Steam not listed among Battlefield 3 digital retailers

EA's list of digital retailers for Battlefield 3 omitted Steam over the weekend, raising questions of whether the anticipated shooter will appear on Valve's service.

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A round-up of digital retailers for Battlefield 3 (via Joystiq) curiously left Steam off of the guest list before being unceremoniously pulled from EA's Web site. This has caused a fresh controversy regarding whether the anticipated shooter will be available on Steam, but no announcement has been made.

EA's Origin exclusives have already caused some consternation among fans of Valve's digital sales portal, as Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced as an Origin-exclusive. The company previously stated that Origin would get an exclusive "limited edition" of Battlefield 3, but didn't imply that Steam wouldn't carry the standard version.

For its part, EA has claimed they want to give players choice in where they buy their products. "We want our products available to as many players as possible, which means we make them available in all the places that gamers go to download games and services," said general manager David DeMartini. "To be very clear, except under extremely special circumstances we offer our games to every major download service including Amazon, Gamestop, and Steam." Steam currently does not offer some EA games, notably Crysis 2, due to a conflict over DLC.

This could be a mix-up, of course, so we've inquired with EA. We'll report back with any new information.

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    July 11, 2011 8:45 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Steam not listed among Battlefield 3 digital retailers.

    EA's list of digital retailers for Battlefield 3 omitted Steam over the weekend, raising questions of whether the anticipated shooter will appear on Valve's service.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 8:47 AM

      I'm guessing (hoping) there will be some sort of 11th hour reconciliation between EA and Valve that allows BF3 to show up on Steam, but I applaud Valve for trying to snuff out these ridiculous exclusive DLC agreements which are at the root of the Crysis 2 and Battlefield 3 issues.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 8:49 AM

        I, too, side with GabeN on this issue

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:02 AM

        do elaberate?

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 9:05 AM

          Valve pulled Crysis 2 due to an exclusive DLC deal with another digital distrubutor

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 9:08 AM

            I also saw some speculation that the agreement which forced Crysis 2 off was developed in response to issues stemming from certain EA games' DLC not working with Steam copies.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:16 AM

              Like BF:BC2? I bought it not in steam, and i couldn't buy cheapy cheap vietnam from the steam sale :(. Shitty, its the same fuckin game! What gives EA!

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 12:08 PM

                I didn't have issues buying and using vietnam from the sale.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 9:27 AM

            I do find it ironic though. Valve have long battled with Microsoft that DLC should be free. This time valve didn't get at the revenue stream other distributors were getting. Looks like EA served Gabe up some humble pie, lol. I wholly agree with valve about DLC. But, before they were arguing as a content developer with Microsoft as the cost requiring distributor... Now EA is the developer and valve the distributor...

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:29 AM

              It's about Valve wanting their customers to be able to get all the possible content for the games they bought on steam, not because they didn't get any revenue from it.

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 9:41 AM

                ^^ yes

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 9:47 AM

                hero post.

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 9:52 AM

                Especially since we're just finishing up another historic Steam summer sale!

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 10:01 AM

                Interesting post in the Crysis 2 thread: http://www.shacknews.com/article/69194/ea-crysis-2-pulled-from?id=26272499#itemanchor_26272499

                So using in-game storefronts to deliver content (which presumably would work no matter where you bought it from) was possibly what violated the new terms? If that's the case (not sure if it is or isn't, citations needed, etc) Then it seems more about revenue than allowing people to get content.

                • reply
                  July 11, 2011 10:05 AM

                  An in-game storefront doesn't guarantee content compliance. Also, I would doubt very much that it is a matter of revenue, at least on Valve's side. In fact, it seems ludicrous when you think about all the ways Valve exempts itself from monitizing content.

                  • reply
                    July 11, 2011 10:15 AM

                    I would think one of the major reasons for an in-game storefront would be to guarantee content compliance?
                    I don't think the revenue angle is "ludicrous" especially when the new terms help Valve close loopholes like someone selling a game on there for $5, but you have to use their in-game store (thus circumventing Steam's share) to buy the actual $40 campaign or something. I think if every major publisher decided to go this route it wouldn't be an insignificant amount of revenue either.

                    • reply
                      July 11, 2011 10:22 AM

                      Except where there are quite a few cases where Steam games don't work with EA-published DLC. Mirror's Edge being one of them. If a storefront popped up and gave me a slick interface to buy content that didn't work, as a consumer, I would be pissed.

                      • reply
                        July 11, 2011 10:30 AM

                        One would think if they were offering it via an in-game store that it would work regardless of the distribution platform. Don't all those cases where DLC doesn't work with the Steam version involve people buying the base game on Steam and the DLC from another site?

                        • reply
                          July 11, 2011 10:40 AM

                          It depends on the implementation.

                          And yes, all of those cases involve base games on Steam. Steam games are different from retail games on a base level because of the Steam integration. If EA is unwilling to release (or have signed agreements that prevent them from doing so) the DLC to be Steam compatible, I don't see why Steam needs to bear the brunt of the unhappy consumers.

                          • reply
                            July 11, 2011 11:05 AM

                            I'm just working from the assumption that if they're offering it via an in-game store it will work with that game, which I don't think is unreasonable. Maybe I'm giving them too much benefit of the doubt, who knows.

                            • reply
                              July 11, 2011 11:07 AM

                              Mann Co. store is the same, but that's managed by Valve so its not a good comparison. Bioware has the Bioware store, but that's external and it usually works great with Steam, so that's not a good comparison either :\

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 10:34 AM

                What content was to be made unavailable? It was my understanding that valve would see no revenue from the online store while the game would also be sold on the publishers competing service... Literally screwing valve from a good deal of revenue. I whole heartedly agree EA was screwing Valve and they should have responded; but, at least call it what it is.

                • reply
                  July 11, 2011 11:01 AM

                  Ultimately there's probably a hiccup between the backend of steam, and the back end of what EA is trying to do with Origin and their internal storefront.

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 2:37 PM

                I thought it was because the DLC was only available on a rival store.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:20 AM

        I am hoping for this as well. If steam doesn't offer it, I will just hold off buying it. The last thing I need is yet another online service to juggle my games. Add to that, I am happy with steam and the way it operates.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 8:49 AM

      Oh well, my future productivity has just went up

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 9:01 AM

      No one use Origin, and it'll die. Simple

      I've not even looked at the webpage and have no intention. If i cant get it where i want (steam) then i'll simply stick with retail for now and download a cd crack! How do you llike them applease EA?!

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:06 AM

        this post is ridiculous

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 9:13 AM

          Didn't you get the memo, competition is bad, cd cracks are good.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 2:07 PM

            You two are misunderstanding completely. Of course competion is good, i love competion.. its how things improve for us as gamers and consumers.

            But it needs to be on a even playing field. Origin with its unfairly gained exclusives is not playing fair and bringing nothing else to the table

            If EA want to fight Steam they should do it with good features or agressive pricing, that is how things improve.

            And that is not Origin.

            And the CD crack thing was clearly just a dig, notice i said id be buying retail.... dont go insinuating im a friggin pirate!!!

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:20 AM

        Oh look, another one of THESE threads...

        FYI, you will be required to login into Origin in order to BF3, just like you are REQUIRED to login into Steam to play any Valve title. Just like you are required to login into EA prior to playing any previous BF game.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 10:56 AM

          All indications right now is that Origin will not be required to be running for playing any games. Have you seen something to the contrary?

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 11:08 AM

            Since BF2 you've been required to login to a "EA" player-database server. Why would they NOT integrate that with Origin? It's speculation, but it makes perfect sense. Friends lists, server browser, and anti-hack / security will likely all be tied together. Have you seen anything from EA that says opposite? How much stuff has changed in BF3 press release material since it was originally announced? EA / DICE is handling this just as badly as Activision / IW and their IW.NET service debacle on the PC.

            Of course this is all speculation, but based on the history of the parties involved, it's a safe bet that we'll be required to install Origin. Our serial numbers will be tied to our account, and we'll be able to press a combination of key strokes to bring up everything that the steam overlay has in BF3: browser, store front, community, friends list, and server browser (where applicable).

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 11:14 AM

              Not BF3 specific, but SWTOR has been confirmed as not requiring Origin at all. Nor do any recent retail releases of EA games require it to be running (Alice for example). It's simply a digital storefront.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 2:11 PM

          I have no problem logging into EA at all, or anything against the company as a whole. its their tactics with Origin specifically i disapprove of

        • reply
          July 15, 2011 6:26 AM

          You will be required to log in to Origin for all new EA games. EA wants their own Battle.net.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:23 AM

        It's not going to die anytime soon.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:52 AM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 2:10 PM

          What poeople not buying their products through a distribution channel?

          Clearly you misunderstand why companies exist......

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 9:04 AM

      Anyone feel that EA is doing this on purpose to hurt PC sales so they can claim that low sales/piracy etc no longer favor supporting the PC market, which is on average only 10-20% of sales for a given title? I'm sure they would be thrilled to only have to develop for 3 fixed platforms (360, PS3, Wii/WiiU) and not have to be bothered with the infinite combination of PC parts/drivers/OSes etc...

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:15 AM

        No. They're trying to capitalize on their own IPs.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 9:23 AM

          I get that that is the stated goal, as well as not paying a cut to Steam, but I'm wondering if by cutting out Steam the loss of sales won't eliminate any gains made from not paying the cut to Steam.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 9:25 AM

            I'm pretty sure we're all going to buy the game off of Amazon / Best Buy / D2D (wish I hadn't missed that sale this weekend), though depending on how well the demo works, I'll probably hold out till the last week before it comes out.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:24 AM

        Not at all. EA's run by a very different type of investor that looks at raw profit. They don't care about how we buy our games, just that the company is making money. So when the call from the higher ups as for the rest of the company to start printing money, stupid middle management looks around for a method to accomplish this. Steam is popular, and other companies think they can replicate its success with ease, so now us, the gamers must prepare for failure.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 9:31 AM

          I'm curious though to know how much additional profit there is in making a title available on PC in addition to console(s). If it's only 5% more dev cost yet yields 10% more profits, I can see how that works out, but it seems to really be on the margin, since the bulk of all games sales is on console these days. And given the vast amount of console exclusives, it seems clear that some devs/pubs either don't think the profit is there, or they don't have the means to port/support something on PC. And obviously I'm not talking about pure exclusives (the Halos and Uncharteds, etc...) but games like Red Dead Redemption or Shadow Complex. Stuff that could fare just as well on PC.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:35 AM

        There's no conspiracy. They don't want to sabotage sales on any platform.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:46 AM

        When steam started they did the exact same thing. Sales of their games had to install steam and then it became popular. Steam when it first game out was complete garbage too.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:56 AM

        That's rediculous. If they didn't want to support the pc platform they would just stop supporting the pc platform. There's no need to jump through hoops to "prove" that they didn't want to support it anymore, they would just say "were not doing this, eot".

        Moreover, it's a terrible business decision to sabotage your own sales of your own product.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 11:04 AM

        No, that would be utterly ridiculous, not to mention financial suicide for a company to pull a stunt like that.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 9:05 AM

      hasn't this already been covered to death? since EA wants to deliver all content themselves and Steam doesn't want that this seems kind of obvious to me

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 9:11 AM

      I want this game. On Steam. If it's not on Steam, I'm not sure what I'll do. Probably buy it boxed, but this kind of stupid shit is making it more difficult for me to buy their product than it should be.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 9:13 AM

        only because you're irrationally avoiding using Origin because you're a steam fanboy

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 9:19 AM

          Hasn't this aleady been covered to death? - Dravenport.

          I want to buy it where i want to buy it. I don't buy shit from best buy because they fucked me over on a computer purchase once. Does that make me an Amazon fanboy?

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 9:24 AM

            what has origin done to you then?

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:25 AM

              and if there was nowhere else to buy what you wanted, would you simply go without so as not to give best buy the business?

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 9:53 AM

                How does that make him a Steam fanboy? Also, he stated that he is probably buying it boxed, so I don't know why are you picking on him.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:49 AM

              For me, nothing, and that's exactly the problem. It doesn't patches games automatically, my friends are all listed on Steam and the client is bloated and horrible. Also, the prices there suck.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:54 AM

              Absolutely nothing, which is the problem. They bring nothing new to the table that me, the consumer, desires to switch from using a product I love, steam.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:58 AM

              The lack of patching is my issue. It doesn't keep the games patched and updated. It's not worth buying a game from them if it won't keep it updated.

              How hard will it be in 5 years to get patches for it vs the theoretical Steam version (or better, GOG version).

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 10:02 AM

                it doesn't?? what the fuck. useless. this is their new forced competition to steam?

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 10:03 AM

                It'll be simple to get patches. They'll all be on FileShack!

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 10:21 AM

                It does patch though. Fuck me. If you have ever used the system you would know that. When I started up Crysis 2 it downloaded and installed the patch for me. Just like GFWL does. It's not Steam's "clickless" version but it's close enough.

                • reply
                  July 11, 2011 10:44 AM

                  That's the Crysis patcher, not Origin. Origin does not support patching games. It's the same thing with The Sims 3 and Spore. They have launchers that will attempt to patch games, but they cannot repair broken game files or do auto-patching like Steam does.

                  See: http://support.ea.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/2232/~/problems-patching-the-sims-3

                  • reply
                    July 11, 2011 10:54 AM

                    My apologies then. I have Dead Space and it patched that too. Thought it was global.
                    Still. I find it hard to believe that BF3 won't patch automatically so it's really still moot.

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 7:02 PM

                Yup, this is why Steam is a must for me unless it's a no longer supported game on GoG.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 10:25 AM

              [deleted]

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 2:49 PM

                ^^ this. Plainly put, I trust Valve a whole hell of a lot more than I trust EA.

                Er, okay let me put it even plainer. I DON'T trust EA.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 9:26 AM

            [deleted]

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:31 AM

              While I won't call anyone out on it, but buying retail is excuse to go out and do something. Plus when I'm out, I usually think of something else to do as well.

              But I do realize that transportation can be an issue, or that there isn't a store close enough to just head out to for some people.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 9:58 AM

              Whoa buddy. Check the unneeded rage at the door. I'm not some fat lonely nerd who buys from steam because i hate social interaction. I like a store. End of fucking story. The whole reason EA is fucking over steam is because steam is trying to STOP the stupid DLC fragmentation issue.

              And not everyone has a best buy down the street. My closest one happens to be 40 minutes away. The closest gamestop is 30. I could hope my local Target has the big budget games, but who the fuck buys boxed PC games at Target. They've got 3 copies of wow and 8 boxes of windows 95 poker.

              And im fucking tanned like a dark skinned god. I get kissed by the sun every day during my morning run. Its like im the fuckin old spice guy up in this bitch. You wish you could taste this ass. :: flex ::

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 10:26 AM

              [deleted]

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 9:43 AM

          Both of those things are true and that's not the point. They want us to buy the game, why not make that as easy as possible? I like having my games in one place under one service so they're as easy as possible to get to - Steam happens to be that service, but it could have been anything. I would very much prefer to not have to deal with a physical copy, either.

          In the end, I'll probably end up with a physical copy if they don't release it on Steam though.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 9:54 AM

            I don't see why EA should bend over backwards to Steam's demands

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 10:25 AM

          I am wearing of Origin considering how EA managed their original digital store (like when they would charge for re-downloading and stuff like that). I already have D2D, Steam, GOG, Battle.net, and Impulse accounts. I don't want another.

        • Zek legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
          reply
          July 11, 2011 2:03 PM

          My avoidance of Origin is perfectly rational - I'm heavily invested in the Steam library and Steam community features. I don't want my game collection to be fragmented across multiple services. If BF3 isn't on Steam at launch, I'll wait until it is. And if it never is, I won't buy it because EA are assholes.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:59 AM

        I want this game because I want this game. Don't really care what platform it's on, I'm pretty sure the gameplay will be exactly the same.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 1:29 PM

        [deleted]

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 1:31 PM

          How so?

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 7:52 PM

            Activation code for Origin. Much like Valve did with Half Life and Left 4 Dead.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 8:13 PM

              Has that been confirmed anywhere yet? If SWTOR is anything to go by, you won't need Origin at all to play the game.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 9:15 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 9:45 AM

      No steam, no sale.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 1:40 PM

        I hope you boycott Valve then. Because its not on steam because of them.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:05 AM

      I was surprised to see id's stuff on there honestly. id is like the cool kid on the block that just does awesome things for everyone's benefit and quietly continue to crank out amazing tech.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:09 AM

      Impulse was the first service to put Amnesia on sale so i used it and I haven't had much of an issue with it, so Impulse it is for me. Or whatever has the best content deal. Sucks ass. But it's BF3. I am playing this bitch no matter how I have to get it.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:19 AM

      I'm getting a 404 when I try to view the list, so either there was an error or they're doing damage control.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:19 AM

      D2D has it http://www.direct2drive.com/2/10557/product/Buy-Battlefield-3-Limited-Edition-Download?hph I can vouch for them I have been loyal for years with them. Plus they are Shack now, Gamefly(us) owns it.

      Sucks its not on Steam, but in this case its just a EA game so really it does not matter what platform its on, the EA loader has built in auto updates so it doesn't matter just like ME2, DA1, DA2 etc.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:24 AM

        Also if you buy it from here you can usual register the key code with Origin (just like Steamworks games on Steam) so you can try downloading it from either. Nice option to be able to down load through either if the servers are running slow.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:47 AM

        It's also about $15 dollars cheaper than anywhere else with the discount codes.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 6:58 PM

        +1 for this.

        D2D is a great service to buy downloadable games through, I've used it a lot.

        The nice thing is, they don't enforce any kind of wrapper service on you. Once you get your files, you install them and you can run the game whenever you want, no signing into Steam or other networks necessary. it's just like buying it from a brick and mortar. And their download servers are wicked fast.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:20 AM

      meh, people will cave.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:39 AM

        I won't.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:46 AM

        I will definitely get the game but I had intended on buying it for PC and 360 and now I'll likely just get the 360 version.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 10:51 AM

          lol, why would you ever cripple yourself like that?

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 10:57 AM

            My PC can't even play BF3, I'd have to upgrade. Add to that the no Steam thing and it makes me that much more hesitant to invest a bunch just for this one game.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 1:36 PM

              it's going to play like shit on the consoles... and by play like shit, I mean that it won't be nearly as fun.

              • reply
                July 11, 2011 2:11 PM

                It'll be like 1943 and BC2 where it's capped at 24 players and graphically inferior. Both games were still incredibly fun though.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:48 AM

        so tired of reading these stupid posts. people won't "cave"

        no one is boycotting the game, but a lot of us aren't going to buy the game on Origin, no matter how much EA wishes it were so. buying the game from Best Buy or Amazon or Direct2Drive isn't "caving". i am not participating in EA's stupid service, but I am certainly going to play the game.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 11:56 AM

          Pretty much this. I am definitely getting the game, but I'm not going to buy this or anything from Origin.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 2:17 PM

            Im assuming BF3 will install origin like Valve made games install Steam. Could be wrong..

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 1:46 PM

          I certainly won't be buying it day 1 if it's not on Steam. I'd probably be willing to wait a month for EA to cave.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 1:59 PM

          [deleted]

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 2:13 PM

            exactly this. People make it out as the DVD will somehow save them.

            • reply
              July 11, 2011 2:27 PM

              I can't imagine they'd make Origin a requirement for BF3 when it's not even needed for SWTOR.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 2:58 PM

          Look at the size of this whole thread and consider how many similar threads have popped-up prior.

          People care about this issue, otherwise there wouldn't have been so much discussion,

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 10:49 AM

        I dunno. EA has a *LOT* riding on this - if it fucks up, EA will have to cave.

        BF3 is going to be a huge launch and the forced Origin client stuff is going to unleash PC support hell. imagine the forums when it goes live... and no steam forum whining will do any good! I wonder if the external forums will get shut down like when treyarch botched blops... people could only go to steam forums for help.

        EA could shit on themselves in epic fashion.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 10:52 AM

          So, it will be like the Half Life 2 launch?

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 7:12 PM

          What forced Origin client stuff?

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 11:12 AM

        I don't think anyone is boycotting. Personally, I think if EA wants Battlefield to be taken seriously as a rival to Call of Duty then they have to release on Steam. They're gonna get crushed otherwise. Call of Duty has been going all-in with Steam since MW2 and it worked out great for them. Not saying EA has to do the same, but making your game available on the biggest digital retailer is just smart business. Say what you will about Activision and some of the choices they've made, but going Steam-in-a-box for Call of Duty was the best decision they've made in recent times.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 12:49 PM

        [deleted]

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 2:30 PM

        I have too much invested in Steam. I like Steam. I like using Steam. They have games from all kinds of publishers, excellent sales, and is considered the shining city on the hill.

        There's no EA game I can imagine needing to play so much that I'd use Origin. Hell, the Steam sale this last week knocked me down to another 8 or 9 games I haven't finished on top of what I had before.

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 2:40 PM

          ...So you add the game to Steam as a non-steam game?

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 5:44 PM

            Nope, not interested. Tried it before with a GFWL game and it never worked right, and was just another layer in the onion to get to my game. So I removed it.

            If it's not on Steam, I don't own it.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 5:19 PM

        I'll buy it full price day 1 on Steam. If it's not on Steam, I'll buy a retail boxed copy at $40 or less. If that doesn't happen immediately, then so be it.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:47 AM

      I prefer Steam because it works well and I pretty much love anything Valve. This won't stop me from getting BF3 though. I already have a games list built up on the old EA Download Manager and those games were just moved over to Origin. It is much nicer to have all you games in one area though.

      • reply
        July 19, 2011 2:36 AM

        BF3 is a better game , thus doesn't need steam

        PC gamers don't like steam , consoletards are using steam so much , but thanks for helping PC platfomr nontheless ;)

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:56 AM

      I canceled my Pre-Order. With Rage coming shortly before, and Skrim shortly after, I don't think i'm going to have time for Battlefield 3.

      • reply
        July 19, 2011 2:38 AM

        time for BF3 ?

        That's a silly statement , stop playing the other game when BF3 comes out and launch the game , there's no such thing as no time for it , are you playing games 24/7 or what ? I bet you're 14y old.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 10:57 AM

      I will buy it somehow then 2 weeks later it will be on steam, and I'll be pissed

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 11:22 AM

      If it's not on steam, I'll just wait until it's $10 on either D2D or amazon.

      • reply
        July 11, 2011 1:26 PM

        You can still add it to steam

        • reply
          July 11, 2011 1:47 PM

          That's not really the point of Steam.

          • reply
            July 11, 2011 1:56 PM

            The point of steam is to have all your games installed FROM steam so all you have to do on a new computer is copy them, or download them again, and have them installed, patched up, your save games, and settings all imported over.

            You don't even need to reinstall Steam games. Origin games (when you swap computers) have to be reinstalled, you cannot copy them. In addition there's a (time-limited) limitation to the number of times you can do that.

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 12:07 PM

      Wait, so how am I going to be able to play BF3?

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 1:21 PM

      Who cares

    • reply
      July 11, 2011 1:39 PM

      None of this is relevant for me, because I'll be buying a boxed copy.

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      July 11, 2011 1:39 PM

      BF fanboys vs. Steam fanboys- Who will win??

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      July 11, 2011 1:41 PM

      Steam is Xbox Live for the PC but better. My game library is there and my friends list and groups are there. I don't want another client/account to manage. BF3 is the only killer app EA has that would make me consider using Origin but not at full price and not even at half price. If there's no Steam version then it's a 1-2 year wait for me. I'll make do with other games like Skyrim on PC and MW3 + Halo on console. EA is about 4 years too late to this party of carving out your own platform in the PC space. Making a play like this now only harms/fragments the platform.

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        July 11, 2011 2:37 PM

        This. Battlefield 3 trailers look amazing but I was on the fence with the other games coming out this year. If it is not on Steam, then it makes it easier to say I'll skip it. I've already got Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Rage pre-ordered. I'll be picking up Gears 3 (probably pre-order as well).

        Given that EA let me buy Dead Space 2 on PC waiting until the day of release to say they wouldn't support the PC version with the DLC that was coming to consoles, any abnormality like this around one of their releases will probably delay, at a minimum, my purchase.

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      July 11, 2011 1:53 PM

      Exclusives are not consumer friendly. Nor is limiting your supply chain.
      Hey EA why not up the retail price of BF3 to $90 (us) while you are at it?

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      July 11, 2011 2:15 PM

      Haint buy'n.

      I don't want 4 different digital distros' installed on my computer all with their own friend lists and other bullshits.

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      July 11, 2011 2:18 PM

      I'm worried EA is just trying to control me. Anything they say could change. They could charge me per download, they could pull the product in favor of marketing something newer (BF:BC3?) they could have an outage because they're idiots with a new system, they could ban me from some forum or online entirely depending on who I offend. I really don't trust them. I feel like they're out to get me, honestly, and that they would rather make a profit and lose a customer than maintain a good business relationship. They have a hundred ways they can fuck me, and every year it seems like someone thinks of more. EA can make any business decision they want but they have presented a horrible image to me and most of my gamer friends.

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      July 11, 2011 3:10 PM

      They just don't get, that no matter how many times they try to change it, we just don't like the 'EA Downloader/EA Download Manager.

      Most people don't like using multiple tools/programs/downloaders to play their games though.

      Origin will likely suffer the same fate.

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      July 11, 2011 6:08 PM

      test

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      July 11, 2011 8:12 PM

      no steam, no buy... simple as that.

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      July 11, 2011 9:35 PM

      Shit. So even if you go and buy it from a box store, you will have to use Origin to play online. No thank you.

      Looks like I will just play more MW3.

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        July 11, 2011 9:52 PM

        Really? Where do you see that you will have to use Origin to play online?

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          July 11, 2011 10:14 PM

          "www.origin.com is your new destination for browsing, buying, downloading and playing your favorite games. You’ll get the best content from EA – on a PC or a mobile device – directly from Origin. At launch, you’ll be able to set up an Origin account and immediately connect with your friends. "

          I guess I should I have made my statement clear that it was a thought based on the origin's own website. I would imagine that all EA game's, including all their famous sports games, would require Origin. It doesn't come out and say it, however, I am wagering it will.

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            July 12, 2011 7:28 AM

            I doubt it will, otherwise they would've pushed it starting with titles released since the "relaunch" like Alice. It's not even required for SWTOR. Here's a quote from Stephen Reid, community manager for SWTOR:

            Q: Will we have to install Origin and run it in order to play the game, get updates, etc. even if we purchase a boxed copy?

            A: No, you won't.

            While Origin will be the exclusive digital retailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic (in other words, if you want to buy it online and download it, you’ll do so through Origin) that does not mean that Origin is required for you to access or play The Old Republic.

            Origin is a digital storefront, and the desktop application is there to give you quick access to Origin exclusives and deals.

            However, you won’t need to launch the Origin application to run The Old Republic, nor will you patch the game via Origin. Once the game is on your hard disk, you’ll be connecting to our servers to patch and launch the game, and Origin does not have to be running to do that.


            I really don't see EA making Origin a true competitor to steam. They know they're too far behind and that it's going to be an impossible sell for people who are already heavily invested in steam. They can however, make their own publisher-branded version of something like D2D.

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      July 12, 2011 12:04 AM

      I will just wait it out.... I guarantee that one thing I've learned in the last 3-4 years, is that ALL games come to steam. EA will likely not succeed in this venture and even if they do, they will be looking for ever increasing the margin, so eventually it will come.

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      July 12, 2011 8:32 AM

      [deleted]

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      July 12, 2011 9:26 AM

      I am not going to give EA my money for the way they are acting.

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      July 16, 2011 12:59 AM

      No steam = No buy for me.

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