Rockstar: DLC is the future of gaming

Recently, after a long wait, The Lost and Damned was released as additional content for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV. According to developer Rockstar, downloadable content (DLC) really has the future. Jeronimo Barrera, development manager for Grand Theft Auto IV, stated during Major Nelson’s podcast:

“I think people are seeing this as the future of gaming, and we see it. Obviously we’re going to continue to create more games, full games, but we’re also excited about what we’re going to do with Xbox Live and DLC.”

Enough plans at Rockstar to provide games with a lot of extra content in the future…

Players re-enter Liberty City in Grand Theft Auto IV, this time in the shoes of Eastern European immigrant Niko Bellic. Niko is lured by his cousin with the promise of big houses, shiny cars and other luxuries that can’t be afforded in Eastern Europe. Once he arrives, however, his nephew turns out to live in the ghetto, only the rich elite drive luxury cars and America turns out to be just as corrupt as at home. Niko ends up in the mafia circuit and has to clean up all his cousin’s mess.

To do this Niko uses his mobile phone. You can now call people to take missions, listen to radio and arrange dates. To get anywhere in the city you can rob cars, but now also just take a taxi. All in the name of realism, because GTA IV is suddenly a lot less cartoonish than its predecessors. Liberty City is of course not the same as in GTA III. The city has changed and is now more the spitting image of the New York metropolis than before. Importantly, the game will be more vertical: players can climb all buildings, take fire escapes and so on to get away from the police.

For more information about The Lost and Damned, read our review.

Grand Theft Auto has already been released for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. Additional content has been released for the Xbox 360, titled The Lost and Damned.