Steam Users Can't Play Modern Warfare 2 Until Thursday

[Andy Chalk]

Steam Users Can't Play Modern Warfare 2 Until Thursday

Bad news for people who purchased Modern Warfare 2 [http://modernwarfare2.infinityward.com/] over Steam: Valve has confirmed that the digital version of the game will remain locked and unplayable until Thursday.

The PC release of Modern Warfare 2 is already a Steam [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95584-No-Dedicated-Servers-for-Modern-Warfare-2-PC-Fans-Freak-Out]. Folks who trundled off to their local game dealer to pick up a copy are probably happily playing it at this very moment, but anyone who decided to take advantage of the ease and convenience of Steam are screwed until Thursday.

"Those who purchase the retail copy will be able to activate and play the game on November 10 via Steam," Valve told Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5400855/modern-warfare-2-locked-until-thursday-for-steam-customers]. "Those who purchase on Steam will be able to activate and play on November 12."

Nobody seems to know exactly why this is the case but making it even more irritating is the fact that the retail version of the game uses Steam for DRM. In other words, you're using Valve's digital service no matter which version of the game you have but if you thought that laying down your money and preloading the game would have you playing it the very moment it was launched, well, you guessed wrong, son.

I don't want to be accused of paranoia here but I'm honestly starting to wonder if Valve [http://www.activision.com] pleaded with Activision for a two-day break so its servers wouldn't be crushed under the pressure of the launch (and if so, then perhaps Steam should have been reconsidered as the DRM of choice) then what possible reason could their be for putting a limitation like this on a digital release?


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[SantoUno]

This shouldn't cause much trouble.

Then again, it's happening on the PC version... again.

 

[CymTyr]

I was going to get the game until I found out about the price hike. Instead I got Dragon Age: Origins.

 

[zombie711]

poor, poor pc users always getting screwed over because some people do not see you as a sutible platform, perhaps it the idea that the pc was not ment for gamming a much as it was for typing or web browsing, but still it's a little unfair what keeps going on. ( I own a wii so I kinda know what it feels to be screwed over)

 

[Kollega]

Ha-ha. What do they have against PC version? No,seriously. It looks like they are deliberately shooting PC-gamers - and themselves - in the feet. With a rocket launcher.

 

[Wandrecanada]

This could well have been a deal done with brick and mortar distributors who wanted to find some kind of way of hurting digital distribution on a very specific high profile title. Gamestop in particular is very much against digi distribution since it cuts them out of the picture entirely. This is, of course just a guess.

 

[TheRealCJ]

Oh, that sucks.

Good thing I prefer having a hard-copy over digital downloads. Go me!

But seriously, I get the feeling that this game will be the beginning of the end for PC gamers, especially since it will still be horrendously popular (while I hate what they've done to the game, it doesn't actually worry me all that much, because the single player was fantastic, and I'm going to avoid the multiplayer like the plauge).

 

[GamingAwesome1]

At last the tides have turned! Now we, the console owners get to brag!

I don't mean that in a serious way.

That's somewhat random, what with there being no rhyme or reason to this.

 

[Abedeus]

What's next? They will be making it so that servers are open only for 8 hours a day?

1. Higher price.
2. No dedicated servers.
3. No custom maps or mods.
4. DRM FOR STEAM?! ARE YOU INSANE?!

And now this. I ignore the controversy, because it's on all consoles, but come on.

 

[beddo]

I think this is just another breach of conditions. They said it would be available at a certain time, yet again DRM aka Steam is preventing legitimate users playing a game they have purchased. DRM clearly punishes legitimate consumers.

As a protest I'll buy it from a retailer on the 360, it's only £26 in the main supermarkets and unlike digital distribution, Activision will only see a fraction of that money going to them.

 

[wildpeaks]

DRM [...] punishes legitimate consumers.

Quoted for truth.

 

[The Great JT]

Infinity Ward doesn't care about PC gamers.

 

[scotth266]

EDIT: Whoops, hilarious misinterpretation is hilarious. I lost track of the dates involved.

I'm going to wait for further info: odds are that to release the game late, there's a damn good reason involved.

 

[oppp7]

Are they trying to get everyone who uses a PC mad at them? Are they getting back at the pirates of the original PC game?

 

[Wadders]

Gutted.

I'm getting the feeling more and more that I'll only be buying MW2 for the Single player; Activision/ IW really dont seem to give two shits and a fuck about the PC online play, almost deliberately crippling it, then delaying steam users.

I reckon I'll be getting my online kicks from Bad Company 2 instead. Roll on 2010!

 

[TxMxRonin]

Do they want PC gamers to play this game?

 

[fix-the-spade]

I don't want to be accused of paranoia here but I'm honestly starting to wonder if Infinity Ward [http://www.activision.com] aren't screwing up the PC launch of Modern Warfare 2 on purpose.

Malygris, given the coverage of the PC release how can you arrive at any other conclusion?

The Ustream podcast announcement, that Ars Technica article, it's so thorough and effective it can't possibly be accidental. I mean, in a live chat, where the question was whether or not pc gamers would get console commands, custom server options, very basic customisation options that the answer should be a straight for 'yes'.
Vince-IW: We would like you to play the game the way we designed and balanced it.

Nevermind the now infamous answers:

Moriarte: Ignoring IW.net, is the PC version a direct port of the console version?

Mackey-IW: No, PC has custom stuff like mouse control, text chat in game, and graphics settings.

Wow, mouse control, way to rock my world. As well as:

DudezTY: Since we cannot kick people in ranked matches, how will we stop hackers who get past VAC?

Mackey-IW: Our goal is to ban hackers from the game.

It's so obviously aimed at sabotaging it's PC release to give Actibliz an excuse to avoid pc developing in future without annoying the share holders...
... yes I do have a bunker full of canned food, why did you ask?

 

[beddo]

The retail stores were dicks for breaking the release date. Valve are not dicks. They honored and abided by the release date.

Blame the retailers for selling the game early; don't blame Valve for not being sheep/bowing to the smell of cash.

the release is two days after the originally stated one - dick move by Activision.

Valve are also realy bad for abiding by release dates, they shouldn't make a promise of release if they can't keep it.

This simply comes down to M$ and Activision wanting to scrape as much cash and unit sales as possible for Xbox 360.

 

[Assassin Xaero]

This is "news"? I remember reading something a month ago about how the PC version was released a day or two later then the console version for some stupid reason... Doesn't surprise me at all with having to wait weeks after consoles for the map packs for World at War...