Microsoft Game Studios has responded to criticism from Ars Technica concerning the price of the upcoming Dark Corners DLC for Gears of War 2, which includes new multiplayer maps and a new single-player chapter.

Guy Welch, the Global Product Manager for Xbox Global Marketing, had this to say on the issue.

“As you report, the a la carte price for the ‘Dark Corners’ content on Xbox LIVE is 1600 points, which includes seven maps and a new campaign chapter,” he told Ars. “If you weigh each component equally, that’s $2.50 each, which is in-line with the Game Add-On prices you see on Xbox LIVE. We think this is a great standalone value.

“In addition, there’s the ‘All Fronts’ collection which is a limited-time retail product for $20, which is intended for new Gears players or people looking to catch up with what they might have missed earlier this year (Flashback was released in November, Combustible was released in December, Snowblind in March, and Dark Corners arrives in July). It’s a great deal.

“I’m an early adopter, and sometimes I pay more in the end than if I would have if I’d waited for special promotions to come along,” he explains. “It’s the same situation here—MS did not set out to ‘royally annoy’ players, and certainly not to scam them, but to give special incentives to attract new players 8 months or so after the game’s initial release.”

The full story Here