Steamworks, Modern Warfare 2 and Other Digital Distributors

[Evo]

Some interesting news has emerged over on Kotaku as it emerges that digital distributors like Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate won't be selling Modern Warfare 2 because it uses Steamworks. Direct2Drive went so far as to tell Kotaku "We don't believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse" and that other titles using Steamworks (Dawn of War II and Empire: Total War) would be removed from sale until Valve seperates the retail side of Steam from features like Steamworks. You can get all the details here. What do you think, should Valve make a clearer seperation between the retail side of Steam and Steamworks?

[Kadayi]

Direct2Drive is owned by Rupert Murdoch, so it's rather rich that someone who is all into monopolies is also into moaning about them because Steam is potentially becoming one. It will be interesting to see how Activision CEO Bobby Kotick reacts.

[Stormy]

People like steam because they trust valve

[Pvt. Shifty]

hmmmm...let me see here, buy a game from Steam where well needed features are incorporated or use D2D where I have to download the game, enter a CD Key, Manually patch the game, and than set up all the my settings...or I could just download it on Steam and have everything done for me...

Its also very hypocritical of them to say this as alot of games use Gamespy/IGN browser code which in itself can be called spyware and a "Trojan Horse"!

Sounds like to me D2D and others are jealous because there services suck compared to Steam.


I really am only worried that new people might not like Steam since MW2 has totally ****ed the PC community with its new "features".

[Barnz]

Do they even have a community system, which supports archievements/match making, and so on?

[xdrive]

Steam is good, it's not like they are forcing us to get something that is shit. D2D is just pissed off they didn't get in first.

[Marler]

steam is awesome, I wish I could add all my games to it instead of just adding shortcuts

[Bob-taro]

Companies in general try to do what's best for them ... but usually what's best for the company in the long run is doing what's best for consumers so you win them over. They are betting that enough people will now avoid the game because they don't want the Steam "Trojan Horse", that other developers will be afraid to implement steamworks and lose sales. I think this strategy will backfire and D2D et al will just lose sales.

OTOH, I see where they're coming from. Steam distribution+steamworks is a big threat to other online distributors since you need steam for the full game experience and once you have steam installed why would you buy it through another channel? It doesn't make it a good idea, but I can see why digital distributors would want to gang up on Steam, and maybe they figured they didn't have a lot of potential sales to lose anyway.

Does anyone know, could you buy a game through D2D and get it added to the "my games" list on Steam? I've done that with Valve games via CD keys, but I don't know if that works for games by other publishers.

[TwwIX]

Good 'ol Karma doing its thing.

[Plissken]

Yeah, I think they'd have more force to their argument if other games hadn't been doing the same thing with other programs right now. Like, well, Gamespy and Borderlands. or how about requiring Windows LIVE to use the Fallout 3 DLC? I remember Batman: Arkham Asylum requiring me to boot that up, too.

I think its going to be a growing industry problem beyond just Steam, and I understand their trepidations concerning it. I love Steam, and its the only game client I use unless forced to use otherwise.

However, I think VALVe should play it diplomatically and consider a way that would make everyone in the industry happy, and not let this start turning into a pseudo-console war where developers start choosing sides in the digital distribution platform. though that probably has begun already, maybe try to nail it now before we're all forced to install five different platforms just to get access to all the games we want.

[Asus]

Originally Posted by Pvt. Shifty

spyware and a "Trojan Horse"!

Just want to clarify when they say "trojan horse" that they are not saying it is malware, spyware or a trojan. Rather they are comparing it to the trojan horse. Which would be getting D2D to sell a game that provides their customers access to their competitors service through their own sale.

Originally Posted by Pvt. Shifty

Its also very hypocritical of them to say this as alot of games use Gamespy/IGN browser code

Yeah. IGN owns D2D. D:

But I don't get why D2D is not just doing their business and selling games instead of picking and choosing games to sell.
Valve's competitors are other game companys and yet Steam sells those games right along with HL2 etc.

[Bluestrike]

Makes total sence,
When I sell a product to a customer I would not like it to have a card attached to it with advertising of the competition.

I am pretty sure Valve would not like it either if it was the other way around.
Besides I'm weary of any type of monopoly, sooner or later it will be abused :-)
Not that it matters to me anyway, the game is way to expensive for my taste.

[DEATH eVADER]

They seem to have bad beef with Valve not with Activision, which is bizzarre because it was Activison's decision to have their game attached to Steamworks. But I guess they found features on steamworks that they felt MW2 would benefit from. VAC and Steam Cloud are a given. I'm only guessing this argument is about Security leading to Commercial exploitation of the steam clinet, because I understand that the only method of activating the game with Steamworks is through Steam, not any other third party download specialists, and obviously the only way to do this is to install the steam client.

That "Trojan Horse" being the inclusion of Steam's commercial marketplace.

But then I do understand this, maybe Valve in the future can make SteamWorks lite, which will only connect the game to the server and nothing else, but still retain the other features, such as Cloud and VAC?

[kupocake]

And I, for one, welcome our Digitally Distributed overlords. I'd like to remind them that as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves.

[FoxFire]

As much as I enjoy Steam, I can see where this is coming from.

Not only is it bad for D2D, but some people just aren't really interested in Steam. It just becomes something else to install.