One of the primary weapons in the console wars arms race has traditionally been the securing of platform-exclusive or timed-exclusive content. Microsoft has been particularly aggressive in this regard during this generation of consoles, with one of the most recent high-profile examples being timed-exclusive downloadable content for Activision's billion-dollar-generating Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Today, Microsoft announced its latest effort to secure platform-exclusive content for a third-party multiplatform title as part of THQ's Gamers Week event in New York. The game in question is Homefront, and the content is timed-exclusivity for all future downloadable content on the Xbox 360. Owners of Microsoft's console will also receive out-and-out exclusive access to the Suburbs multiplayer map.


Cordoning off content, in the great capitalist tradition.
THQ has yet to announce its DLC strategy for Homefront. However, the publisher has given gamers an indication of what they can expect from Homefront's online mode. New copies of Homefront will come packed in with a single-use code to access the game's multiplayer component. Those who pick up the game secondhand--through rental or as a used purchase--must pony up $10 to access the game's full online component.

Due out on March 8, Homefront is a story-driven shooter that is set after a North Korean occupation of the continental United States. The single-player campaign drops players in the role of an American resistance fighter, who is struggling against the Korean People's Army in an attempt to regain control of the ruined nation. The multiplayer is set earlier, letting players engage in military scenarios from the invasion itself.

Manhattan-based Kaos Studios is handling development on the console iterations of the title, while Ontario-located Digital Extremes is in charge of the PC version. For more on the shooter, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.