Mass Effect 3 Gives Steam a Miss at Launch

[Irridium]

And from what I know from their whole spat a while ago, it was because Steam requires DLC for Steam games to be sold on Steam. Meaning EA wouldn't be able to sell us DLC through their websites using their stupid-ass "Bioware points".

That doesn't seem right. Quite a few games sold on Steam have DLC available on both Steam and another platform; a lot of GFWL titles do this, having DLC sold on both Steam and GFWL storefronts. I'm not sure how it affects Steamworks games, but certainly a non-Steamworks game like Mass Effect 3 would be able to handle it, I'm sure.

Hm, from what others have been telling me, it seems Steam just requires DLC to be sold through Steam in addition to other places. So essentially, they can sell the DLC however/wherever they want, they just need to be selling it on Steam as well.

And if this is the case, EA's reasoning is even dumber.

 

[getoffmycloud]

i heard that the restrictions they talk about is buying DLC from within the game to avoid paying to Valve a little percentage, but im not sure thats the case, so can someone please confirm this? i remember reading it somewhere, but cant really remember where

Yeah that is pretty much it which to be fair I don't see anything wrong with why should Valve take a cut of something they had nothing to do with making

 

[Rangerboy87]

Ok...it looks like it is time for my EA translation services...here we go

"During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time"
(We run a competitive business so we will use any opportunity to screw Valve.)

"Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content."
(They won't let us spy on our customers and we don't like how they do DLC)

"We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game,"
(As long as it is on Origin)

"and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers."
(as long as they pay us handsomely and allow us to spy on our customers)

In all seriousness, this is ridiculous. I understand giving themselves a leg up on the competition which is part of the business. But blaming Valve is just ludicrous. EA infuriates me in every possible way. This is what causes such a conundrum for me. I love Bioware. I love their games and they are one of the best game developers right now. I just wish they hadn't let EA buy them out.

On a side note, people should not be blaming Bioware for this. This is totally EA's thing. It be like the CEO of the company you work for making some dickish idea and people blaming you for it. I have never agreed with guilt by association but people seem to be doing it to Bioware. Just because EA does this, doesn't mean Bioware agrees with it.

 

[Xanthious]

I think I've figured out EA's business plan on this, and if it is what I'm thinking, it's pure genius.

Remove games from steam, force people to buy them on other services/consoles, where they earn more money on DLC. But, you say, they lose custommers that wanted to buy it on steam? No problem, once they are done reaping all the money on the DLC, they release all the games at once on steam (the issue was miraculously solved), and everyone who didn't buy it till then, buys it.

EA wins either way if they do this. Your "boycott" is over the second they put those games back on steam, and they haven't lost a single sale. Basically the perfect time to put crysis 2, BF3 and ME3 on steam is after ME3 GOTY is released. The only hole I can find in this business plan is the fact that BF3 will lose sales due to the multiplayer appeal being lowered.

I may be giving EA too much credit, but this seems like what a smart businessman would do.

Well it would be a great plan if a massive number of Steam users weren't simply going to pirate ME3 due to it being unavailable on Steam. It's not like these people are going to sit around and not play the game. You can bet on that. People saying they are boycotting any specific PC title anymore usually translates into "We'll just pirate it thank you". If they keep the game off Steam at launch they will simply be pushing people to piracy and costing themselves would be sales in the process. Even if they do release it on Steam at a later date a large number of people that would have bought it on Steam will have already pirated it or moved on.

 

[Eruanno]

Well, that helped me settle if I should get the PC or Xbox version, EA. Thanks, I guess?

 

[Mothhive]

Until it's available on Steam and does not require Origin, I'm giving Mass Effect 3 a miss!

 

[INeedAName]

ME3's Origin requirement is a big dissapointment. Now I'll either have to intstall and authorize the game on another computer then move it over to mine (if that works?), or I'll buy ME2 for the PS3, make a save as similar to my main as possible then play ME3 on the PS3 when it comes out, cause I won't help support this whole bussinessmodel EA's going at right now.

 

[super_mumbles]

They'll probably release a statement a few months after launch along the lines of "Well, the PC version sold poorly so we don't see any interest in that area and because of this the game will not be released on Steam."

I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Rariow]

Oh crap. I sense Origin knocking on my computer's virtual door. This is going to suck.

"Oh noes! Valve will not let us use their digital distribution platform to spy on people, when thousands of other developers have no problems with them! We, EA, the gentle, peaceful, completely non-douchey corporation need your help to defeat the bad, evil Valve. Use our completely crappy platform, and not Valve's actually somewhat bareable one!"

If BioWare wasn't behind this game, and I didn't feel the need to help THEM, I'd just pass out on Mass Effect 3. Honestly, I don't even have very high expectations for it. People seem to have gotten past EA hate, but I still can't stand them.

 

[Shadows Risen]

I'm just going to buy it on xbox because I'm a console gamer predominately, but this just seems like a dick-move from EA. If they wanted ME3 to be exclusive to Origin, then that's fine, it's their game after all but they could at least be straight about it and say "We don't like the way Steams DLC works, and we don't want to split the profits with them either" instead of trying to blame Valve and Steam for being restrictive.

And the fact it requires Origin to run would make sense for digital copies bought through Origin, but for physical copies it's a bit ridiculous.

 

[Hitchmeister]

The EA party line is that Valve changed their policies for selling third party games and DLC on Steam and the two companies can't reach an agreement that allows them to work together. But all they'll says is that vague, unexplained "policies" are getting in the way. If EA has a legitimate complaint, they should publicize what the problem areas are. If they have a valid case, everyone will say, "WTF Valve? Get your act in gear." The fact that EA can't or won't define what exactly the problem is, makes people doubt EA's sincerity.

 

[4RM3D]

Dear EA,

It is NOT valve that is being restrictive. NO, in truth it is you, EA, that is being restrictive.

Fail better next time.

Not that it matters to me. Mass Effect 3 was already blacklisted. But now I might as well add the whole of EA to the mix.

 

[Pingieking]

It comes with mandatory Origin? I do feel this is a publisher mandate, not a BW decision, but...

Couldn't you at least make your game release just as good as the cracked ones, and not worse?

A lot of this.

I'm considering two options:
1) Buy the game, then pirate a cracked version and play that.
2) Pirate the game.

Option 1 makes me feel better because Bioware gets well deserved money, but then Ican't protest against the use of Origin. Options 2 allows me to protest against Origin, but then I can't give Bioware money that they deserve. Maybe I should go with option 2, then mail $50 to Bioware with a letter explaining my decision.

 

[dave1004]

I really hate to say this, but I'm probably going to end up pirating it. I know, I know, I feel like a dirty bag of skunks doing so, but dude I want ME3. I have a horrible, half-dead internet connection that's slower than a box of honeyed molasses (0.30 Mbps download/0.11 upload/900 ping), which means "Always-on" connections murder me. Plus, I don't want some piece of spyware on my computer.

I'll just wait for a nice cracked version to come out, and if they switch to steam, hey! They made a sale. It's just not worth it otherwise.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

Here comes the ONLY game i'll use origin for then *sighs*

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

So only 5% of the gameplaying world has constant connections that don't drop all the time? I ask sir where you get your information... for if that were true, wouldn't it be impossible to play online multiplayer games since as you say only 5% of gamers have that "superfast broadband that never cuts out"? Maybe you should learn that fake statistics do not back up an argument about "always online" DRM.

And the honourable gentlemen himself should learn that condemning one part of an argument, without providing backup on why it is wrong, is a tactic used only by the desperate Mass debaters.

If you have a better statistic on the worldwide broadband speed great enough to carry the entire Mass Effect signal that never suffers brownouts, then I would be glad to hear it.

Until then, given a rough check of my area - including those people without connections or still on dial-up - I'm gonna stick with the 'approximation' of 5%.

Merely reverse exaggerating ("never drops" to "drops all the time") is a poor argument.

 

[TsunamiWombat]

So only 5% of the gameplaying world has constant connections that don't drop all the time? I ask sir where you get your information... for if that were true, wouldn't it be impossible to play online multiplayer games since as you say only 5% of gamers have that "superfast broadband that never cuts out"? Maybe you should learn that fake statistics do not back up an argument about "always online" DRM.

And the honourable gentlemen himself should learn that condemning one part of an argument, without providing backup on why it is wrong, is a tactic used only by the desperate Mass debaters.

If you have a better statistic on the worldwide broadband speed great enough to carry the entire Mass Effect signal that never suffers brownouts, then I would be glad to hear it.

Until then, given a rough check of my area - including those people without connections or still on dial-up - I'm gonna stick with the 'approximation' of 5%.

Merely reverse exaggerating ("never drops" to "drops all the time") is a poor argument.

I think it might be more like 10% but your general idea is indeed correct, few have steady always on connections even here in the US.