In what feels like a throwback to the days of the original Xbox – where DLC maps for Halo 2 were eventually made free – it looks like 343 Industries is seeking to revive that mantra by doing the same with Halo 5: Guardians. The difference here though is this; every single one of Halo 5’s multiplayer DLC maps – of which there will be 15 – will be completely free from day one.
It’s nothing but welcome news to anyone who’s planning to pick the game up on October 27, and the game’s creative director, Josh Holmes, told the most recent issue of Game Informer exactly why they made the decision.
“As we started on the multiplayer experience for Halo 5, we talked a lot about the problem of dividing the player base. When you have paid map packs and content, you divide the player base into two groups: the haves and have nots. The people that have the map pack can play together but the people that don’t cannot.”
“That to us is a real problem. So we’re delivering all the maps to all players free so everybody will be able to player together.”
“That, we feel, is really important to having a great multiplayer ecosystem.”
Finally, there’ll be no more irritating gaming sessions where you can’t play with your friends due to their lack of DLC.
Is this the dawn of a new age for free DLC? With CD Projekt Red currently delivering on their promise of 16 free pieces of DLC for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt and Halo 5: Guardians following suit, can we expect more developers to start releasing free additional content for their games? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.