EA building Origin 'exclusives' [Update: didn't pull Crysis 2 from Steam]

EA plans to have more games exclusive to its own recently-relaunched digital distribution store Origin. It was initially thought that EA pulled Crysis 2 from Steam as part of this plan, but that's since been denied.

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[Update: 11:10] EA has told Giant Bomb that it didn't pull Crysis 2 from Steam. Rather, Crytek's shooter was pushed out by new Steam terms.

"It's unfortunate that Steam has removed Crysis 2 from their service," a company representative said. "This was not an EA decision or the result of any action by EA."

Steam has imposed a set of business terms for developers hoping to sell content on that service – many of which are not imposed by other online game services. Unfortunately, Crytek has an agreement with another download service which violates the new rules from Steam and resulted in its expulsion of Crysis 2 from Steam.

[Original] Following EA's recent launch of Origin, its rebranding of the EA Store digital distribution site, the publisher has made a bit of a bid for power. EA has pulled Crysis 2 from Valve's wildly popular rival store Steam, and revealed plans to have more games exclusive to Origin.

Crysis 2 had been available on Steam since its launch in March but has now vanished. EA's site curiously lists Crytek's shooter as being "only on Origin," but other digital stores including Direct2Drive and Amazon are still selling it. A digital copy from Amazon is $8 cheaper, too.

Spicy Horse's Alice: Madness Returns, which launched in North America yesterday, is listed as being "Only available on Origin until June 17th." This too is still available on other sites. So far, it seems only Steam is being targeted, though it still sells plenty of other EA games.

This is all part of EA's grand plans to for Origin as a bona fide "platform," which company president Frank Gibeau has explained in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz.

"For us it's really about, we're the worldwide leader in packaged goods publishing, we'd like to be the worldwide leader in digital publishing," Gibeau said.

"We are going to continue to be great partners for our retail channel partners as they evolve their business models to account for digital," he explained. "But at the same time you talk about platform exclusives like Halo or Uncharted, EA's going to have some of our own platform exclusives."

"We think that EA has unique strengths there related to what we can do with our content, because we're a content creator as well as a retailer in this business. But in general it's not just a retail site, it's a community, it's a platform, it has traits much like you see with Steam or PSN or Xbox Live, but it's unique to EA."

Comparing the entire online aspect of consoles to a digital distributor which only sells PC published by one single company might seem baffling, but evidently EA's thinking big. Origin already has rudimentary social features, though nowhere near those offered by Steam, and EA plans to expand them. It's not entirely hostile toward other digital distributors, though.

"I think long-term you'll see we believe in reach so we will have other digital retailers for out products because we want to reach as many audiences as possible," Gibeau said. "But at the same time if we can use exclusive content or other ideas to help grow our audience then we're going to do that because we're growing a platform."

Origin will also be the only digital store selling BioWare's MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, EA revealed when it relaunched the site, which Gibeau explains as because "we're trying to build an audience for Origin. And it's also an opportunity for us to better manage the downloads and how we bring people over from the beta and that sort of thing.

One wonders how all this might affect EA's relationship with Valve, who's used EA to distribute retail versions of its games for several years now.

From The Chatty
  • reply
    June 15, 2011 9:45 AM

    Alice O'Connor posted a new article, EA pulls Crysis 2 from Steam, building Origin 'exclusives'.

    EA plans to have more games exclusive to its own recently-relaunched digital distribution store Origin, and has made the unusual move of pulling Crysis 2 from competitor Steam.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 9:47 AM

      Does that mean Steam users won't get patches for Crysis 2 now?

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 9:57 AM

        oh man, that would be a super dick move if they did that

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:01 AM

          They already do a crappy job of supporting their other games, NFS Shift 2 patch was released April 18, didn't hit Steam until May 5.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 10:13 AM

            I think they only support their games with patches for a couple months and then move on. I'm sure it's their business model to produce a brief experience so that they can make you buy the next iteration at full price a year later.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 12:31 PM

        It's not like they ever fixed that bug at the end of Crysis 1 that could wind up with an unfinishable game, so what makes you think there will be any patches for Crysis 2?

        But the DX11 update they are working on had better be made available for those steam users.. (as well as any patches that may come out)

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 9:50 AM

      I am going to be very upset when they announce ME3 is an origin-exclusive

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 9:52 AM

        Feck, that will be when I look for a boxed copy

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 9:57 AM

          [deleted]

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 9:57 AM

          The box will be empty except for an Origin key.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:01 AM

          Don't buy the game. If enough people say no to this bullshit, EA will realize what they are doing is hurting their business and alienating their customers.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 10:10 AM

            ^^^^
            THIS

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 10:51 AM

            I think it's more likely they'll pull a RockStar and just skip PC.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 11:19 AM

            Yes please screw Bioware over to get back at EA...

            Sorry but that's asinine. Developers don't always have a good option for picking publishers/distributors.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 2:52 PM

            they will probably just blame piracy...

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:03 AM

        Of course it will be. Same with Star Wars, and BF3. Basically every EA AAA title will be Origin only.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:05 AM

        Since Steam doesn't sell keys to 3rd party platforms, I would say that ME3 will be 100% on Origin and not on Steam.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 9:56 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 9:59 AM

      Man EA is dumb. No reason to not stick with Steamworks. Already has ties built into the PS3 so they would already have 1 console to tie to. Now they will have an uphill battle against 3 consoles and Steam. Just dumb.

    • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      June 15, 2011 9:59 AM

      Fuck that.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:00 AM

      HEY PEOPLE

      This is your chance to show EA that what they're doing by excluding where their games are sold from is a mistake. If you choose NOT to buy ANY of their products, they will eventually cave in and not make their titles exclusive to Origin. The more we stand up to this, the sooner they will release that they are making a mistake.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:01 AM

      I bought Crysis 2 at launch on Steam and it vanished from my games list...

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:02 AM

        shit really?

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:05 AM

        Still on my list. The game works normally but you just can't buy it from Steam anymore.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:19 AM

          surely they can't take it off your list even if you don't have it installed without offering a full refund or at least offering it to you for free on origin? i'd expect activision to be that dickish but i thought EA had slightly more class.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 10:25 AM

            It could be a Steam glitch that strawfake experienced, or he is trolling.

            • reply
              June 15, 2011 10:26 AM

              I don't have it installed and it's on my games list.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:12 AM

      LET'S B O Y C O T T THIS SHIT

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:38 AM

        Yep, that's exactly what I'm going to do. Voting with your valet is actually the only way to do something about this crap.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:41 AM

          Valet:
          Noun: A man's personal male attendant, responsible for his clothes and appearance.

          Pennyworth, be a good man and go vote against EA for me.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 10:50 AM

            Yeah, apparently I have no idea how to spell wallet. Oh well :(

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 11:18 AM

            Hahaha

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 6:17 PM

        Yeah...that shit worked wonders for L4D2 and MW2

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:14 AM

      that's a shame, I was planning on buying Crysis 2 eventually :( oh well!

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:16 AM

        Yeah, me too. Now I have no interest.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:19 AM

        What's putting you off? Interested in why people don't want to use the system, if it's because it's EA in general, they don't want to use anything other than Steam (Like myself.) or another reason.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:31 AM

          I generally don't want to use other digital distribution services just for convenience, but also EA has a terrible track record with their digital distribution offerings in the past, and I sincerely doubt there won't be issues with their current one.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:40 AM

          I don't really want another account specifically for EA games. I am perfectly fine with Origin existing and I get why they are doing what they are doing, but I would just prefer to buy all my shit on Steam. That's where all my games already are. I have bought literally three non-Steam PC games in the last five years, one of them was a gift, the other was purchasing a second copy of a game I already owned on Steam (wanted to support the dev) and the other was Minecraft.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:41 AM

          The issue is not that Origin exists, the issue is that they are making their titles exclusive to Origin and are not going to be selling them on Steam. I do not want to have to manage several clients for my games. Steam does an excellent job for me and I do not want or need another client, especially when it is only for 1 publisher.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:45 AM

          I have no problems with EA as a developer/publisher, it's this useless system Origin. When I dig up an old game I don't want to say "Hmm, did I buy this game from Origin or Steam?"

          Also they have their own friends list and social system which I already have enough of with gtalk, aim, steam, etc.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:48 AM

          Pretty much all of those reasons actually !

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:58 AM

          Origin is a piece of shit.

        • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          June 15, 2011 11:04 AM

          1. I like Steam and almost my entire PC game collection since it launched is on Steam. I don't want to change services.

          2. I don't trust EA in the slightest, especially after a stunt like this, and trust is very important when it comes to spending money on digital ownership.

          3. I think they'll cave eventually and when they do I'll buy it on Steam.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:29 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:53 AM

        Yes me too, no loss.

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 3:17 AM

        [deleted]

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:19 AM

      Publishers really don't "get it" do they. EA was doing so good compared to the EA of old. I guess they didn't want Kotick getting all the negative attention. Naming their download service after one of the companies they bought and destroyed was definitely on purpose. I can't wait to see how they rape the Bullfrog and Westwood names.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:19 AM

      I will buy BF3 from Steam or not at all.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:21 AM

      Well there goes BF3 and TOR. Either give it to me on Steam or you can keep it; really stupid move EA, but then you been making several of them for years now.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:27 AM

        Well, Origin is required for Alice]r to be installed. So it is possible BF3 could require the same. That would be the deal of BF3.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:22 AM

      This is carte blanche for EA to start killing off PC multiplayer functionality every February, just like they do for console sports titles. We'll see how long Battlefield 3 PC and the next Medal of Honor iteration last. My guess: 2 years.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:28 AM

      I think, that long-term I'm not going to buy the PC version of Crysis2 until there's a dx11 patch and the graphics don't look like a dx9 port. I also think that I don't need a second game client like steam using up memory when all it offers are games from one publisher. I think that EA needs to rethink what they thought PC gamers want. Or is origin going to have Vent support built into the client?

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:29 AM

      A sensible thread I started on EA's forums. Please contribute to it: http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/0/6987657.page#15274017

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:30 AM

        ^^^^^^^^^^

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:55 AM

        look at that forum root - spam and mostly complaints.

        the spam is amusing though. look at how poor ea's service already is.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:58 AM

        I contributed.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:31 AM

      sigh. EA. what in the fuck? i am sincerely happy that the only franchise I care about from EA is dead space, and I will be more than happy to avoid dead space 3 if they feel the need to keep on with this garbage.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:32 AM

      Do you:
      a) Buy the "limited edition" physical disc to get Karkland for "free"
      b) Pre-Order via Origin to get Karkland AND weapon/addons for "free"
      c) Boycott because you cannot get this via Steam

      I'm on the C train, honestly. As much as I like to have all the weapons/addons, I cannot support B. At this point, I'm a lot closer to A and I really don't want to own a physical copy.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:39 AM

        C. I'm waiting for EA to cave and put BF3 on Steam.

        I've got enough games in my Steam library to keep me busy until they come to their senses.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:32 AM

      Thread HI-JACK

      What are your EA Origin names?

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:33 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:40 AM

        Many consumers with Steam that have bought EA games off it in the past will likely care, if only due to the hassle of managing a separate service with different policies.

        Given that EA wants those customers, the concept of a boycott isn't completely stupid, but it's probably difficult to arrange with any amount of success.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:41 AM

        so based on EA's previous failed attempts Origin is here to stay? LOL.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:42 AM

        yeah I don't need to play any of those games

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:46 AM

        No your stupid.... how do you like them apples!

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:47 AM

        It wasn't really EA's retarded belief that a digital sale meant one single download, they partnered with Digital River (as did a few other companies, like Telltale) to handle digital distribution who had the "download insurance" crap, who they then subsequently dropped at the first available opportunity.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 11:32 AM

          [deleted]

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 11:42 AM

            I'm not saying they're blameless, they got duped just like a lot of other companies.

            • reply
              June 15, 2011 3:55 PM

              They take full blame. It is their responsibility to make sure their sub contractors are doing right by their paying customers.

              • reply
                June 15, 2011 5:53 PM

                Absolutely. They made a mistake and moved to rectify it as soon as they could, much like everyone else caught up in that situation. It's done irreparable damage to them and it's doubtful they'll ever recover from it.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:48 AM

        I'll really miss Steam for BF3. Not having an online FPS linked into the number one online PC gaming network is beyond retarded.

        The main thing I hate about the EA store is that it'll encourage copycat stores from other publishers. I don't want EA, Ubisoft, Activision and god knows who else all having their own store apps running. I just want to run Steam!

        The crazy thing is, I was waiting until a decent Steam sale to buy Crysis 2. I know they had it once already but I was planning on seeing how deep they discounted it for Xmas. If I don't have a Steam sale to remind me I'll probably just forget about it.

        I mean, how stupid is it to take your product away from the place where people spend money? This is just so arrogant.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:49 AM

        Hahahaha are you kidding? There are so many OTHER good games to play in 2012 I could go years without buying an EA game. Boycotting a single publisher is stupidly easy. Diablo 3 alone will make it viable to ignore months of game releases.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:50 AM

          Yeah, looking forward to picking up Diablo 3 on Steam and not some other proprietary digital storefront...

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 10:51 AM

            Not the point, Haxim, but nice try.

            • reply
              June 15, 2011 10:57 AM

              What is your point then? You say it'll be easy to boycott EA (ostensibly because they won't put their games on your preferred service) because of all the other good games coming out, and then the example you give is one that will in all likelihood not be on your preferred service.

              • reply
                June 15, 2011 11:00 AM

                You can buy Diablo 3 without it forcing you to install a seperate client.

                • reply
                  June 15, 2011 1:22 PM

                  Not if Starcraft 2 is any indication. Battle.net will probably be deeply embedded in Diablo 3 like it was in SC2.

                  • reply
                    June 15, 2011 11:49 PM

                    Again, you don't have to install a separate client to play SC2.

              • reply
                June 15, 2011 11:03 AM

                The point is that gamers can ignore an entire publisher's catalog. The point isn't about distribution services at all, which is your oversight. You might as well replace Diablo 3 with The Witcher 2 or Torchlight 2.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:52 AM

        Oh, also, it's not really a boycott if people just aren't running the app because they forget it exists. They'll have to spend so much money advertising and developing this storefront of theirs that it hardly seems worth the effort.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:54 AM

        Sorry, I don't care deeply and I am still not buying off of Origin.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:57 AM

        Sadly I agree with this. As much we would like to stand on a soapbox and vent, the game is changing. Larger companies want a direct and exclusive piece of the digital download pie even though it sucks for organization and personal preference.

        On a side note, I tried Origin last night and expected my copy of BF2142 to be missing. I purchased it from EA Downloader years ago. Surprisingly enough it was available... but under an old and defunct email address. Too bad I couldn't find a way to change an address in the program. :P

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:59 AM

        Boycott are essentially "voting with your money", what else do you think EA as a publisher cares about? Forum feedback? One sale to/fro isn't going to register, no, of course not. Especially as they push so much with much wider appeal than the typical "core" gamer. But still, why would you voluntarily hand over money to a company you loathe? For products that are non-essential, and just a part of a much larger market, of which there are plenty of products to pick from for every niche without ever coming near one from one publisher or the other

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 3:53 PM

        I have so many games to play in my back catalog I don't really care if I get BF3 or ME3

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:34 AM

      EA are greedy money hungry assholes.. can't even play the first Alice with the disc for madness returns..

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:41 AM

      No MASS EFFECT 3 on Steam?!

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:45 AM

        Mass Effect 3 to require Origin login and activation.
        Possibly not. BioWare does have some influence with EA.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:46 AM

          If it's the publisher signing the checks, that influence shrinks with each passing day.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 10:47 AM

          yeah Bioware clearly has a lot of influence w/ Republic already being Origin exclusive and the horrific way DA2 pre-orders and cross-promotions were handled

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 2:53 PM

            this is a bit different. The Old Republic is an MMO. You will need to have an ongoing purchasing relationship with EA anyways due to monthly server charges. I don't see that as a problem.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 3:59 PM

          I'll bet anyone who doesn't have inside information that ME3 will at least launch exclusively for PC on Origin and not Steam. Easy money. Just let me know.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:46 AM

        If enough people realize this is bullshit to have to use their client for only their games and stop buying their products, then we'll get Mass Effect 3 on steam.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:44 AM

      Absolute bastards

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 10:48 AM

        Oh and the want £40 for battlefield 3, that's retail 360 price over here. What a rip off, NO way,

        You can get all PC games online (with physical media, manuals, boxes and distribution overheads) for £25!!!

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:45 AM

      Sigh. I get the financial reasons they're doing this. But, history has so many examples of where increasing your distribution results in more sales than limiting it to increase profit margins.

      The odd thing is that these kinds of wars are usually won by submission of the masses. Yet, for the games we can guess that will get this same exact treatment, the Shack-crowd is a larger percentage of the buyers and they just gave us all the finger. . . "Yes, I know the finger, Goose."

      This will likely fail. Just a question of how badly.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:49 AM

      I had no interest in Crysis...but i was planning on getting SW: TOR. Now i wont be.
      Didnt like the idea of Origin to begin with, and them doing this just confirms my doubts.

      EA games have always been the most frustrating when it came to activation/DRM protection and just overall hassle. No way i am signing up for their digital distribution store.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 10:52 AM

      Here is my big gripe with all of this.

      EA's digital distribution service only allows you a very small window to download the installer. After this window is gone, it will cost you another 5 dollars.

      I am not sure how small the window is but with steam, I can download and uninstall the game as much as I want. I don't have to worry about the installer as it is readily available from steam.

      If uninstall a game and lose the installer or if my hard drive dies, why punish myself?

      The only good thing I can see coming from this is a lot a sales on Origin since no one is going to buy into their BS.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:03 AM

        That was 2 stores ago, and many sites did that because they used DigitalRiver. Nvidia and TellTale to name two.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:01 AM

      I guess we'll see if competition is a good thing or not. this sounds like amazon following up after itunes became dominant in the music sector. steam is dominant in games, EA clearly wants control... but can they follow through like amazon did?

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:01 AM

      Is it too much to hope for for Crytek to get another publisher?

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:06 AM

        No, they did EA partners, they can change whenever.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:02 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:02 AM

      I wonder if this was part of the reason when they pulled The Godfather games off of Steam a while back.

      Either way, I don't buy full price games, so Origin better have some good deals or GTFO.

      Just because you have exclusivity/monopoly doesn't mean I'm just going to hand over my money.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:06 AM

        I like how they say why without actually saying why.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 11:14 AM

          yup... I wonder if these games will reappear on Steam if things get sorted out?

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:10 AM

      And nothing of value was lost.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:11 AM

        can you elaborate on this super deep thought? millions of dollars of product will be shifting around, so I'd like to understand your value assessment

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 11:12 AM

          [deleted]

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 11:16 AM

          I haven't played an EA game that I cared about for a long, long time.

          It wouldn't matter to me if Crysis 2 disappeared from the face of the earth completely, let alone Steam.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 11:17 AM

            PS: EA will lose more from this than Valve, from a business point of view.

            • reply
              June 15, 2011 11:19 AM

              PSS: As in, good luck trying to sell a game online without it being on Steam.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:20 AM

      Apparently, the timing on Crysis 2 vanishing was just a hilarious coincidence. EA says it was new Steam business terms that got Crysis 2 bumped off Steam, due to an existing arrangement with someone else.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:25 AM

        I'm confused as to why it apparently says "Exclusive to Origin" or something on the Origin site for Crysis 2 then

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 11:42 AM

          ^^^this right here. Why market it as an origin-exclusive if they actually intended to leave it up at other online stores. I'm betting they willfully broke contract with Steam to get Steam to remove them, and they are now trying to air it as Steam's fault.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 12:14 PM

          It says limited edition. I noticed others have regular.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:28 AM

        new steam business terms on the heels of a new major competitor announcement? shocking coincidence

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:29 AM

        ... with someone else Origin Service.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:32 AM

        Alice can you get someone from Valve to comment?

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 12:57 PM

        Alice, you can't change the article to "EA didn't pull Crysis from Steam" based on some pussyfooted PR release that doesn't detail anything at all and the fact that other EA Crytek titles are still available on Steam. :(

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 1:25 PM

          Other Crytek games don't offer DLC inside the games.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 1:30 PM

            But saying that EA isn't at fault for removing the game is stretching it. It's obvious they have made Crytek sign some agreement allowing all content for Crysis 2 to be sold through Origin, knowing good and well Steam wouldn't allow that to be possible.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:28 AM

      A dick move, but I understand their thought process. Steam only really took off because it had a killer game like Half Life 2 that required it. I imagine EA are wanting something similar to kick start their new service. The two mistakes they've made however are that A) While Crysis 2 is a good game, it's not Half Life 2, and B) They should have waited and used a new game like Battlefield or Mass Effect 3 as their exclusive. Taking something away from someone always makes you look like a dick.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:33 AM

      UPDATE: Electronic Arts has responded to my questions regarding its current relationship with Steam, claiming Crysis 2 was not removed from Steam because EA asked. Instead, EA claims Steam "imposed a set of business terms" that resulted in an existing agreement Crytek had regarding Crysis 2 that "violates the new rules," resulting in the "expulsion" of Crysis 2.

      Stolen from: http://www.giantbomb.com/news/crysis-2-and-others-disappear-from-steam-eas-relationship-with-steam-unknown-updated/3382/

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:39 AM

        Scroll up..

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:41 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:42 AM

        ORLY??????

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:43 AM

        EA is going balls out with the origin launch. any hiccups will now be blamed on valve and steam. incredible.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 12:23 PM

          I'm not a fan of EA, but I wouldn't put it past Valve to act all shitty.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 12:26 PM

            There's a huge mountain of evidence to the contrary regarding DD and the platform.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:43 AM

        Weirdly enough, Alice is not available for sale from Steam.

        Also, it's weird that a new set of rules changed a previous agreement, but we'll see.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:56 AM

        EA proves once again how retarded they think their customers are.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:58 AM

        Their management must be pretty far up their own ass if they honestly think anyone who knows EA and Steam's individual histories are going to buy that bullshit. Steam goes out of their way to put video games on their platforms, EA tells you you need to buy it again just to download it.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 12:01 PM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 12:13 PM

          Did the other ones actually go away, or are they just not there? I can't say I paid any attention to Alice and BF3 is too far away, so I have no idea.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 12:18 PM

          What about DICE and the companies that actually make the game. Should we say fuck them because EA is retarded.

          • reply
            June 15, 2011 12:45 PM

            Yes. They chose to enter into an agreement with this publisher.

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              June 15, 2011 12:47 PM

              That's not actually honest, DICE doesn't have a choice because they were outright purchased. However lamentable it is that DICE is caught up in this, it'll be worth it to torch EA in the end.

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        June 15, 2011 12:16 PM

        I'll bet the business terms are worded so if the title appears on a competitive download application then it's no longer allowed to be on Steam.

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          June 15, 2011 12:19 PM

          That's unlikely, it would throw a lot of other games off Steam.

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            June 15, 2011 12:24 PM

            The wording said the agreement was with Crytek.

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              June 15, 2011 12:26 PM

              To be fair, Crytek isn't exactly composed of the smartest businessmen, either.

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          June 15, 2011 12:23 PM

          Probably worded so that you can't require or mention a competitive service, which would take care of Alice since it reportedly requires Origin? not sure how that fits in with Crysis 2 though.

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            June 15, 2011 12:25 PM

            I don't think so, otherwise GFWL games like GTA4 would be exempt.

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              June 15, 2011 12:30 PM

              Good point, hadn't considered that. I wonder what it is then.

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              June 15, 2011 12:32 PM

              GFWL isn't competitive, though.

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                June 15, 2011 12:34 PM

                It is a direct competitor to Steam.

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                  June 15, 2011 12:38 PM

                  In theory, sure.

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                    June 15, 2011 12:44 PM

                    In actuality, sure. It is a storefront that sells PC games digitally. That's what we call a competitor.

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                      June 15, 2011 12:58 PM

                      WOOSH!

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                      June 15, 2011 1:27 PM

                      On top of that, they still sell their own boxed games for consoles and such.

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                      June 15, 2011 1:37 PM

                      I can recall having to sign into GFWL with GTA4, though. So how can that be "direct" competition?

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                        June 15, 2011 1:39 PM

                        Just because it isn't exclusive doesn't mean they don't compete.

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                        June 15, 2011 1:40 PM

                        They both sell digital games on the PC platform.
                        They're competitors. They happen to also work together. Like how you can purchase the Orange Box off Origin.

                        The login thing makes that overtly obvious. They both require online logins. D2D is a competitor to steam and GFW, but does not require a login.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 3:17 PM

          Actually, I would bet that its related to pre-orders and EA not allowing things to show up on steam till after all their preorder business is done. Didn't they not allow Crysis 2 pre-orders till their pre-order promotions were done, thus screwing over anyone who wanted to get it on steam? Or was this a different game?

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            June 15, 2011 3:22 PM

            They did that with DA2, and the newer NFS game. At least those are the most recent examples I can think of. You can also pre-order ME3 on Origin, but nowhere else at the moment.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 12:33 PM

        This really makes no sense at all.

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          June 15, 2011 12:54 PM

          Yeah it sounds like a vigorous bit of semantic tap-dancing.

          I wonder if that "other download service" is Origin.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 2:10 PM

          It does. It's a misdirection tactic aiming at passing the blame to the competitor.

      • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
        reply
        June 15, 2011 12:48 PM

        So these magical terms do not apply to all the other EA games that Steam has? Give me a break.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 3:01 PM

        The terms were "dont be cunts". Unfortunately EA are unable to meet these terms and were forced to remove their titles from Steam.

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        June 15, 2011 4:55 PM

        "Unfortunately, Crytek has an agreement with another download service which violates the new rules from Steam"

        Ya that other download service is called Origin. And the agreement was that Crysis 2 would be "Only on Origin".

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        June 15, 2011 11:03 PM

        It's interesting that this happened around the same time that the DLC was made available through non-Steam purchase only. My guess is that Steam wanted to sell the DLC too and EA said no.

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      June 15, 2011 11:36 AM

      This sucks. Just last night I was trying to find BF 2142 on steam and couldn't. Google showed this origin shit had it so I decided to wait for it to come out on Steam :(. So much for that idea.

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        June 15, 2011 11:43 AM

        It has never been on Steam. I can't think of anybody who owns it that got it on any other download service besides EA Downloader.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 5:05 PM

          The devs stated once this last patch was done it would be in steam finally, looks like that plan changed.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:45 AM

      I wonder if you'll still be able to get patches for the steam version of C2. Or even if you'll be able to patch it.

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      June 15, 2011 12:37 PM

      Its really a loss in EAs side, because they are going to loose a lot of sales of Alices Madness Returns, that they would have gotten if it was on steam too.
      And im one of those sales they are loosing, because i refuse to use origin and i don't really like the idea of having to have the dvd on the drive while playing, it looks archaic to me.

      Its a shame because Alices Madness Returns looks like a game really worth buying.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 12:47 PM

      Oh no! not Crysis 2!

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 1:30 PM

      I'm going with Steam because they have a better coma insurance plan. Origin only covers the first 2 years.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 1:35 PM

      EA is like the Dreamworks to Steam's Pixar. I think I'll stick with Steam, and if I need be, simply buy my games on disc if it comes to that.

    • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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      June 15, 2011 2:34 PM

      I would love to hear Steam's reaction to this. With one sentence they could put this to rest and say, "lol EA just wanted it off for some reason."

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 2:36 PM

        I hope the response is epic. EA seems like nothing but sleeze lately (with the VERY notable exception of Mirror's Edge 2).

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          June 15, 2011 2:41 PM

          I wouldn't go that far. If anything it means that DICE cleaned up what they had for Mirror's Edge 2 since EA mentioned that they had all buy pulled the switch on it a few months back.

          I just wish that DICE could get out of bed with EA.

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      June 15, 2011 2:40 PM

      OH NOES! Anyone else here realize that Steam was brought into the world by VALVE and that none of the Half Life series or other Valve IP is available on any other digital download service?

      Oh, I thought not. EA is playing by the same rules as Valve.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 2:42 PM

        the difference being that Valve never previously sold their stuff on somebody else's digital distribution service

      • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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        June 15, 2011 2:42 PM

        Oh noes! I think it's a dick move where you can buy their crap games in other places except Steam. They are purposefully targeting them and it seems childish. : /

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 2:44 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 2:47 PM

        Valve offers Steam games on Origin, EA should offer Origin games on Steam.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 2:59 PM

          Not digital copies. Only the same disks you'd buy at Best Buy.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 2:54 PM

        try checking your facts first, hotshot: http://store.origin.com/store/ea/en_US/pd/productID.81565900/sac.true

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 3:15 PM

        EA and Valve are not the same company and it's naive to blindly assume that everything Valve has done with Steam is exactly what EA will do with Origin.

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        June 15, 2011 3:18 PM

        Does Valve release multiple AAA titles ranging across many genres each and every year? Oh, I thought not.

        People who bring up Valve and Blizzard, while similar, and go 'nyah' do not see the larger implications of what it seems EA intends to do.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 3:23 PM

        EA is a publisher that releases many, many games every year. Valve is a developer (primarily) that releases one game a year if the stars are right. It is not the same.

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        June 15, 2011 3:56 PM

        Valve is for all intents and purposes a digital distribution company that just occasionally releases a game or two. However, it's true that a lot of friction would be eliminated with EA and others if the Valve's game creation operations and Steam operations were split into separate corporate entities.

        That said, the market circumstances when Steam was created were very different from now with Origin's creation. It's not a very fair comparison.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 4:19 PM

        Who cares? This is about people hating EA and wanting to have as little to do with them as possible.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 5:29 PM

        [deleted]

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 2:43 PM

      XAV OR ALICE OR SOMEBODY, can you guys please try to get a comment from Valve's side? This is going to become a consumer nightmare if this stays and becomes common practice in the future.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 2:57 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 3:45 PM

        Patrick Klepek at Giant Bomb said that he asked Valve for comment.

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        June 15, 2011 6:11 PM

        Valve has not issued any word on this. I've sent them two emails now and nothing has been replied to, including one that was a forward of EA's response.

        If Valve wants to respond, they will but it will be on their own terms if anything.

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        June 15, 2011 11:06 PM

        They'd be dumb to reply. If they are seen attacking EA, then the major publishers will be less friendly to Valve. The interwebs are already on their side, there's no need for Valve to defend themselves.

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      June 15, 2011 3:06 PM

      :( i really want BF3 on Steam. this is like a "Bite the Hand that Feeds" move.

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      June 15, 2011 4:31 PM

      Probably one of the best one-liner summaries of why this is bad:

      "Ladies and gentlemen, the PC equivalent of the console wars is about to begin, and anyone can play!"
      -- Jim Sterling, http://www.destructoid.com/electronic-arts-planning-platform-exclusives-on-origin-203825.phtml

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 4:34 PM

        Yeah, just when PC was getting good :( I really hope this fizzles right the fuck out soon.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 4:38 PM

        Exactly. Fuck. That. Noise.

        Apparently it just became cool to develop a DD solution for the PC.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 5:02 PM

      You know, Origin may have had half a chance of winning hearts and minds if they hadn't pulled this "Only on Origin" bullshit. Now it's war.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 5:54 PM

        [deleted]

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        June 15, 2011 6:01 PM

        I don't know, if they didn't have anything exclusive people would just laugh at it like they did the relaunch of the Games for Windows Marketplace and never bother with it. There really is no way to "win people's hearts and minds" this late into the game with people so entrenched in Steam.

        • DM7 legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
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          June 15, 2011 6:08 PM

          They could have won people over with sales and selling games cheaper than there competitors. But taking Crysis 2 off and selling it for more money than what it was on Steam is very poor.

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            June 15, 2011 6:24 PM

            It wouldn't matter if it was cheaper, people would just wait for the next steam sale.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 6:10 PM

          Games for Windows Marketplace having exclusives would have just changed the laughter to rage. No positive there.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 6:26 PM

          [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 8:19 PM

        You mean like Steamworks games?

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 5:21 PM

      I have less of a problem with them not offering something on Steam. Really, if that's how you want to play it, fine. Your loss.

      I will have a problem if they abandon Steam and the people who bought it on Steam are left out in the cold, not getting patches or new codes to use Origin.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 6:21 PM

      What a fuckin witch burning this thread is.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 8:31 PM

        Feel free to provide a constructive opinion.

        • reply
          June 15, 2011 8:34 PM

          internet prefers virtual torches and pitchforks

        • reply
          June 16, 2011 12:30 AM

          No I'll just do what everyone else is doing, thanks.

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      June 15, 2011 11:22 PM

      Valve has finally lost it, asking developers to sign terms saying they can't sell with other digital distributors.

      We the gamers have let Steam corner the market and now Valve wants to make a power play with Steam.

      I give Crytek props for putting their awesome game up for sale on every digital distribution channel that will have them. ANd their in-game store is the way DLC should be distributed, Crytek gets to keep the profit for what why make and not give it to Valve.

      Valve can eat a bowl of dicks.

      Don't let Steam get too big folks, Valve already has enough money. Digital distribution houses should not impose terms on publishers and game devs.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:52 PM

        Nice troll.

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:56 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:58 PM

        What the fuck is this shit?

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 12:46 AM

        8. Do you require exclusivity for titles you sell on Steam?
        We think you should get your game in front of as many people as you can, therefore we do not require exclusivity on titles.

        From the Steamworks FAQ. http://steampowered.com/steamworks/FAQ.php

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 12:48 AM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 12:50 AM

        Well aren't you dumb as shit

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 12:50 AM

        EA shill

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        June 16, 2011 12:50 AM

        I don't think this is because of DLC. If it was every GFWL game that has DLC not available on steam and BioWare titles where you have to go through their service for DLC would be pulled as well, yeah?

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        June 16, 2011 1:30 AM

        You are dumb as a fucking rock.

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        June 16, 2011 1:42 AM

        In-game DLC stores are totally fine with me as long as I can buy them with real money, and don't have to go to some other website or outside service to register shit.

        Basically, the way everyone but Bioware handles DLC is fine with me.

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 2:51 AM

        I love idiotic comments as much as the next guy but... oh damn, no I don't.

      • reply
        June 16, 2011 12:25 PM

        All I'm saying is, Crytek is a great company, they did nothing wrong, but Valve delisted their product for some very petty reasons.

        Be careful letting Valve get too much power, they are the whinny bitch of the digital distribution world.

        On the flip side, I'm not too excited about EA trying to get into digital distribution.

        All these parties are doing whatever they can do to prevent the game devs from getting the money they deserve.

        Props to Crytek for trying to sell on their own and keep their money.

    • reply
      June 15, 2011 11:30 PM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        June 15, 2011 11:51 PM

        No. EA is a direct competitor to all the major publishers. As long as Valve remains an independent developer, they do not represent a threat to Activision, EA, Ubisoft, Square, 2K or THQ.

    • reply
      June 16, 2011 2:44 AM

      EA didn't pull Crysis 2, VALVE DID! didnt follow their terms and conditions apparently.

    • reply
      June 16, 2011 3:19 AM

      [deleted]

Hello, Meet Lola