Turtle Rock Studios has taken a leaf out of CD Projekt’s book after the company promised it has no plans to charge for additional maps in its upcoming, co-op based shooter Evolve.
In doing so, the studio hopes to create a fair online environment that won’t be affected by the planned release of new, paid-for characters and monsters. Speaking with IGN, the game’s creative director Phil Robb stated the Turtle Rock had the community in mind when making the decision.
“We can’t break the community up, so all of our maps will be free. We never want anyone to get booted off of a server because they haven’t bought something. We’ll have characters and monsters, and even if you don’t buy them, if your buddy wants to buy the DLC, that’s cool, and your game will be enhanced through his purchase. So, you won’t be able to play as those characters, but you will certainly be able to play with those characters.”
With seemingly every major release offering some form of premium content, Turtle Rock’s approach to DLC is a breath of fresh air. It should be noted that Evolve will see the release of additional monsters and characters, but even if you choose not to purchase them yourself, you can still partake in matches alongside them.
It’s a fair and pragmatic way to handle downloadable content for an online-centric shooter, and we’re hoping this method of approach will set a precedent for future DLC as developers find their feet in this still-nascent generation.
Following a short delay, Evolve is due to roar onto Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on February 10th.