Rockstar Games' vice president of product development, Jeronimo Barrera, has stated that the forthcoming The Lost and Damned DownLoadable Content for GTA IV is "more of an ‘episode’ than just ‘DLC."

Speaking in an interview with USA Today, Jeronimo also states that "DLC is a very loose term! Firstly there’s a big difference between the generic concept of ‘DLC’, which is a games industry term used to cover everything from map packs to a few new missions, and the idea of offering a complete, self-contained episode of gameplay that is a companion to -- as opposed to small expansion of -– the original game."

In terms of what Lost & Damned is or isn't he also, refreshingly or confusingly, says, "The language is pretty vague and excessively rich in jargon, but we see that as more of an ‘episode’ than just ‘DLC.’"

Funny, we thought DLC meant DownLoadable Content - e.g. content you can download for a game you currently have. Are we mistaken?

"You don’t need to have finished Niko’s story to enjoy The Lost and Damned. But the more you have played of Niko’s story, the more you’ll appreciate playing in Liberty City as Johnny."

Okay. So, we don't need a copy of GTA IV?

Says Jeronimo, "You will need a copy of GTA IV on Xbox 360 to play The Lost and Damned, and you’ll need to sign up for a Silver membership to Xbox Live, which is free, in order to download it. The episode itself will cost 1600 Microsoft points (roughly $19.99 - £14), which you can purchase online or at your local games store."

Bear in mind, SPOnG readers, that Rockstar and Microsoft have also joined forces to bring a form of 'free' Gold membership for online Lost & Damned play. See more here.