Microsoft and Epic clash on Gears maps

Gears fans get to enjoy the biggest update yet for Epic's wall-hugging shooter this morning, but according to the company's VP Mark Rein you'll have to get out your Microsoft points for future content, thanks to an internal power struggle with Microsoft.

Apparently Epic has a entire new Gears of War map pack in the oven, says Rein, but because of an overruling by Microsoft you'll be expected to surrender your cash for the four battlegrounds the developer has cooked up.

As Mr. R explains via a forum post this weekend, this wasn't the developers choice: "Epic thinks the way to maximise the return on Gears of War is to give the maps away for free and Microsoft thinks the way to maximise the return on Gears of War is to sell the maps.

"So what we've agreed to do is to put these maps on sale at a reasonable price then make them free a few months later," he says. "[Microsoft] did this with the original Halo 2 map pack and it was a huge success. Lots of people bought the maps and lots of people downloaded them when they became free.

"That's what is going to happen and it seems like a fair compromise for both companies and a win-win for Gears players."

It does seem like a fair compromise but would Epic get away with this on the PC? Let us know below.

via cvg