Instead, EA reps tell Kotaku that it was Steam’s “business terms” that resulted in Crysis 2 being removed from Valve’s platform.
“It’s unfortunate that Steam has removed Crysis II from their service,” reads a statement from the publisher. “This was not an EA decision or the result of any action by EA.”
“Steam has imposed a set of business terms for developers hoping to sell content on that service – many of which are not imposed by other online game services. Unfortunately, Crytek has an agreement with another download service which violates the new rules from Steam and resulted in its expulsion of Crysis II from Steam. “
“Crysis II continues to be available on several other download services including Origin.com.”
Kotaku has contacted Valve seeking clarification on Steam’s business terms and the future availability of EA games through Steam.
SuperFred
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 9:27 AMWell, shit. Valve instituting new sales rules to make sure that they and only they monopolise the market with their region-specific pricing?
Come on, Gabean Defence Force – let’s see you lap this up.
Fred The Oyster
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:15 AMConstricting rules to ensure platform control and market monopolistic power – could it be that Steam has acutally been Apple’s AppStore in disguise all along? Is Gabe Newell simply Steve Jobs in a fat suit or after a temporary beesting-related allergic reaction? They’re never seen in the same room, after all…
Stapler
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 11:38 AMAll of Origin content is regionally priced. And region price discrimination is up to the publisher not Valve.
Just wanted to clear that up.
Alinos
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:02 PMUm fact is that Origin is more expensive to australians :(
The prices as they were
US steam 60
AU steam 70
AU Origin 80
matt30822
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 9:33 AMAfter all that bitching and slagging off at EA yesterday and now it turns out that valve was the big bad wolf…
I think some people owe EA an apology…
Braaains
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 9:43 AMWell I guess it’s Kotaku which owes EA the apology, since the original story was reported as EA pulling the game from Steam, not Valve kicking it out.
Come on, Mr Serrels – start grovelling!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m_Dt–bSUk
Leper
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:23 AMI’m not sure why you’re blaming Valve here, since given the quoted information Crytek is at fault by violating their prior agreement with Valve regarding selling Crysis 2 over Steam.
Sure, Valve’s agreement with Crytek sounds like it does contain some unnecessarily restrictive conditions, but then again Crytek presumably had no problem with those conditions when it initially agreed to sell Crysis 2 over Steam.
Cameron
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:01 AMI think we need more information here, something is very fishy…… Look at all the other EA games what makes Crysis 2 (and Alice) so special? It’s no different to say Mass Effect 2 in terms of availability, If you look at games like The Witcher 2 and it being available DRM free on gog.com, you’ve got to think what on earth they would be doing, with these games specifically, to have them expelled?
Doraiya
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:19 AMI bet they wanted to release exclusive DLC on Origin and Valve didn’t want to let exclusives remain available to a single service.
Either way I will not be buying a single game from Origin.
matt30822
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:35 AMYou do know that almost all EA games have had their DLC on their own marketplace before anyway. Mass Effect had pinnacle station only on EA Download and it’s still up on steam, same goes for Mass Effect 2 and plenty of other EA games. BC2 seemed to be an exception to this rule with vietnam however…
Mase
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:26 AMThis doesn’t change my opinion from the last article. Steam was cheaper (As Bajo from ABC’s Good Game pointed out on Twitter: Steam $69 – EA $80). So what if new rules are in place? For the first time in our greed fueled existence, a company had united a lot of AAA to Indy companies under one system that ended up being cheaper for the consumer. EA removed themselves from that market and increased their prices. Don’t be fooled by EA’s spin tactics and look at the difference with your own eyes for once
Dissection
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:27 AMI’d say it would be contractual trickery by EA to put Valve in a position where it would have been best to drop Crysis 2 from their store.
Most likely, Crytek signed an agreement with EA’s Origin service (EA would have sweetened the pot as well) giving them exclusive rights to things whether it be DLC or whatever and Valve’s conditions would have been for developers to not give other services exclusivity on anything.
Well that’s my guess…
Seegrey
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:34 AMI’m betting it was something like “… no, you can’t set steam prices higher than your own mandatory service. Do you think we’re stupid?” or similar, which is technically steams fault but still not really steams fault. It’s like blaming someone for breaking your arm while pulling you out of the path of a train.
Rod
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:50 AMYeah, I’m seeing a lot of weasel-wording here… be interesting to see what the clauses were that led to this.
Mark Serrels
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:51 AMAgreed. I’m trying to get an interview to clear things up. Stay tuned.
Simon
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:53 AMIf you interview Gabe, finish it with a question about Half-Life Episode 3. I’m sure he’s never heard that one before, he’d probably love it.
AerintheGREAT
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 1:12 AMRemember, accuse them of Lying first to see what evidence you need… then if you don’t have it go ahead and Doubt them…
Going right for the Doubt sometimes results in yelling and outrageous accusations of murder and child molestation… and we don’t wanna go there. At least not until you get more dirt on ‘em…
Cody
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 12:52 PMMy thoughts exactly, weasel words! Way to “explain” the situation without explaining anything at all.
Here’s hoping it’s just a tactic to get some leverage and it’s coming back to Steam.
Kyle_Katarn
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:52 PMhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCDoBvG1HoI
Simon
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 10:52 AMI hope I can still download Crysis 2 from Steam since I already own it.
AerintheGREAT
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 1:08 AMI’d like to know how that will be handled too.
glen
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 11:15 AMInterested in this story. Giving Valve the benefit of the doubt because its usually the publisher screwing me over and not steam itself .
Alinos
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:06 PMSeems like Valve isn’t the one at fault here to me it’s crytek or EA.
If valve had made these changes and taken issue, one would think that a bunch of other games would have vamoosed as well.
I’d say something to do with pricing disparity yet again.
Edward
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:34 PMI would put money that the ‘terms’ that forced Crysis 2 from steam where the terms that would cost EA money.
Steam loses money by removing a AAA title from its store. EA (the publisher), gains money from having it on its store.
strange how its also only EA games that seem to be affected by these “new terms” too???
Cymelion
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:53 PMSigh and I really wanted to play Alice :(
Kyle_Katarn
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 1:54 PMSomething I found that’s rather… shall we say “interesting” about the Origin terms of Service.
http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/termsofsale/US/en/PC/
Specifically:
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/3333/1308102784038.jpg
Make of it what you will…
nozlaf
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 4:06 PMthis has been the case with the EA online store(s) for some time. only 1 year of access to the stuff you buy online, glhf if you forget to backup before the 1 year is up
Alinos
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 4:46 PMwere you checking to ensure that you wouldn’t be made into a EA Zombie slave :P
Asuron
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 3:05 PMWhy is it that I have the suspicion that EA pulled something so that they deliberately messed up the agreement.
Who am i gonna trust here. The company which looks out for gamers, giving us great deals,great games and doesn’t burn franchises to the ground or give it to the company that does
Yeah I’m gonna think EA pulled some bullshit here to avoid looking like the bad guy
smithdogg
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 7:17 PMtotally agree here – surely Valve deserves the benefit of the doubt here….
Ezkaton
Thursday, June 16, 2011 at 6:42 PMDoes this mean future Crysis 2 patches won’t have a Steam release? Or will Crysis 2 and its content still be downloadable through Steam to people who already own it?
AerintheGREAT
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 1:03 AMWithout more details there’s no way to know what’s going on… if what EA is saying is true then I can’t imagine why any other widely-available games are on Steam. To me the available evidence doesn’t quite fit the story…
Sagarat
Friday, June 17, 2011 at 4:44 AM“”Steam has imposed a set of business terms for developers hoping to sell content on that service – many of which are not imposed by other online game services.”"
This is suspiciously vague. One of these terms could be that Australian prices are in line with US prices, but EA wants to charge Australians more, like they do on Origin.com.
Wil
Monday, June 20, 2011 at 2:30 AMYeah I won’t be buying from Origin. I would use bit torrent before I use that.