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]

Bad idea

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]

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.

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.

 

[StarBob]

Legally it makes sense. It's basically the same principle as the only Netscape and other browsers had against Microsoft automatically using IE on Windows. The main difference is... Steam is, by a wide margin, the better product according to the vast majority. I guess it's also important that this isn't proprietary software like Microsoft and Windows, it's spread to non-valve games.

It's probably not right to have Steam as a requirement for any game, excluding possibly valve developed games... but the advantages Steam has (especially more recently in its life) are so clear and distinct I don't know how they could possibly sway their client base with all of this. Steam is great, Valve is top of the heap on developers and publishers, and as long as they keep delivering high quality and convenience, they'll stay that way.

edit: I think in the long run they're going to lose a ridiculous amount of sales by doing this. Modern Warfare 2 is set to be one of the top grossing PC games for a while. If you get steam with it anyways, won't they just lose even more market share? They're making themselves look shotty by not carrying a top tier game, so who would go there expecting to get one when Steam will have all the top games no matter what? Are they just hoping they lose so much market share that they can call Steam a monopoly and sue them? I wouldn't be surprised if that was the tactic... "Hey let's not spend any money competing, let's just give up and sue them until we can win without work."

 

[Eejit]

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.

Since they say "install a Trojan Horse" I suspect they're at the very least being deliberately ambiguous.

 

[Insano]

Since they say "install a Trojan Horse" I suspect they're at the very least being deliberately ambiguous.

That's how I interpreted it first as well (as malware, that is).

 

[Acepilotf14]

Direct2Drive went so far as to tell Kotaku "We don't believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse"

You mean like the D2D download manager?

 

[undertone]

You mean like the D2D download manager?

Well... no. You don't NEED to download the D2D download manager to play a game that D2D happens to sell. If you buy it from retail then you're off the hook.

The problem is that you must download steam if you're going to be buying MW2 from anywhere.

 

[DEATHMASTER]

That's tactical marketing

 

[Osilo]

This is just like Gamestop refusing to sell THQ games such as Warhammer 40k Dawn of War 2 because it used Steam DRM. They will get over it or they will lose sales. Steam offers a very nice service that appeals to users and let's them overlook the fact that their games do not have any second market value. This assures publishers that games will not be resold. Gamestop got over it and so will IGN, unless they plan on offering a better solution. That's my two cents, at least.

 

[Paulaner]

Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate are right, in my opinion. Why should they help a competitor? Steam becoming a monopoly is not something that I want to happen.

 

[Tagaziel]

Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate are right, in my opinion. Why should they help a competitor? Steam becoming a monopoly is not something that I want to happen.

So you'd rather have three crappy distribution platforms than one really good one?

 

[Eejit]

If they don't want Steam to have a monopoly they could try, I dunno, actually competing and providing a service half as good?

 

[Sloth]

Steamworks works as well as all the other features Steam has, D2D and all the rest either need to create a good platform or just keep on competing.

However, if Valve did become the grandest power of online distribution, it might not be such a bad thing.

 

[Kinslayer]

Requiring steam is bad. Just like requiring GFWL is bad. If people want a game, then they shouldn't be required to load up a completely unrelated service, regardless of how good that service is.

 

[Bluestrike]

So you'd rather have three crappy distribution platforms than one really good one?

I would rather have 3 good ones then one :-P

 

[Paulaner]

So you'd rather have three crappy distribution platforms than one really good one?

In my opinion, Steam is not better than D2D or Gamersgate. But that's just an opinion. They are all digital platforms, they are all DRM, everyone has pros and cons.

 

[Cyber$nake]

Requiring steam is bad. Just like requiring GFWL is bad. If people want a game, then they shouldn't be required to load up a completely unrelated service, regardless of how good that service is.

By that logic I would also say that it's wrong that most games require Windows.
:|

In my opinion, Steam is not better than D2D or Gamersgate. But that's just an opinion. They are all digital platforms, they are all DRM, everyone has pros and cons.

I suppose we can try to look at it objectively, but I really don't think there is any comparison; Steam IS superior. D2D doesn't come close to Steam's features, and they recently added a 5-time activation limit. However, D2D does seem to have a larger selection of games, which is a plus.

 

[Ennui]

Oh man, the butthurt this all reeks of is just priceless. Nonwithstanding the fact that this is a stupid business decision (D2D, Impulse etc lose potential customers who would purchase it digitally, driving them to Steam instead, where they will probably stay since Steam is superior in every way), what do they want to accomplish with this?

Also, this quote from the D2D's statement on the matter is hilariously ironic:

"We believe strongly that when you buy a game from us, you shouldn't be forced to install and run a 3rd party software client to be able to play the game you purchased"

Hmm... what do they think their download manager software / Comrade is?

 

[Tee Kyoo Em]

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