Romino Games recently launched Awesomenauts on PC via Steam, and with it a new character was released. Currently exclusive to the Windows, the monstrosity known as Gnaw has an uncertain fate on other platforms. Shortly after the character’s announcement Joystiq contacted Romino on the possibility of he/she/it coming to consoles. “We’re all for it and ready to do it,” Ronimo’s Jasper Koning told them, “but it’s up to the publisher of the console version, DTP.”

Part of the reason, presumably, that Gnaw’s XBLA future is uncertain is the costly nature of patching console games. With Steam developers can patch games at any time they wish. The integrity/security of the player’s computer is up to the individual as Steam is largely just a distribution service. Console games, patches and DLC must go through a certification process to ensure that the content in no way compromises the console’s security, that nothing ruins savegames, and all of those sorts of nasty issues. It’s a problem that’s double sided. It keeps consoles ‘locked down’ and safe from the above, but in doing so it has to be tested more thoroughly, meaning more money.