Battlefield 3 won't be sold on Steam; EA claims service 'restricts our ability to directly support players'

by Ben Gilbert on Aug 6th 2011 7:40AM

EA's big holiday release, Battlefield 3, apparently won't be available via Valve's ubiquitous PC game download service, Steam, as previously hinted. Taking to Twitter and its own forums, EA announced as much with some interesting, if not inflammatory, claims. "BF3 will not be available on Steam as the service restricts our ability to directly support players," the Twitter account says.

The forum post goes a bit further in explaining the publisher's position, though it doesn't go so far as to explicitly explain the schism. "Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content," the forum post reads. "No other download service has adopted these practices." As with Dragon Age 2, this is in reference to one specific part of Steam's Terms of Service agreement, which forces games to deliver DLC and patches through Steam rather than through a game-specific client. EA claims this to be restrictive, and thus refuses to sell some titles through the service.

It remains unclear why EA -- who, in the past, has offered a variety of games through Steam, regardless of the Terms of Service -- refuses to offer DLC and patches through Steam suddenly, but it certainly appears to be a stance the company is staying firm on. The forum post also notes EA's inclination towards resolving the issue with Valve, saying, "We hope to work out an agreement where Steam can carry Battlefield 3; meanwhile, gamers can pick from the more than 100 digital retailers."

Source: Twitter, EA

Tags: battlefield-3, dice, dlc, downloadable-content, drm, ea, ea-dice, electronic-arts, patches, pc, steam, terms-of-service, valve

Reader Comments (212)

I think they should kiss and make up so we can have it on there :P ill probably just buy a physical copy and frame it :)

@rossguitar

That would imply both parties are at fault, when it's clearly EA in the wrong here.

@Gibbeynator

Really? It sounds to me like EA doesn't want to pay the (likely substantial) cut of the sales price that Valve takes on every transaction.

EA must want to sell DLC and other things within the game client. The exact same thing that Valve does with all their first-party titles, like buying accessories for Portal2 multiplayer or TF2.

This is hypocrisy on Vavle's part. "Do as our ToS say, not as we do."

@katssun

or maybe they want people to sign up to EA Origin instad of steam

@Miami Prodigy

^ This

@katssun

Wow, you're seriously comparing a hat to Legacy?

@katssun

It's pretty damn clear what this is, and EA has said it enuf. They want to be able to directly market to you the player, which includes by-passing Steam for DLC, and spamming the players.

And they don't want competition for Origin. So they intentionally break rules to get their games pulled.

They make plenty on Steam. They simply want to make it all instead, spam players, and promote their own service

And hypsocrisy? EA said they weren't competing with Steam, then yanked some of their products, and announced their new ones would be on Origin. You don't call that hypsocrisy?

@Drakkenfyre

I'm kind of amazed that the misinformation keeps going around. EA didn't pull the games off Steam. *Valve* pulled them, for "violating the terms of service." EA still wants them available, because they make a lot of money from the sale of their games via Steam.

Sure, EA wants to promote Origin, why wouldn't they? But Steam is the only service taking down EA games like DA2. All the other download services still have those games available. Valve wants a cut of everything, which they certainly can do, it is their service after all. But the problem is Valve is allowed to sell things through in-game stores, while no other publishers are allowed to.

That's hypocrisy, plain and simple.

@katssun a lot of Steam users, myself included, like the fact that when I go to Steam, it is one stop shopping. I can do everything from within their client for every game I have bought. When I buy a Steam game, I don't have to worry about logins or installs; everything just works.

What EA wants is to sell you the Battlefield 3 client through the Steam client. Once you've bought the client, you would log in to Origin when you run the game and then every other purchase would be handled through that client, making Steam completely pointless. I suppose that is fine if EA wants to go that route, but I can tell you that after dealing with their download manager for the Sims, I have zero interest in messing with Origin. This will likely mean that I am just not going to buy anymore EA games, I guess.

In essence, EA wants to use the selling power of Steam to lure gamers in, but they don't want to give Steam any other money after that initial sale. It is a total crock and I do not blame Steam for calling shenanigans, one bit.

@Miami Prodigy

This is certainly the case. Which sucks because if it wasnt for them yanking their games right and left, i'd actually be buying a lot more of them.

for instance my wife has Sims 3, loves the shit out of it, but we both refuse to buy it because we want the steam version (great sales, plus its right with the rest of our games) but who knows if the games will have any steam support in a year, or even a month. it just takes 1 DLC to spark the shutdown.

also wont be buying BF3 until i can get it on steam. why? great deals on the game and future DLC, likely achievement support, and an online system that imo rivals Xbox Live (which is a very good thing).

I have used EA's online crap before, and its advertisements covered with DRM. im not installing any more of their crapware.

@Equal Opportunity Dork And a lot of steam users like me don't like the fact that if I wanted to purchase expansions via third parties like Steam I'm kind of screwed unless I own the steam copy. Steam is restrictive in a lot of ways. The expansion to Dragon Age I purchased via Direct 2 Drive as it let me use it with my retail copy of Dragon Age, when I looked in to this with Steam I had to own a Steam version they modify it so you have to purchase all uploads and content from them.

EA have a valid point here, they are not the bad guys nor do I think Steam and Valve are really the "bad guys" I think it's a difference in philosophy and that's what it boils down to. We'll see how this shakes out but I think both sides have some valid points and when people say EA is "evil" they forget what old school evil they used to be and how they are actually pretty good these days. Very supportive of their developers and this is something we should encourage. Remember folks, they're a business and if they can do something to make money under American Law they are obligated to do so.

@Equal Opportunity Dork
Exactly that. Valve are also a company who, in the terms for other companies who sell their stuff on Steam, want a share of the sales. If there's a company like EA selling a game on Steam, but not the extra-content associated with it (remember: Bad Company 2 has it's add-on and the SPECACT-kit also available through Steam, thus it's fine for that game) through Steam (as well), then that's not Valve's problem. It's EA's that they don't seem to be willing to offer the DLC/additional content through Steam either.

That was the case for Crysis 2, for example, which sold it's DLC through the in-game store, but also with promo-keys from what I remember.

There's also some EA games like Burnout Paradise, which sell their DLC through an in-game integrated store only. That seems to be fine with Steam.

@stiqlol

what surprises me is that after all those YEARS of service between steam and EA SUDDENLY steam has "service restrictions"?????? of course that restriction is called "We want to sell OUR crappy service". Really, since when EA has ever cared about players support?????? HAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!! suuuureeeee..........

@katssun Agreed. Not sure why all the steam fanboys downvoted ya even though you made a valid point.

@Drakkenfyre

They're not competing with Steam, silly! They're competing with Activision to see who can be the most evil company of all time. There's 3 categories:

1: Most inconvenient interface that you have to install. (Free Origin vs Modern Warfare Elite).

2: Most destruction done to multiplayer services (EA's "Trusted Servers" which they shut off 2 years after release vs. Activision's Peer-to-Peer network)

3: Most underhanded terms of service.

4: Rage garnered not just from their community, but all gamers as a whole by removing normal services and making such a practice "industry standard".

@US 447

Maybe because he IS a EA fan boy??? really how can you think that a company who has always been one of the top rats in the business right behind activision is acting for the players??? because they want to "support players??" sure, i can´t remember how many times EA has patched their crappy games for all the bugs they have,the only games that have had some support are the ones of Bioware, and that´s because Bioware actually cares more about their players, something that EA has never EVER cared about.

@commonperson exactly this.

Its all about making money off the DLC.

But why is Valve can have the Mann Store sell items in game but everything 3rd party needs to have DLC on the Steam store page?

@stiqlol Neither will I. I understand when a company just doesn't offer on steam, like MInecraft, but when it is a company that is butthurt and removes their games to start a pissing match, than thats a problem.

@katssun Well, how exactly would Valve follow their own ToS? They would have to pay a fee to THEMSELVES for every piece of DLC... Doesn't really make sense. Since they own the service, they are completely entitled to demand a fee per transaction for everyone else. EA is basically trying to undercut Steam, but the case is definitely multifacetted - if the DLC is sold through the game in question, and all hosting and downloads take place outside of the Steam network, I can see it from EA's point of view, too. All in all, I think EA just needs to stop being childish and offer their DLC through Steam only for Steam copies of the game. Any copy sold through traditional stores or other online services can then allow ingame purchases. This would make more sense than actually not being on the premier PC download service.

@(Unverified)

Comparing hats to campaign extensions is like comparing apples to steak. They are completely different things.

@katssun

You mention misinformation, then sugar-coat the whole thing.

EA purposely broke Steam's TOS to get their games yanked, so they didn't look like a bad guy. "We're not competing with Steam guys, honest. Oops, there's another game of our's off Steam, blame Valve. That game and future games will be on Origin, and won't be yanked."

They keep issuing the same statement, "Valve won't let us offer you deals, blame them", and only 12 year olds with no experience with how companies do things like this believe it. They want to spam you in-game and out-of-game for every $15 map pack and $5 remodeled weapon, and get 100% of the profit.

Are you seriously buying that shit? Or are you someone from the company?

@katssun Stop making sense! the Steam fanboys here don't like it.

The guy who said EA is purposely breaking the Steam ToS, so EA's games get pulled from the service, was right on, I think. Makes EA look like the underdog, and makes it look like they have "no choice" but to make Origin their Steam replacement.

Obviously EA makes more $$ if Origin is its de-facto distribution channel, from now on. Look to see who has the most to gain. That's the way you solve the crime.

And as gamers, it's even easier than that. Step back and ask yourself, who is the more reputable, gamer-first company here, EA or Valve?

It's amazing how many people are willing to kiss Valve's ass. EA has every right to distribute their game how they want and Valve can run their distribution service how they want. They're having a business disagreement at the moment. Not sure why so many of you automatically think that makes EA "wrong".

@Vidikron

I personally don't like EA.

Regardless, I want all my digital games on 1 platform. If I can't get them that way, I'll just buy the physical copy.

@Vidikron

"It's amazing how many people are willing to kiss Valve's ass. EA has every right to distribute their game how they want and Valve can run their distribution service how they want. They're having a business disagreement at the moment. Not sure why so many of you automatically think that makes EA "wrong"."

Your skills of putting words into other people's mouths is uncanny. No one is kissing anything. EA is acting stupid, again. (ToS ... what is that? You mean they're rules that WE agreed to? No way!) End of story.

@katssun
I kind of agree with you on a few levels, but it might me a bit more complex than that. I found BC2 on Steam with separate friend lists very frustrating, and if I do buy BF3 it will be on Xbox for the integration. It isn't really hypocrisy, because EA is free to use the Steam Wallet and friend list systems, but obviously doesn't want to because of the valve commission and the launch of Origin. EA isn't in the business of being at the mercy of another company, unless it is forced to in many ways like on consoles where the entire environment is controlled. There is no reason Steam cant be integrated like in the Sega MMO Spiral Knights, apart from the fact that EA would then be under Valve's thumb and Origin would be trumped.

@Miami Prodigy

That would be a valid argument, if it were not for the fact that you can download EA games including BF3 on D2D, Amazon, and Gamestop.

@katssun

Don't forget - EA was all cool with Steam's ToS as it released title after title after title on Steam without a peep. NOW, all of sudden, EA has a problem with the ToS, as they're now promoting their attempt at copying Steam with their Origin service. So EA has obviously and deliberatly violated a ToS they had no problem with originally. And now they're playing all coy like they're innocent, and Valve is removing their games for no reason. Come on.

I for one, expect and appreciate Valve's ToS, I want all DLC and patches to continue to go through Steam. Steam is my one and only 1 stop shop, and I seriously do not want to deal with a 3rd party downloader for every. single. game. I have on there. It'd be a total and absolute nightmare, which would kill my PC gaming experience, I'd just abandon it entirely if every developer behaved like EA.

Lousy, lousy excuse.

They SERIOUSLY can't think we're dumb enough to buy their excuses, can they?

@Gibbeynator And EA had the gall to turn my damn EA account into an Origin account with out and consult. I just got an email on that last night.

@Gibbeynator

Clearly for some of the people posting elsewhere in this thread, they are correct in that assumption. Either that or they're EA marketing weasels trying to sow confusion, which is just as likely.

ARE YOU SERIOUS

Well, I preordered the disc from amazon, but still...

@Fugaku
You sure showed them

@Cleric I meant I already had it preordered before this came out

@Fugaku
You know you can cancel Amazon pre-orders right? The order doesn't become irreversible until after they've begun the transaction, and they don't do that until they ship the product to you, and they won't be doing THAT for some time, given that BF3 isn't out yet.

No, EA, Steam's terms of service just make it more convenient for us, the customers. I don't want to jump through a million hoops to get what I want from a game. I don't want to have to use stores within stores just so I can get some DLC. I want my game to automatically update along with all my others through Steam, because what they do is convenient and it WORKS.
I won't go so far as to boycott the game, but come on. EA, you disappoint me.

@semisanity
ditto. i was going to get this day 1, now ill probably wait a few months to see how this all shakes out. maybe ill get the physical copy, but only if it doesnt require origin. if origin is required to play this game, count me out.

@semisanity

Rockstar games is pretty horrible through steam, needing a Games for Windows Live to properly play the game, and a "Social Club" account, both of which replace steam features...

@damnreds
It's been confirmed retail wont need Origin.

@fsjal That crap prevented me from ever playing GTA 4 on Steam. It never worked and since I got it on a $5 sale, I just never bothered with it after a while.

@semisanity EA is actually saying that Steam closes off avenues for DLC and updates by forcing them to only be done within their ecosystem.

i've loved DICE games since the days of motorhead for their continuing high quality product, but i have to think their relationship with EA has cost them more than they've gained.

of course this is impossible to quantify since their relationship is so long term, but if they could swing it financially, the best thing for DICE might be to sever ties with EA.

they're growed up enuff to swim in the deep end without adult supervision.

@fid
I don't think that's going to happen any time soon, given that EA completely owns DICE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA_Digital_Illusions_CE

At least you can still get it at lots of other online download sites and on disk so you don't have to get it from ea store.

@byaboy

That's hardly consoling news. I have all of my games on steam, why should I have to use a completely different program to download and play my game? I was on the fence about this game but no longer what with having to use something other than steam and also having to log into a website in order to play multiplayer. That's probably the problem, all the matchmaking is done through a separate website, not in game.

Its saddening to think that Dice have put alot of hard work into making this game look absolutely amazing and then some corporate ****heads come along and annoy consumers with useless emails twice a week. Good for steam for not giving in to EA's demands.

Still buying the game regardless to support developers and have some great fun but it is very frustrating to say the least.

I hope Steam doesn't give in to them. Whatever EA is planning can't be good for the customers.

Just look at what happened when Microsoft let them run their own servers on Xbox. Now EA gets to permanently disable online play for their games whenever they feel like it.

Suuuure it is mate. Sure it is. E.A. Must think we are stupid...

Well looking at there title line up, that's pretty obvious.

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Most Recent | Next 50 Comments

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 won't be sold on Steam; EA claims service 'restricts our ability to directly support players'

Reader Comments (212)

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:44AM rossguitar said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:49AM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:00AM katssun said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:09AM Miami Prodigy said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:15AM FuriousMailman said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:16AM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:20AM Drakkenfyre said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 9:16AM katssun said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 10:07AM Equal Opportunity Dork said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 10:35AM SmilinGoat said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 10:41AM commonperson said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:06AM TachiFoxy said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:15AM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:16AM US 447 said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:22AM ShivanSwordsman said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:25AM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:32AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 12:39PM RockAGlock said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 1:02PM szimm said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 3:19PM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 3:54PM Drakkenfyre said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 3:55PM Enigma7ic said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 4:43PM i77ogical said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:00PM Vidikron said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:08PM SirUrza said

Posted: Aug 7th 2011 6:07PM i77ogical said

Posted: Aug 7th 2011 11:41PM Snide Jackal said

Posted: Aug 8th 2011 8:57AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Aug 8th 2011 12:51PM Dizazter said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:46AM KazamaSogetsu said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:48AM Gibbeynator said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 1:13PM RX3115 said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 1:38PM freaparn said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:51AM Fugaku said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 10:08AM Cleric said

Posted: Aug 7th 2011 5:04AM Fugaku said

Posted: Aug 10th 2011 4:47PM solowing said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:52AM semisanity said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 10:21AM damnreds said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:43PM fsjal said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 10:34PM The Aquacharger said

Posted: Aug 8th 2011 12:29PM Cranky Penguin said

Posted: Aug 9th 2011 12:45AM DustbinK said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 7:59AM fid said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:55AM adeese said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:02AM byaboy said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 11:21AM Vladeon said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:02AM JustGarry said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:03AM Urchin80 said

Posted: Aug 6th 2011 8:03AM PoisonedAl said

Battlefield 3 Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is a stranger in a strange land

Silver Lining: I Am Alive's unfeeling world

Game Of Thrones and the paradoxes of adaptation

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW