Wow, that was fast. 2K Games just sent out a press release, announcing that the first DLC pack for Borderlands will hit soon. This might be the first time that paid DLC for a title was revealed before release, and depending on the response, it might be the last. The kicker? It's going to cost $9.99, or 800 Microsoft Points.

The pack is called The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned and is detailed in the press release below. It sounds fun and all, and I'm sure if it was announced a few weeks after the game came out it would be a different story, I just don't know why they would reveal it so early. It's just begging for controversy, and not the good kind that sells copies. Developers have made a point to never, ever say that paid DLC was far along in development before a game was on store shelves. They might have hinted at it, or said that content was on the way, but this is the first time, as far as I can remember, that DLC was priced a solid week before the game was on store shelves.

For as excited as I am for the game, I have a feeling this might annoy a few people who are about to drop $60 on a game. The press release and a few more images are below, what do you think about this?

2K Games Announces First Downloadable Content for Borderlands™

The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned to infect players later this year

New York, NY - October 15, 2009 – 2K Games announced today that the first piece of downloadable content for Borderlands™, The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned, is planned for release later this year for all available platforms for $9.99 (800 Microsoft Points). The Zombie Island of Dr. Ned is in development at Gearbox Software and is the first in a series of downloadable expansions that will enhance the Borderlands mayhem in fun and exciting ways.

Tasked with keeping the workers of Jakobs Cove alive, Dr. Ned (who is not related to Dr. Zed from Fyrestone) does his job a little too well, creating zombies and other abominations that now run rampant in this region. Players will have to work alongside Dr. Ned as they embark on a quest to cure the inhabitants of Jakobs Cove in this full-fledged expansion filled with new enemies, new quests and rare loot drops.

Featuring extensive co-op integration that seamlessly blends the single-player and multiplayer experiences, Borderlands allows players to freely join or leave each other’s games at any time for collaborative mayhem or the freedom to choose to play in full single-player mode to experience the world on their own. Borderlands also includes a groundbreaking weapon generation system that offers a near infinite variety of weapons to the player. Borderlands combines these features with addictive non-stop action to form a breakthrough experience that challenges the conventions of modern shooters and RPGs.

Developed by Gearbox Software, Borderlands™ is available at retailers in North America beginning October 20 for the PlayStation® 3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and beginning October 23 internationally.  The Windows PC version will ship to retailers in North America and internationally on October 26 and October 30, respectively. Borderlands is rated M for Mature by the ESRB.