Valve To Charge For Console Updates To Team Fortress 2
August 22nd 2008 00:39
PC gamers have long enjoyed for free the types of content that console owners have payed for. This is set to continue beyond the regular DLC like extra maps and armour, and will now includes updates also.
Valve company co-founder Gabe Newell says "The big concern I have right now is our ability to provide updates," said Newell to videogaming247. "On the PC side, we've done as many as four updates in a day, and that's great: we can respond very quickly. If Nvidia puts out a new graphics driver and it changes some way about how texture management works, then before our customers know there's any issue then the problem has gone away. Or we can do the Pyro updates, and the Medic updates [and so on]."
And though Newell expresses his regret about having to cash in on the console business modesl, the restrictions placed upon deveopers are forcing them to take this direction.
"On the consoles, they want us to charge money for them, because that's in their model, and our model is very much more to grow the community by giving out free updates. That's harder for us."
Hopefully this does not start a trend across the industry. Patches have long been necessary and free. It might not be too long before thse fixes are regarded as DLC and tagged accordingly.
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