's an economy of value there," Faliszek told Eurogamer today when asked about the 560 Microsoft Points (£4.76 / €6.72) price tag for Crash Course.

When pressed about whether Microsoft effectively enforced the pricing, Faliszek added: "Well, they helped us get the first one out for free. We had the one DLC out for free. 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.

"It's not like we're [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. So it's just kind of the way the system works right now."

Crash Course is an upcoming campaign for Left 4 Dead 1 that's been designed not exclusively but predominantly for Versus mode, which should allow fans of the competitive survivors-versus-infected mode to play through a game in 30 minutes rather than the two hours it sometimes takes with No Mercy, Dead Air, Death Toll and Blood Harvest, the original campaigns.

Faliszek also confirmed that it's still down for release in September, and said that no decision had been made about compatibility between it and Left 4 Dead 2 yet. Because Crash Course is specific to the L4D1 development base, whether or not it works with L4D2 is indivisible from the issue of whether the whole original game works with L4D2. If the first game is ever made to speak to the second, then so will Crash Course. Otherwise no.

Look out for our review of Crash Course as soon as it's out.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/l4d1-dlc-pricing-not-valves-decision

Discuss.

God damn I hate Microsoft. Makes me wish I had the PC version instead of 360 version..

Whatever. 360 owners should be happy that they're getting it. However, I'll be playing it on my PC which can run it at 250 FPS :P

lol this is quite funny. they charge just to play half a game you already paid for or in the case of L4D 90% of the game and then they charge you for extra content for that game.

wow just wow. wonder when 360 owners will have enough and start boycotting until its free.

Well I already knew this was the case but it is reassuring to hear valve comment on it.

Boycotting what? If they refuse to download it that doesn't put MS in any worse of a position than if they had offered it for free. Even if only 2 people download it that's $$ they wouldn't have had otherwise.

lol this is quite funny. they charge just to play half a game you already paid for or in the case of L4D 90% of the game and then they charge you for extra content for that game.

wow just wow. wonder when 360 owners will have enough and start boycotting until its free.

washd123

I didn't need a link to tell me this, this has been M$ policy this whole generation, that's that. Sorry fellas.

Boycotting what? If they refuse to download it that doesn't put MS in any worse of a position than if they had offered it for free. Even if only 2 people download it that's $$ they wouldn't have had otherwise.

[QUOTE="washd123"]

lol this is quite funny. they charge just to play half a game you already paid for or in the case of L4D 90% of the game and then they charge you for extra content for that game.

wow just wow. wonder when 360 owners will have enough and start boycotting until its free.

topgunmv

i was refering mainly to the whole LIVE service and to this DLC and all DLC

*shrug* as long as it doesn't impact non dlc software and hardware sales I don't think it would really force them into offering this kind of stuff for free.

[QUOTE="topgunmv"]

Boycotting what? If they refuse to download it that doesn't put MS in any worse of a position than if they had offered it for free. Even if only 2 people download it that's $$ they wouldn't have had otherwise.

[QUOTE="washd123"]

lol this is quite funny. they charge just to play half a game you already paid for or in the case of L4D 90% of the game and then they charge you for extra content for that game.

wow just wow. wonder when 360 owners will have enough and start boycotting until its free.

washd123

i was refering mainly to the whole LIVE service and to this DLC and all DLC

Figured MS was the culprit behind this, as if they need another reason for people not to likethem.

So this is why XBL is the best huh? :roll:

I thought this was old news? But still, thats lame that M$ makes devs charge

WHAT A GREEDY COMPANY. Yes all companies are greedy buuuuuuut theres greedy and then theres GREEDY GREEDY.

Well thank god there's still cross game chat. That makes all the paying for stuff worth it! Yes, I'm being sarcastic. PC forever.

So this is why XBL is the best huh? :roll:

raynimrod

MS milkage shines again. It's pathetic how PS3 owners are called cows yet 360 gamers get milked the most. Turtles FTW

Glad I get it for free ;)

I dont understand why Valve cant put up the content for free. There have been games that have done it before on live like Burnout, etc..

Nothing to debate really.. Just don't buy it. :)

I dont understand why Valve cant put up the content for free. There has been games that have done it before on live like Burnout, etc..

opex07

not valves decision. its the same reason TF2 content never came. they didnt want to make people pay

[QUOTE="opex07"]

I dont understand why Valve cant put up the content for free. There has been games that have done it before on live like Burnout, etc..

washd123

not valves decision. its the same reason TF2 content never came. they didnt want to make people pay

[QUOTE="raynimrod"]

So this is why XBL is the best huh? :roll:

luisen123

[QUOTE="washd123"]

[QUOTE="opex07"]

I dont understand why Valve cant put up the content for free. There has been games that have done it before on live like Burnout, etc..

opex07

not valves decision. its the same reason TF2 content never came. they didnt want to make people pay

other companies have different agreements with MS.

[QUOTE="raynimrod"]

So this is why XBL is the best huh? :roll:

luisen123

Or does it?

LOL, well if devs were really aginst these practices they would not be exclusive oh wait I forgot about the paycheck they take so I guess they don't mind the charge after all huh.

[QUOTE="luisen123"][QUOTE="raynimrod"]

So this is why XBL is the best huh? :roll:

360hammer

Or does it?

LOL, well if devs were really aginst these practices they would not be exclusive oh wait I forgot about the paycheck they take so I guess they don't mind the charge after all huh.

thats why its free on the pc right?its not exclusive either

they have the choice to charge for anything they want to and i have the choice to not buy it, seems like a fair deal

they have the choice to charge for anything they want to and i have the choice to not buy it, seems like a fair deal

Riverwolf007

[QUOTE="opex07"][QUOTE="washd123"]

not valves decision. its the same reason TF2 content never came. they didnt want to make people pay

washd123

other companies have different agreements with MS.

If other companies were able to release content for free and not have the problem of some agreement, then is it not essentially Valves decisions to not release the content for free by agreeing to follow such agreement.

What makes it even more stranger is the fact that they were able to release some content for free prior to Crash Course on live.

Translation: We valve did not want to foot the bill to certifiy and host the DLC so when we said we still want it for free Microsoft simply added a charge sufficient to cover certification of the DLC and hosting of it and bandwidth.

The sad thing is, you know people will pay for it. :|

This should have been obvious to anyone by now. Too bad for those who play L4D on 360 I guess.

The sad thing is, you know people will pay for it. :|

Heartagram_03

How is this new, exactly? Microsoft has always done this.Stevo_the_gamer

[QUOTE="Stevo_the_gamer"]How is this new, exactly? Microsoft has always done this.opex07

[QUOTE="washd123"]

[QUOTE="opex07"]

I dont understand why Valve cant put up the content for free. There has been games that have done it before on live like Burnout, etc..

opex07

not valves decision. its the same reason TF2 content never came. they didnt want to make people pay

[QUOTE="opex07"][QUOTE="Stevo_the_gamer"]How is this new, exactly? Microsoft has always done this.Stevo_the_gamer

Of course Microsoft wants them to charge it, they get a cut too. Both Sony and MS gets a cut off the DLCs the devs put on their networks.

this was also the case for Gears of War. Epic wanted to give it out for free, MS didn't. so yea...there you go.