Mass Effect 3 PC requires Origin, unavailable on Steam
Just in case you were wondering, Electronic Arts and Steam haven't made up yet. Mass Effect 3 is an EA game, and therefore will require Origin on PC, and will not be available for sale on Steam.
Just in case you were wondering, Electronic Arts and Steam haven't made up yet. Their ongoing duel centers around two things: the existence of EA's rival Origin service, and Valve's policies regarding DLC on Steam. Mass Effect 3 is an EA game, and therefore will require Origin on PC, and will not be available for sale on Steam.
"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," BioWare confirmed. "Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content."
"We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers," a forum post (via IGN) advises fans.
Origin will be required for all PC copies of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital. And, as previously reported, Mass Effect 3 will require a "one time, single authorization" for the single player game, but will not require a persistent connection unless playing multiplayer (for obvious reasons).
Mass Effect 3 will be available on March 6th.
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replyAndrew Yoon posted a new article, Mass Effect 3 PC requires Origin, unavailable on Steam.
Just in case you were wondering, Electronic Arts and Steam haven't made up yet. Mass Effect 3 is an EA game, and therefore will require Origin on PC, and will not be available for sale on Steam.-
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cool story brah
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Yeah, because piracy is the way to show 'em. Show 'em that no one wants to buy games on PC, therefore giving publishers a renewed reason not to make PC Games.
Good job!-
More like sending a message that we, as gamers, prefer Steam.
Unfortunately, the publishers will take it how you described.-
How would pirating the game in any way show that you prefer Steam? It just shows that you pirate games and don't buy them. If you really want to send the message that you prefer Steam, send someone at EA an email (maybe the community manager) that you won't be purchasing it because it is not on Steam. And then don't play it until it is on Steam if it ever is.
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You're an idiot if you are suggesting that piracy is a good way to steer developers to steam. I hope you get hit by a bus. Err, just kidding.
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You're an idiot if you think there is any good way to steer publishers toward Steam, period. I hope your penis gets eaten by your father.
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If this does indeed go down CD, please record for future endeavors.
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I, as a gamer, don't prefer Steam. Don't speak for everyone.
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This is the dumbest fucking post I've seen on the Shack in months. In what universe do you live where you think THEFT doesn't hurt anyone?
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Technically, it's not theft because developers aren't losing their code and product. However, it does fall under copyright infringement.
Regardless, there is always the potential of lost sales. I'm sure a good percentage of those who pirate products would actually pay for them if piracy wasn't so accessible.
Of course, it's also morally wrong to take advantage of other people's work without compensating them if they're asking to be paid for it. -
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Popcorn acquired.
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F-bomb and J.C. in one post and you call someone else mentally retarded. Ironic.
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I'm certain that as a kid I pirated games I would have found a way to otherwise pay for if piracy wasn't so easy.
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You are going to lose this fight, especially here on the Shack. Just an FYI buddy, you might not want to make posts like this in the future.
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You must work a job where you don't create anything for yourself.
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haha you probably pirated the first two
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Then it comes out on Steam: "I'm gonna pirate this because of the Chinese occupation of Tibet!"
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What did you do before DD was a big thing?
"Oh shit, K-Mart isn't carrying the game I want! I guess I'll have to get it the easy way now."
"No worries bro, Target across the parking lot has it"
"I said the easy way dude"
"But it takes less than two minutes to walk there."
"What the shit brah? I am entirely justified to get the easy way because I can't get it from where I want."
Is that what you did?
Are you even old enough to know that there was a time where games weren't available to buy digitally?
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I really do not understand why people care if a game uses Origin or what ever? Sure it be great if there was only Steam on what ever but is it not about the games?
Are we not happy to be playing rad games on our pimp PC is that not what is most important?
I am going to play the game on my PC that is for sure.-
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The browser thing is whack 100% I agree. Don't blame EA they had nothing to do with that or specifically the Origin client that was BF3 guys 100%, no other Origin game uses a browser.
Origin is just like Steam in terms of the client(yes not all the features) it never forces a browser nor does Steam.
If they would force the browser that would suck balls I would not use it, there is a command for the SP game of BF3 to not use the browser btw.-
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i think battlelog is cool (based on the beta).
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I'm with you valcan, it's just elitist herp-derping
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Pretty much. I don't like the EA machine either, but origin doesn't bother me. I don't understand the hate.
Do I love steam? Yes. I love the community / ease features. But that certainly won't prevent me from buying a non steam game. -
its not necessarily elitist in every case. for me, it was a succession of bad experiences from EA's earlier attempts at providing a DD service, and operating under the assumption that the user experience for origin would be a beating like the other attempts were.
after being forced into using it for BF3, i discovered it was not terrible. as great as steam is now? no. but, as good as (or better than) steam was when steam was only a few months old? unquestionably. ive added a few of my other EA games (some of them bought on steam) to origin, just to play around with it beyond BF3, and so far, i am cautiously optimistic. origin has the potential to, in time, provide credible competition to steam... and i think thats a very, very good thing.
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Same here dude. Origin does not bother me at all. Would I prefer steam? Sure. Is that a deal breaker? No, if its a good game its a good game.
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Have you not read any of the news on EA's insane policies? I will not touch their games with a ten foot pole, I don't need that headache after spending money on them. You'd think the existence of piracy would force them into taking an acceptable stance, but that would make too much sense.
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Just curious, what insane policies? I honestly haven't read up on it, i'm curious now.
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Uhhh... how about banning people from their account and all of their games for something they said, or didn't say, on their forums?
How about having a policy in their EULA to delete accounts that haven't been used in 24 months regardless of their status, trying to PR BS their way out of it, and only changing the EULA after weeks of insane negativity and pressure from the media and consumers?
How about having Origin spying in all of the folders on your hard drive until a German court threatened to investigate privacy issues and it mysteriously stopped doing that after a later update?
Everything they say is PR spindoctoring. EA doesn't give a crap about their customers and they are a terrible company. Of all the people who could make a Steam competitor, they are absolutely the worst one to support. I'm not a "Steam or die" fanboy, I have lots of games on GOG and Desura, but I REFUSE to buy anything that supports the piece of turd called Origin or EA's decision to use it over every other sensible business decision. -
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The ones where they will ban you for frivolous reasons and only fix it if you can create a big enough outrage online, where if they ban you you cannot play ANY game that uses the service despite repeated claims that you can, etc. I can't remember all the stories myself, there have been plenty. Also included account shenanigans like if you once had an account for a game and also had an account for another game, that will create all kinds of trouble because those accounts have all been rolled into the same service, and again they will not help in any way.
I just don't need that headache. I'm not doing or saying anything crazy here, even though people will still accuse me of that because I guess I won't be playing ME3. I could say what that other guy said and point out that the reality of internet offers an alternative that lets you play with peace of mind intact, but I barely have time to play half the games I buy so I won't pirate it. -
Here's an example: their support.
Valve still supports HL1. They updated it to work comprehensively with Steam.
In contrast, EA can't even be bothered to support Mercenaries 2 multiplayer. This game isn't old at all, but guess what: I can't play it in coop anymore because EA doesn't give a fuck.
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I look at it this way, on Steam I can keep all my digital purchases in one place, regardless of what publisher they are from (at least until EA pulled this junk)
With Origin, I could have all of my EA games in one place. Guess what, there's no incentive for me to buy new EA games.
Either Valve needs to allow EA to use their shitty "points" system (on steam) to let EA do their DLC the way they want, or EA needs to drop their shitty points system for DLC so they can put their new catalog on steam. This is ridiculous, just like the retailer specific pre-order bonuses.
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i understand their reasons, and respect them, but personally, they aren't nearly strong enough reasons to sway me from playing a game i want to play when it's released.
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You never bought a steamworks game outside of steam have you?
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I don't think anyone's as married to gaming as you are. I'll leave it at that.
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Well in addition to not wanting to support Origin for various reasons - and wanting to support Valve for other various reasons, I'm rather ocd about this sort of thing too. You ever buy a television series on DVD, but skip a season somewhere in the middle? Or how about buying a game in a series like Assassin's Creed on the 360 and Assassin's Creed 2 on the PS3? That bugs me. It wouldn't if Valve / Steam went to shit and I decided to defect, but I like Valve. I like Steam. I have this nice collection over there and now some dick company (and EA is a dick company with a long history of dickishness) decides they want to compete with Steam. I love some EA franchises, but I'm not falling for this shit. I'll wait it out. Either Origin will prove itself or it'll go by the wayside.
I'll probably just buy it on the 360. I own ME1&2 on the 360 and recently rebought them on the PC during a sale hoping that ME3 might come out for it too. Maybe someday. -
It's that Steam already offers a comprehensive platform where my communities, and gaming profile/identity already exists? Why do I have to fractalize my gaming experience, leaving behind all the social spaces and gaming identity (through achievements, groups, etc.) to use an inferior product that is trying to poorly replicate what I already have.
Furthermore, EA has already shown, in the past, that they are less willing to provide a valuable service in terms of patching, legacy support, and real community dialogue. With EA's shitty track record, it's no wonder why gamers are wary. -
I just don't like their policies and attitude.
They had their software scanning things it had no business to. I believe that was fixed but could easily revert back to it with a ToS change again.
I don't like how they broke away from Steam. You want to sell your own games through your own digital platform? Good for you. Say so, own it and try and get people excited about using Origin. Don't try and spin that Steam was restricting you too much. Mud slinging gets old fast.
Origin has potential. But it will take some effort on EA's part aside from making all it's games require it.
It's off to a decent start with some of it's sales. One or more unique features that make you want to actually have it would be nice. If it wants to be competition to Steam it'll need to expand it's library.
And probably most importantly it will need to start treating customers like people instead of dollar signs.
It'll take a few years to prove their worth, I just don't know if EA has that kind of stamina.
I honestly don't care that the game's not on Steam. I just don't want Origin yet. Wash the poop off the tasty carrot first before I'll bite at it.-
Steam is restricting them though by requiring any DLC to be made available through Steam. Which is actually a great policy and change for us users and consumers, trying to get some EA DLC was a giant pain in the ass before. Valve is looking to make the experience of buying and playing games and additional content as pain free as possible for every new title on their service.
EA on the other hand wants to do it their way and only their way (just like they did with MS w/ Xbox Live, which is why every EA online requires a different account to connect to their EA online servers), so they blame Steam as the bad guy even though they are in fact trying to make it easier for everyone.
Anyone who has bought Dragon Age or ME2 or Crysis 2 DLC knows how much that process sucks. Heck, the Mirror's Edge DLC didn't work at all with Steam. Valve was probably sick of having to deal with complaints and support for that awful shit that isn't even on their service in the first place. I don't blame them for the new restrictions, in fact I thank them for requiring DLC to be on Steam now. It's hassle free compared to the way it was with some games.
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didn't see people complain about diablow3 only being available to play on battlenet and not steam.
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Well I guess I'll have to make up my own ending to the Mass Effect series. Commander Shepard is revealed to have been a reaper android all along, betrays humanity and sells them into slavery for the reapers for a dollar. Kinda sounds like Bioware working for EA.
On the bright side, I anticipated EA doing this, so I'm not exactly heartbroken, even if Mass Effect was one of my favorite game series.
Seriously tho, I may have to dig my 360 out of storage. If anyone wants to know why analysts keep saying PC gaming is dying, EA just provided the answer. -
Can't wait for the One Star Amazon Bandits to review Mass Effect 3, "Didn't buy! This is DRM that makes me rent a license! Freedom Liberty and Ron Paul!"
Gah, its hard not to hate on some PC Gamers. -
The line in the sand has been drawn. Much like ps3 v 360 or Pepsi v Coke. Some people love Steam and some people (all three of you) accept Origin.
I have a PS3 and 360 and love them both.
I drink Pepsi but only have Coke with my Rum.
I have a huge library on Steam: It's streamlined, smooth, my friends are on it and doesn't bother me when I have it loaded in the back ground and not using it.
Tried Origin twice now. Once with Battlefield and just last week with buying and installing SW. Uninstalled it both times, shortly after.
Sorry folks - IMO - Origin has a long way to go.
Not that any of you give a shit what I think . . . -
Nerd rage is lols.
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first world problems
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exactly, I like being able to play a game by launching it, not waiting for a program to call a server to make sure I'm allowed to.
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I seen that coming a mile away
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Do I have to install origin on my xbox?
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I lol'd so hard at this!!111. No you will not
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thanks!
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I don't think we'll ever see a new EA game appear on Steam.
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Someone should start a petition.... snicker...
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I want to not buy this game to show them that I want it one steam, but I want to play it, so I will buy it anyway. Pretty much this guy: http://okayface.com/okay-face.jpg
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WAIT, ME3 requires DirectX? Okay fuck that last straw...
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looks like i won't be purchasing ME3 on PC..
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Well, looks like I'm not finishing Mass Effect.
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They are all saved in your My Docs folder whether you get it from Steam, Origin, Retail, or whatever.
It's in the BioWare Folder.
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I don't mind Origin honestly, but no Steam pisses me off. I've already got ME1 and 2 through steam and I like to keep these things together. >:(
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I was really on the fence about this game. BIoware has been going downhill FAST. And this is the final nail. At least this made the final decision easy though.
Origin = No buy, always, forever. -
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Apparently you do. Because if you didn't care, you would have moved on and just picked them up.
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I consider this good news. The more AAA titles that don't make it on Steam the sooner this mess will get resolved.
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anyone surprised by this?
The way things are atm, EA will never publish to steam. Both are publishers, and both now have their own Digital distro platform. If you are a car manufacturer, say Mazda, you dont sell your car to a Ford dealership..-
Not a good analogy; Ford did own a stake in Mazda for a while.
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This information is in the article you are commenting on :/
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Everyone should go read the Internet when steam first launched. It's such a silly topic that shouldn't be a big deal because Origin will grow, like Steam, and be an accepted part of every gamers library. None of these boycotts will make the slightest dents and it's just *dumb* to rob yourself of experiencing a game you'll enjoy over something so inconsequential. If it's because you want them consolidated in the same place, that's what "Add Non-Steam Game" is for. If you..
Ah nevermind not worth it. See ya'll on Origin when you realize you're the one missing out on games and not them missing out on you! sigh-
remember when Half-Life 2's release? holy shit. I was a freshman in college when that game came out, steam was a pile of ass back then because it was so new.
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I never had any issues with Steam, certainly not at HL2's launch, but I definitely remember people bitching.
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I remember pc gamer dinging the game 5 points BECAUSE of steam
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I remember. It took me DAYS to install HL2.
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Yeah, right, Origin won't improve on the level that Steam improved since 2004. If Origin's the dominant digital distribution platform, I won't be playing new PC games anymore.
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Steam was a steaming pile of shit at launch and I'm not letting Valve off the hook for that, but it's a completely different product now. And that product is now the gold standard for PC gaming. As far as I'm concerned any competing product/delivery system has to use it as a benchmark in terms of features and usability. These other companies are 10+ years late to the party so they have a lot of catching up to do. Will Origin grow and come to be on par with Steam? Possible, but given their track record I'm guessing no.
Personally, I think that until Origin matures they should still be offering the games through other channels. You want me to use your service? Give me some real incentive to do so. -
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Stop trying to calm the outrage with reason, icon.
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only Origin game I've bought yet was Wing Commander Privateer
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"Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content."
"We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers,"
Lol, it's the other way round.
EA picked the wrong way of distributing DLC, in crysis 2 and i can't remember now the name of the other shooter from EA that had lots of problems too with DLC before that one.
And remember all the multiplayer pass keys that didn't work in some of the last EA games.
On the other hand i haven't had a single problem, or error with any DLC delivered via Steam.
So don't let EA fool you. -
EA lost a sale. I vote on products and service I like with my money. Poor product and service = none of my money. Valve and Steam are good products and services and I gladly exchange my hard earned money for the value they give me. Treat your customers well and you will continue to get sales. Exploit them for quick profits and you will loose them to better products and services. Some might even crack or pirate your game to avoid another lame always on DRM system. I don't support pirates, but I also understand not wanting every computer product or service tying up system resources and bandwidth with a new constant on DRM when Steam already works so well.
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ME3 will probably still be an epic game, as such I'll buy it, play it (installing Origin begrudgingly if I have to) then uninstall both once I'm done.
Steam is the only service I need really. I wouldn't mind other service if they offered the same functionality as Steam, but they don't.
Just look at GFWL...if I want to message a friend I have to send 150 character limit individual messages after navigating a console interface, etc, etc, etc...I'm a PC user, just gimme a fucking chatbox please.
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