Microsoft wants you to pay for Titan Pack on Unreal Tournament III
One of the hottest topics on the Web these days seem to be around the fact that the Xbox 360 won’t be getting the massive 800MB Titan Pack for Unreal Tournament III. Some gamers have blamed EPIC Games for the lack of support for the Xbox 360. However, could the blame lie with the Microsoft for limiting the download size?
Just the other day as soon as I opened up my Xbox 360 news feed, the first three bits of news I saw dealt with the fact the Xbox 360 won’t be getting the Titan Pack. The developer mainly blamed Microsoft for not being able to deploy the Titan Pack to the Xbox 360.
The Titan Pack is apparently classified as a patch. This means that the pack is most likely a mandatory download like a firmware update when you boot into the game. Apparently there is no size limitation for the PS3 regarding patches, while Microsoft has a strict limit to the patch size on the Xbox 360. The reason Microsoft has a patch size limit is most likely due to the fact that one of the most popular Xbox 360 models is hard drive-less.
One option would be to put it up on the marketplace for download considering that there are games such as Jade Empire on XBL that are 6GB in size. I suspect that EPIC Games probably thought about this option as well. However, considering the hurdles the company have faced before with XBL, it comes as no surprise that EPIC Games have decided to forgo this route.
This reminded me of a similar situation where Microsoft refused to release Gears of War maps for free on XBL despite EPIC Game’s desire to do so. Mark Rein, VP of EPIC Games explained the dynamics of the relationship between Microsoft and the studio clearly in a post on EvilAvatar.
He stated:
Epic thinks the way to maximize the return on Gears of War is to give the maps away for free and Microsoft thinks the way to maximize the return on Gears of War is to sell the maps…
…Why does Epic not have control over this even though we created this content on our own time and our own dime? Quite frankly Xbox Live Marketplace isn’t our store. It’s Microsoft’s store. Like any retailer they have the right to figure out what goes on the shelves of their store and what price they sell it at. They spend the money to operate the store and deliver the content.
It makes sense to charge for downloadable content especially if they are almost 1GB in size. There is an overhead associated with running the servers and XBL marketplace. It seems like this is just another case of “difference of opinion” between Microsoft and EPIC Games.
Related Posts:
48 Responses to “Microsoft wants you to pay for Titan Pack on Unreal Tournament III”
Leave a Reply:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!
March 6th, 2009
If M$ actually charge for this pack, that would only make them look bad. As it is on the competitor console for free, and they already charge for online play.
now don’t think this is bashing, but I really this EPIC would be way better off M$, I can see them keep the GeoW in the xbox 360 and M$ console; but I really don’t see them going for another exclusive with M$ ever again.
especially the way M$ treats their wells.
What do you guys think ??
March 6th, 2009
800GB Lol
March 6th, 2009
hahhaahahaaah
this is wrong in so many ways… let me just grab a beer and pull up a chair…
ahhh… ok continue…
March 6th, 2009
“but I really this EPIC ” = but I really think EPIC
March 6th, 2009
@darkwhitehair
this is off topic
how do you add an avatar to your account, i kept looking for a way in the dashboard but couldn’t find it.
March 6th, 2009
Handsome_Devil:
No one likes Microsoft anymore… and Epic Games is definitely feeling more at home with the PlayStation than the Xbox. Because Sony allows them to do anything while Microsoft tries to give them so many rules that they obliviously not happy with it.
March 6th, 2009
this won’t one forge 360 as they already have the achievments and split screen. The only benefit would be the 10 maps, and Titan gametype.
I can’t for the life of me remember were I saw it but if Sony gave this away for free I’m pretty sure ms is obligated todo the same. It’s all a moot point as they won’t be getting it anyway.
March 6th, 2009
I predict ms will buy epic at some point.
March 6th, 2009
Handsome Devil,
Go to Gravatar.com and use the email address you use for this site (or any site that supports Gravatars, it is Global). Be aware it takes a few minutes to show the changes.
Regarding Epic, I feel a bit sorry for them. I know the coin flips both ways, but I think Microsoft need Epic more than Epic need them. So Microsoft should cut them a bit of slack.
But hey, they have a business to run and money that needs bathing in.
March 6th, 2009
Not sure what the hell i was typing up there. Damn predictive text on phone.
I was saying it wont come out for the 360 since they have achievements and split screen.
March 6th, 2009
“There is an overhead associated with running the servers and XBL marketplace”
-And isn’t this why they charge everyone a fee to access there store in the first place? It’s funny how Sonny manages to provide the same service for free. This is just another case of M$ trying to squeeze as much money as possible from there base.
March 6th, 2009
phranctoast:
March 6th, 2009
“if Sony gave this away for free I’m pretty sure ms is obligated todo the same. ”
Just like Sony gives online for free and MS is obligated to do so?
MS is not as big as they are by giving stuff away. and before you say epic is giving it free it’s MS who will be hosting the files and paying for the bandwidth and servers.
March 6th, 2009
Mike thank you once again for your speculation. Really who cares. Does anyone on the 360 even own Unreal Tournament 3. I cannot remember 1 day that I have seen anyone in my friends list playing that game. It’s not coming because it’s not worth the time and effort when Gears of War is the new face of Epic Games. Also Mark Rein can bitch all he wants but I’m sure that he is glad to take that cheque.
March 6th, 2009
@ncaissie.
Not sure where are read it but it stated that if DLC was released on a competitors console for free, MS would then have to do the same.
The Left4Dead DLC is being released for free. IMO they should release it for free as the game is so short that it should have been included in the first place.
@CAD
UT3 rocks. Can’t help if the pimply faced silly xbots don’t know an awesome game for shit. Better metacritic score than Halo Wars.
March 6th, 2009
*where I*
March 6th, 2009
CAD – is this you?
youtube.com/watch?v=2K7b8FIn4mc
March 6th, 2009
Phranctoast
Why are you such an adolescent. Is that all your good for, Insults. “pimply faced silly xbots”. Fucking Grow up. I’m not the stupid one comparing Halo Wars to Unreal Tournament 3 or Killzone 2 for that matter. Two different Genres and you want to compare. Any hype about Unreal Tournament 3 was killed by Epic themselves for the 360 because they were so hell bent on User Created Content which no one cares about and which did not turn into the most phenominal thing on the PS3 and is now a dead horse. Leave User Created content for the PC guys. Console people don’t care. It may be a Good game back in the days but Gears offers much more and Halo so sure you PS3 guys can hold onto the old while we Xbots enjoy the new.
March 6th, 2009
@Royzy
Thank for the help, it worked
March 6th, 2009
CAD – this is definitely you.
youtube.com/watch?v=2K7b8FIn4mc
March 6th, 2009
I know 4 or 5 people who are consoles gamers and bought UT3 JUST for that very reason of user created content.
Just because YOU don’t won’t to make mods, doesn’t mean nobody else does.
So if a game is older, it doesn’t justify playing anymore? So why do Xbots still play Halo 3? That is even older. Nothing wrong with playing older games.
March 6th, 2009
wow. I must a struck a nerve.
here you go CAD
http://www.Proactiv.com
“Any hype about Unreal Tournament 3 was killed by Epic themselves for the 360 because they were so hell bent on User Created Content which no one cares about and which did not turn into the most phenominal thing on the PS3 and is now a dead horse.”
Can you say that all in one breath?
At least you are admitting the 360 version in inferior. I agree with you there. M+k plus maps and mods. Do you own a PS3? How would know console people (PS3) don’t care about user generated content. I’m sure people with LBP or even halo using forge maps would disagree with you there.
Gears offers inferior MP compared to UT. Horde mode is also just ut2004 “invasion” gametype for you people that thought it was soooooo new..
March 6th, 2009
royzy -” know 4 or 5 people who are consoles gamers and bought UT3 JUST for that very reason of user created content”
sure you do.. you always know “someone” who backs your theories.
the user created content of unreal for the ps3 just isn’t what it was hyped to be. heck, lbp was the main usercreated content game and even that isn’t that successful with the ps3 fanbase…. are we to believe unreal has more staying power than LBP? hopefully not…
March 6th, 2009
Kev,
You should use a pic of Aaron Greenburg for your Gravatar.
March 6th, 2009
kev:
Are you mental LittleBigPlanet and Unreal Tournament III are both very successful at user created content. And LittleBigPlanet has so many user created content just that alone can make PLAYSTATION 3 profit is a huge success story. So get your facts straight ya heard me or face the consequences of fanboy.
I know hundreds of people who purchased Unreal Tournament III because it has user created content and everyone i know including myself has LittleBigPlanet for so many reasons. LittleBigPlanet will never be beat Unreal Tournament III might be a PC/PS3 hit for user created content but LittleBigPlanet is the god of user created content just look at the PLAYSTATION Store oops my bad you need a PS3 for that.
March 6th, 2009
User generated content on the PS3 UT3 will be better now that you can DL straight through the game (this update) rather than downloading them to a PC than transferring to flash drive, making sure it was in a specifically names folder and installing them. It was kind of a hindrance before.
Not sure who said UT had more staying power than LBP. Who says LBP wasn’t successful? Have you checked the sales lately. It’s one of those games that new console owners will continue to buy for the lifetime of the PS3.
March 6th, 2009
kev,
“sure you do.. you always know “someone” who backs your theories.”
Don’t be a dick, the courses I have done mean I
am friends with people who are into modding and gaming.
CAD is using ‘every console owner’ to back up his theory that ‘console people don’t care’.
Unreal Modding isn’t what it is hyped to be? Have you tried using it? Do you mod? You sound more like the ‘angry caretaker’ type to me than someone who creates mods.
March 6th, 2009
bend over xbots and feel that rusty dick please like the other things m$ does for you hahahahaha
March 6th, 2009
bend over xbots and feel that rusty dick please you like all the other things m$ does for you hahahahaha
March 6th, 2009
Thank you Kevo. Thank you for giving me the feeling of a rusty steel post being shoved in my brown eye.
March 6th, 2009
I hate stating the obvious for the morons here but obviously there are those people who make user created content. It just isn’t that many people that do it and I’m sure that of all the people that bought UT3 for the PS3 that wants to do this is probably around 5% of all the owners. So here is the question. How many maps did the UT3 ship with and how many are there now. Also do not include the 10 Maps being added by Epic. It must be a very small figure because Epic felt the need to add 10 more.
March 6th, 2009
Cad,
I hate to state the obvious to a highly superior intellectual being such as yourself, but do you think that maybe your bashing UT3 now because the 360 is not getting the expansion? You only have M$ to blame. Also out of curiosity, how many online maps did Gears of War 2 ship with? How many months did it take until they worked out the server issues?
March 6th, 2009
Gears was released in November…The Combustible Map Pack – Released only a month later featured 3 maps….800 M$ points? Do you think that these 3 maps could have/should been included on the disc? Or are you more than happy to shell out you M$ points to M$?
March 6th, 2009
Maybe if they had gone Blu-Ray they could have put them on the disc.
March 6th, 2009
Oh no not Blu-ray. Blu-ray is the devil! Because….
Honestly, does Gears 2 hold the record for quickest to release paid for DLC maps? A month? Really? That’s painfully obvious they are milking you for every cent they can. But Xbots smile, clap, and open there wallets… and the machine rolls on.
March 6th, 2009
your welcome SW but im sorry i didn’t get it right the first time kinda like the launch xbox’s with the red rings lol i sorry i stop lol
March 6th, 2009
@CAD
UT3 shipped with 40+ maps and the new update adds 19 more.
March 6th, 2009
“One of the hottest topics on the Web these days seem to be around the fact that the Xbox 360 won’t be getting the massive 800MB Titan Pack for Unreal Tournament III. Some gamers have blamed EPIC Games for the lack of support for the Xbox 360. However, could the blame lie with the Microsoft for limiting the download size?”
This is gonna get lost among all the stupid posts about psn and live and RRoD but I’m going to put it there anyway… Burnout Paradise updates have been over 800 Mb since 1.6 (current is 1.7) and they are mandatory to play online… And they found a way to do it. So I think this “update size the reason” is off the mark. But great job with your post. You created yet another page where people are wasting their time fighting over their favorite console… Out of here… losing IQ points by the minute reading comments…
March 6th, 2009
Barnabe Jones
If you could only look into my games list you would see that UT3 has never touched my console. I never cared. Especially after it came out and it received bad reviews on the PS3.
March 6th, 2009
40 Maps is impressive but that seems like a blown up figure. Can someone confirm this. Given the fact that the campaign is an after thought on that game, it better have that many maps.
March 6th, 2009
“losing IQ points by the minute reading comments…”
I think as retarded as blorge gets, we can all let out a collective *sigh* at such a ‘I am better than thou’ post.
Well done.
March 6th, 2009
“losing IQ points by the minute reading comments”
Yeah, kev’s comments tend to have that effect on people.
March 6th, 2009
Lots of “could”, “most likely” & “seems” in your piece there , Mike.
Lots of opinion.
No substantive fact.
(of course if they did leave the HDD-less arcade owners swinging I guess the line of attack would then be all about how they ’shafted’ a chunk of their ownerbase)
March 6th, 2009
@SW:
“I think as retarded as blorge gets, we can all let out a collective *sigh* at such a ‘I am better than thou’ post.”
What can I say… wear the hat if it fits ya?! Some people just can’t read between the lines… they take everything in blocks…
March 6th, 2009
Cad, It’s a good online multiplayer shooter. The single player portion on the other hand… well, it was pretty much a tutorial with a thin story. I never even finished the single player, but I had a lot of fun online. It’s a very fast moving shooter with some very cool guns.
March 6th, 2009
With out further ado, I’d like to present 2009’s Pompous Ass of the year award to…. Kapy! Kapy please come up and collect your award. Won’t you say a few words for us?
Kev I’m sorry we know you have been undefeated for a few years now, but you can’t win the award every year. You certainly put up a good fight though. Maybe next year.
March 7th, 2009
CAD
“If you could only look into my games list you would see that UT3 has never touched my console. I never cared. Especially after it came out and it received bad reviews on the PS3.”
It received great reviews on the ps3. Where are your sources?
86% metacritic
March 7th, 2009
“What can I say… “*snip*
Awww you came back!.. Stay longer next time!
Next time I’m sure we will all do a better job of reading in between the lined blocks of lines which are in blocks, but yet lined.
*sigh*
Anywhoos,
If MS wants to charge for DLC then boohoo, just go buy the game on another platform. No one is forcing 360 owners to buy the DLC after all.
March 9th, 2009
The one thing I really disliked about UT3 was there were no perks or leveling system. After a while, I kind of felt like there was no point in playing. I like to feel like I’m working towards something. It was a nice change to have a level playing field though. All players had the same stats and weapons, which made things fair and balanced.
I get annoyed in KZ2 when I get killed by all of these crazy guns, turrets, bots, which I don’t have access to yet. But it does at least give me something to work towards. I can’t wait until I have an unfair advantage over the noobs.