No BF3 on Steam. No Origin. Join the boycott. Be one of the early adopters.

[gusone]

No BF3 on Steam. No Origin. Join the boycott. Be one of the early adopters.

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/EAoriginboycott

This is genuine attempt at creating a Steam EA Origin Boycott Group. Please join if you, like me, feel incredibly aggrieved by EA’s Battlefield 3 boycott on Valve’s Steam platform. Personally I find the bully boy EA tactics appalling especially after Steam saved PC gaming. This is about a massive corporation muscling in, stealing market share and leveraging off the millions of dollars Valve has invested in Steam over the last five years.

It is not so much the fact that Origin is yet another gaming platform it is the fact that we are being forced to use it to play Battlefield 3 if you want a digital version. This is a big deal but PC Gamers do have a large voice especially since Battlefield games sell more on PCs than consoles – so we should use it. Steam is the premier platform but it’s not a monopoly. You can buy digital games from a number of places. However, we all have 10’s or even 100’s of games on Steam and thanks to Steam we as a PC gaming community have been conditioned to accept digital downloads not to mention the friends social network is second to none. These are just two of the many reasons why we all love Steam.

Do you really think EA has PC Gamers interests at heart? … really? They’ve spent over $1.5bn on casual social games chasing the latest trend destroying massive shareholder value. They would ditch PC gaming in a minute as soon as it started making a loss while they continue to cosy up to Facebook - Bejeweled vs Zombiesville 9 is the future of PC Gaming right? Crysis 2 was pulled from Steam due to an exclusivity agreement with Direct2Drive breaching Steam's T&C's and then EA had the affront to sell it for even more on its own Origin platform. Furthermore the recently announced SWTOR Origin version has unique content (Star Wars: The Old Republic Digital Deluxe Edition) and cost $79.99 versus the packaged retail standard edition of $59.99... is this a joke? I'm not laughing and I’m not seeing the PC Gamer love and nor should you.

That’s not the way to do it. This is not the way PC Gamers work ... when did less become more? You all have an opportunity to tell EA “No. That’s not how it works. I don’t like what you are doing”. To be blunt if Steam is good enough for Activison’s Call of Duty franchise (whether you love it or hate it) then it’s good enough for Battlefield. And that’s the reality. The mighty Activision is still using Steam. Say’s a hell of a lot doesn’t it? The problem we have here is if other publishers start to do the same we're going to have 5+ platforms running - imagine having to log into 5 different social networks every day. Not to mention the stress on PCs running all these platforms in the background as they hoover up client usage data/stats and send it back to the marketing departments so that we get hammered with ads and spam. It’s a real possibility. Even today there is an article on a gaming website claiming that Steam EA game codes can be redeemed via Origin and that Origin loads the Steam overlay when you start the game (Dragon Age 2). This is just ridiculous. We just want Battlefield 3 on Steam. We have to say now… “Stop”.

Sadly, I fully expect Origin to be integrated into Battlefield 3 even in the packaged product so we cannot escape it even if you buy the disc - it's all about them capturing CRM data in their Nucleus database . All I can suggest is that you sign up to this boycott group (link below) and you pre-order the packaged version. At least don’t let EA have the extra profits and fatter margins that they would generate from a digital copy sold on Origin. .. $79.99 for a digital product really?

I’ll see you all on the Battlefield but this whole episode has left me deflated and not as excited as I should be to the forthcoming release of Battlefield 3. Bizarrely Modern Warfare 3 now has me more excited and that’s coming from a PC Gamer who has played every Battlefield game religiously since Battlefield 1942 came out a decade or so ago. And with Red Orchestra 2 out a month or two earlier Battlefield 3 already had its work cut out. The decision is being made easier by the day.

Me, I'm just a 40 year old PC gamer who is rather annoyed by all of this, yeah call me Victor Meldrew. But I really “don’t believe it”. DICE we love you… but EA… “Just stop” . Please tell your friends (friends of friends etc) and get them to join the group. It's time for some organised protest old school style . Everything starts off small but hopefully it will snowball into a PC Gamer movement that wants to speak up for PC Gamers. To make this happen please post the Steam Group link in any articles, blogs, Youtubes, twitters, Facebook etc about Battlefield 3. If you've the time then why not do it to other EA games. Let’s remind people we don’t have to accept this.

Remember it will not end here. Mass Effect 3 will be next. It's time to act... The PC Gamer community needs you all now.

The Steam EA Origin Boycott Group

[Wizardry]

Boycott Origin? This is 1999 all over again!

[SMiD]

Boycott Origin? This is 1999 all over again!

BOOM. Now drop the mic and walk off stage. Leave 'em guessing.

[Smashbox]

Speaking of conditioning, the idea that you should pre-order the game in any form is patently ridiculous. Is there any other comparable product you buy that you pay for months in advance?

[Mihkel]

I sure hope that this doesn't turn out like this did.
mw2-boycott-fail.jpg

[SMiD]

I sure hope that this doesn't turn out like this did.
mw2-boycott-fail.jpg

My money's on it happening just like that. Shit, if they were clever, they'd add the game's .exe manually and call it 'Duck Tales'.

[Vandelay]

Speaking of conditioning, the idea that you should pre-order the game in any form is patently ridiculous. Is there any other comparable product you buy that you pay for months in advance?

You can pre-order DVDs, CDs. Tickets for a cinema trip can be made, maybe not months, but weeks in advance. The pre-order market for games maybe bigger than those, but it isn't unique.

As for boycotting, when was the last time you bought a Valve product from any other download service than Steam? They might be singling Steam out, but they are providing more choice than Valve do for their products.

[mR.Waffles]

Everyone who joins the boycott will buy the game if it is good, just like everyone always does. I remember in 2004 everyone's outrage at Half-Life 2 forcing users to install steam. Oh, look it's 2011 and everyone loves it. This is the reason my steamid is a six digit, I played on WON until I was forced to move over. Steam's service early on was poor, but over time it became amazing and I'm glad I was forced to switch over. A little competition never hurt anyone.

Also the purpose of the pre-order from the perspective of EA is to project expected sales, build appropriate server infrastructure before hand, and to test the transaction systems. From the perspective of the user the purpose is to secure early access beta invites. It is a win win.

[Smashbox]

You can pre-order DVDs, CDs. Tickets for a cinema trip can be made, maybe not months, but weeks in advance.

Do you purchase these things in advance? My only point is that the games retail and publishing industry has made a serious years-long push to make pre-ordering (letting them collect interest on your money) the new normal.

[Teddy Leach]

I'm preordering from Amazon. If I can't get something on Steam, I look elsewhere for a copy, either DD or physical. I don't piss and moan and boycott it. Not being on Steam is not the be-all-and-end-all, and nor is having to use origin. It's exactly the same way you were forced to use Steam back in the olden days. It's going to happen, whether you boycott it or not.

[coldvvvave]

Bees against honey.

[Rii]

But ... I already have Origin installed.

[G915]

Congrats on 2 members :)

[Kadayi]

I like Steam, but given I've had to deal with GFWL & the Rockstar social before I'm not against Origin. I already have it there anyway (it was previously the EADM). It's no biggie. Sure it would be great to have BF3 on Steam, but I'm not going to cry tears about it.

[sinister agent]

Congrats on 2 members :)

How is Gabe these days?

[J Arcane]

Didn't we already have this thread?

I sure hope that this doesn't turn out like this did.
mw2-boycott-fail.jpg

I hate that picture. I hate it because it's utterly misleading. That list is only 50 of 833 members in that group, a list sorted by who's currently online and playing a game, which means it's actually weighted towards showing the hypocrites over the hundreds of other members like me who in fact did not buy that piece of shit.

But what I hate even more than that fact is the part where it's been used time and time again since that day, all over the web, as an excuse for the most base cynicism and the most baseless slander.

It's a bad picture, it doesn't even say what you think it does, and all it does is allow you to hide behind false evidence to baselessly insult people.

Stop it.

[Megagun]

Wow, this thread is amazing. A boycott Origin group. On Steam, which is... pretty much equal to Origin, except bigger and older.

You do realize that Origin is essentially the Humble Indie Bundle, right? Cutting out the middle man, making sure that they get more profits out of games?

If Origin fails, EA might decide to get out of the PC gaming business. If EA's business decision turns out to be not-so-profitable, they'll cut their losses and focus on things that are more profitable. Wether that is PC gaming, console gaming, or facebook gaming, doesn't matter. EA, just like any business, is a business: they're in it for the money. Everyone is. Honestly. You know why? Because at the end of the day, people need to be fed. People need money.

You want to see PC gaming thrive? Support Origin like you support Steam.

[TillEulenspiegel]

If Origin fails, EA might decide to get out of the PC gaming business.

Oh noes! Anything but that!

You want to see PC gaming thrive? Support Origin like you support Steam.

I want to see good games. More good games. One tiny sale has essentially zero influence on a hyperglobalmegacorp like EA, so if I'm trying to make a statement of support, I'll do it elsewhere.

Everything else is just business, seeing as it's also just business to them. I couldn't possibly give a fuck how it benefits you. How does it benefit me? This is how people make choices.

[Smashbox]

Wow, this thread is amazing. A boycott Origin group. On Steam, which is... pretty much equal to Origin, except bigger and older.

I do appreciate your comment's general sentiment, but I think that it's a false equivalency. Yes they are storefronts/social hubs/DRM systems, but Valve, as a non public company with a better track record on listening to and focusing on customers, is a much more appealing place to spend my money. It's not up to the fans of the medium to subsidize future entertainment by spending their money differently as new stores muscle their way in.

It's like saying, If you like Rubbermaid products, you must spend your money at Wal-Mart, or there might not be Rubbermaid products at some future time.

Edit: As a public company, it's EA's responsibility to squeeze as much from you as they can. They literally are required to do that.

[The Mechanical Aggressor]

Personally I find the bully boy EA tactics appalling especially after Steam saved PC gaming. This is about a massive corporation muscling in, stealing market share and leveraging off the millions of dollars Valve has invested in Steam over the last five years.

This is nonsense. What you've described is simply normal competitive market activity, not "bully boy tactics". There's no such thing as "stealing market share" as that implies that Valve is somehow entitled to a certain amount of market share. If Valve lose market share to EA, too bad for them. Also, EA aren't "muscling in", they're merely taking responsibility for distributing their own games and they've been in the market for years. EA isn't leveraging anything off Steam with Origin, in fact it's exactly the opposite. They're getting away from Steam.

It is not so much the fact that Origin is yet another gaming platform it is the fact that we are being forced to use it to play Battlefield 3 if you want a digital version.

There are many games that force you to install Steam even if you buy the boxed version, let alone a digital version. You're using double standards when comparing Origin to Steam.

Do you really think EA has PC Gamers interests at heart? … really? They’ve spent over $1.5bn on casual social games chasing the latest trend destroying massive shareholder value. They would ditch PC gaming in a minute as soon as it started making a loss while they continue to cosy up to Facebook - Bejeweled vs Zombiesville 9 is the future of PC Gaming right? Crysis 2 was pulled from Steam due to an exclusivity agreement with Direct2Drive breaching Steam's T&C's and then EA had the affront to sell it for even more on its own Origin platform. Furthermore the recently announced SWTOR Origin version has unique content (Star Wars: The Old Republic Digital Deluxe Edition) and cost $79.99 versus the packaged retail standard edition of $59.99... is this a joke? I'm not laughing and I’m not seeing the PC Gamer love and nor should you.

EA want to make money. So do Valve. EA don't care about you. Nor do Valve. If Valve's games did not sell on PC, they would ditch the PC too, and they'd be stupid not to. Stop humanizing profit making corporations. PC gamer love? Really?!! Pull yourself together man!

Sadly, I fully expect Origin to be integrated into Battlefield 3 even in the packaged product so we cannot escape it even if you buy the disc - it's all about them capturing CRM data in their Nucleus database . All I can suggest is that you sign up to this boycott group (link below) and you pre-order the packaged version. At least don’t let EA have the extra profits and fatter margins that they would generate from a digital copy sold on Origin. .. $79.99 for a digital product really?

More double standards. Valve are allowed to integrate their distribution platform with their games, but EA aren't. Valve are allowed to make a bigger margin by selling directly to the costumer but EA aren't. Steam is allowed to capture user information, but EA isn't.

Me, I'm just a 40 year old PC gamer who is rather annoyed by all of this, yeah call me Victor Meldrew. But I really “don’t believe it”. DICE we love you… but EA… “Just stop” . Please tell your friends (friends of friends etc) and get them to join the group. It's time for some organised protest old school style . Everything starts off small but hopefully it will snowball into a PC Gamer movement that wants to speak up for PC Gamers. To make this happen please post the Steam Group link in any articles, blogs, Youtubes, twitters, Facebook etc about Battlefield 3. If you've the time then why not do it to other EA games. Let’s remind people we don’t have to accept this.

You seem to think you're fighting against some great social injustice. You're not. There's no issue here at all. What are you fighting against? EA making more money? Valve making less money? What exactly is the issue that you need organized protest to combat?