Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate pull support due to Steamworks integration
IGN-owned digital games firm Direct2Drive is refusing to sell Modern Warfare 2 on PC because of its integration with Valve's Steamworks.
All PC copies of Modern Warfare 2 will come with Steamworks, not just the ones sold on Steam, and will benefit from Steamwork's variety of features, including community integration, updating, DRM and stat tracking.
However, the Steam online store is a direct competitor to Direct2Drive and similar digital services.
And Kotaku is reporting that other digital distributors, including Impulse and Gamersgate, have also pulled support for the title.
Direct2Drive told Kotaku:
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"At Direct2Drive, we believe strongly that when you buy a game from us, you shouldn't be forced to install and run a third party software client to be able to play the game you purchased. Because COD MW 2 requires you, the consumer, to do that, we aren't able to offer the game via Direct2Drive at this time.
"We don’t believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse."
Modern Warfare 2 is due for release on Tuesday and is being billed as the biggest entertainment launch of all time.
Comments
Wow, the PC drama with this game never ends!
Yet another installment in the drama of PC CoD:MW2. Just out of interest does anyone have any figures on the amount of PC version Pre-Orders that have been cancelled?
So to add to the list of CoD:MW2 PC fails:
Forces Steam installation
No lean function in-game (hey, why not regress gaming to Duke Nukem 3D and Doom?)
No developer console
No demo record
No dedicated servers
No modding
18 players max - vs 50 for CoD:MW
But... it does have amazing custom stuff for PC, like Mouse Control??? text chat in game and graphics setting. LOL!!
Bravo to the Digital Disty channels though, Imagine if all the HMV copies had an offer voucher for Game stores in them :)
IW: We don't need PC gamers anymore
So roughly 200,000 PC gamers signed the MW2 petition that stemmed from the lack of dedicated server support. Out of that number, there was no guarantee that any of the undersigned were actually boycotting the game to the point of non-purchase. And last I checked, this didn't phase IW's decisions in the slightest anyway. Even if half of those that signed decided not to buy the game, we're only talking about a loss of $6 million or so. You put those numbers up against what they lost to piracy (as if piracy will ever be completely defeated) and I'm sure that's an acceptable loss to Activision.
With the millions of copies for CoD4 that sold for the console, I can't honestly see Activision or IW changing direction. They set out with the attitude and intent of "if you don't like it, too bad" by not even publicly divulging 'minor' details such as lack of dedicated server support. Is it any surprise that they didn't cave in when the PC community went apeshit? I'm sure piracy had a lot to do with this attitude, more so than cheating or any of the other BS claims purported by IW.
It all boils down to money and the most efficient way to make it. If that means leaving out the core group of gamers that made the franchise what it is, then so be it -- I won't be buying this game. There's plenty of other games that I'll be more than happy to spend my money on. CoD sold its soul to the console. Fuck 'em. Good riddance.
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