Controversial Space Marine 2 DLC has been made free: 'It's obvious this DLC has failed to meet your expectations'

Space Marine 2 has achieved a surprising amount of longevity for what you'd have imagined was a one-and-done campaign with tacked-on multiplayer and co-op modes. But I found myself really enjoying the co-op mode, and have been glad to see Saber Interactive stick with it while also working on a sequel, adding more missions, weapons, and classes. It's been less than a month since the free Techmarine class was added.

It was all going great until the Chapter Voice Pack 1 (which was supposed to be the first of many, I assume) was released. As the name suggests, it added a bunch of new voice lines (shouting and grunts, really), alongside some new face options, for $5. That alone was a tough sell but it also had a few issues, like the default voice creeping back in for mission-critical conversations. Unsurprisingly, it's sitting at overwhelmingly negative reviews on Steam.

In response to the fallout, the developers have done a much-needed reversal, saying, "We heard your feedback regarding the Chapter Voice Pack DLC and wanted to address it. It's obvious this DLC has failed to meet your expectations and we are sorry about that. Delivering quality content—free or not—is a priority for us."

So what's the solution? Refunds for those who forked out a fiver for it, and it's now free for all players: "We are currently setting up the refund with platforms owners and will come back soon with more info." Sometimes complaining really does work.

What's not clear is whether Saber will be making more of these types of packs in the future, paid or not. The DLC was listed as 'Pack 1', but after the controversy and now being unable to monetise it, I'd imagine it'll be an uphill battle to get anymore packs across the finish line.