Capcom has announced that their Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition will be released as DLC in the States, as opposed to the full retail treatment being received in Japan.

This is due to a poll on the company’s website, in which 1500 of the poll’s 2400 votes opted for a DLC release.

On their official blog, the company stated: “You will not be asked to purchase a new copy of the game just to get at the new stuff, just make sure to hold on to your RE5 disc and you’ll be ready to roll in Spring 2010 when we make available new Resident Evil adventures (and some other things we haven’t told you about yet) for you.”

The DLC will include a new mission called “Lost in Nightmares” that harkens back to the original RE by placing Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine in a dark mansion, and it will also support Sony’s new motion control wand, also due out next spring.

For those disappointed in the outcome of the poll, just remember that DLC (normally) equates to cheaper products, and saving money is always a good thing.