The industry has always utilized available technologies to promote and expand
titles, from 1,000+ person LAN parties to viral marketing campaigns. Continuing
the trend, developer Valve is now on the bleeding edge of a new wave in gaming: episodic content.

Episodic content is still somewhat controverstial, with SiN Episodes on Steam and Bethesda using microtransactions. Short play times due to a lack of content is one of the primary concerns of many, while others note how easy it is to recreate (with mod tools) "pay-to-play" add-ons. Other fans and burgeoning developers have conversely praised the model for breaking from the old business process of forcing a wait between sequels or updates. As Valve has commented on within Episode One, each episode will evolve by introducing the newest
possible changes to the code and gameplay. Episode One easily demonstrates how
Valve intends to do just that as the rest of the industry watches intently.