no rest for ‘halo’

no rest for ‘halo’

“Downloadable content” — the current phrase for what PC game developers used to call “expansion packs” — has become an increasingly important part of the video-game landscape. Publishers see DLC as a way to extend the lives of games, drawing players back into older hits like “Grand Theft Auto IV,” “Fallout 3” and “Rock Band.”

No studio has more experience with DLC than Bungie, creator of the “Halo” franchise on Microsoft’s Xbox 360. The latest addition, out this month, is the Mythic Map Pack, which turns three of the settings from “Halo 3” into multiplayer arenas.

Bungie community manager Brian Jarrard calls DLC “a great bridge between products” — in this case, between 2007’s “Halo 3” and this fall’s “Halo 3: ODST.” “We have a real desire to keep players engaged,” Jarrard says. “If they’re still playing ‘Halo 3,’ they’re more likely to buy ‘ODST.”’

There’s a benefit on the production end, too. Once a full-fledged “Halo” game ships, the job isn’t over. “There’s no time when there isn’t something to work on,” Jarrard says. “It keeps the team frosty.”