D2D, Impulse, Gamersgate boycott MW2

By Robert Purchese Published 6 November, 2009

Not happy with Valve's Steamworks.

Digital distributors Direct2Drive, Impulse and Gamersgate have decided not to sell Modern Warfare 2, as the game requires installation of Valve's Steamworks tools.

"We don't believe games should force the user to install a Trojan Horse," D2D told Kotaku.

Steamworks was announced for Modern Warfare 2 just weeks ago. Infinity Ward's mammoth shooter is Valve's most glamorous supporter yet. The tools fulfil an array of functions: game authentication, auto-patches, updates, achivements, anti-cheating and persistent player saves via the Steam Cloud.

But D2D - unhappy with the forced installation of software from its rival - will continue to boycott Steamworks games until Valve "decouples its retail marketplace" from the tools.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (38) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Inspirius #1 2 years ago

    Of course they had no problem selling Dawn of War 2, Saints Row 2 and a host of other games that all use Steamworks.

  • thedaveeyres #2 2 years ago

    Cutting off their nose to spite their face.

  • Vistrix #3 2 years ago

    Makes sense.

    I love Steam but it should be optional. Just like other similar products are with some games (e.g. Xfire).

  • davisorle #4 2 years ago

    Glad they boycott MW2. Just being good isnt enough. Just like being tallented yet lazy and incapable to take advantage of it doesnt stop you from being a loser or a retard. Thats exactly how I see ppl behind the decisions made for MW2.

  • Mooglepies #5 2 years ago

    It seems nothing is going right for the PC version of MW2. Shame it's not going to matter.

    *Is predominantly a PC gamer*

  • VicViper #6 2 years ago

    Its was begining to get a little ridiculus how everywhere steam was getting, I know it works well but you still need some competition.

    And yes I have steam but also Impluse as that were I get my Sins of a Solar Empire updates etc, the PC is all about choice (unless its Modern Warfare 2 where its instead we've already chosen for you choice)

  • JonFE #7 2 years ago

    A couple of points:

    1. By boycotting the game altogether, D2D are driving potential customers right into the lion’s (Valve) mouth. Isn’t that what they wanted to avoid?

    2. IW chose Steamworks for a reason. D2D’s issue should be with them, not Valve. Calling Steamworks a Trojan Horse seems a bit rich.

  • smernicki #8 2 years ago

    i'm sure activision will be devastated...

  • absolutezero #9 2 years ago

    Installing a game that uses Steamworks on a PC that has no former Steam installation will fully install the Steam client. Most poeple will launch said game by opening the Steam client and clicking on the short-cut in the Games tab. Now when you first open Steam it opens on the Store Page, much like when you first turn on a 360 it loads up the Welcome page. Factor in the weekly sales of silly prices and the amount of people launching Steam everyday and looking at the new deals will increase sales by some margin. This is a good thing for Valve but a bad thing for everyone else trying to sell games in a Digital fashion. Not stocking a game at all is rather foolish however because those people are going to get Steam either way.

  • Teamallstar #10 2 years ago

    How sad. It is like they are hammering nails into their own coffin.

    It is like a small child throwing a tantrum.

  • Pirotic #11 2 years ago

    Steamworks enables features which wouldn't have been included if they had to developer there own bespoke system from scratch. They are just worried that once Steam is installed on the system, they'll probably use that in future instead of there own distribution method, which is fair enough. You wouldn't expect GAME to put your purchase in a Gamestation bag.

  • Widge #12 2 years ago

    D2D's download system was SUCKYBALLS when I tried to use it, no wonder there is this fear of something that actually works taking over.

  • Freek #13 2 years ago

    Sure, they don't want their costumer to know about other online download systems, to protect their market share. But to spin that into some lame excuse about protecting costumers from a "trojan horse" is utter bullsh*t.

  • photoboy #14 2 years ago

    Sounds like they're stuck whichever way they turn. Either they sell it and give Steam free promotion or they don't sell it and lose out on sales (and probably drive consumers onto Steam anyway). Either way they lose.

    I wonder if they felt emboldened by the vocal complaints about MW2 on the PC? They maybe decided that making a stand with an "unpopular" game would give them some street cred and free publicity, particularly by painting Steam as some sort villain in this.
    Edited by 1 at 06/11/09 @ 13:03

  • Xeopuppy #15 2 years ago

    I'll just buy it from Steam then, job done...

    I bought Saints Row 2 from D2D and it installed in steam, now I don't have to get it from D2D again, if I need to reinstall.

    Funny I still don't see a problem...

  • neilka #16 2 years ago

    Do you get achivements for growing particularly good herbs?

  • Santino #17 2 years ago

    "Now when you first open Steam it opens on the Store Page"

    just a quick correction but mine always opens at my games list.

  • StooMonster #18 2 years ago

    "Installing a game that uses Steamworks on a PC that has no former Steam installation will fully install the Steam client."

    Can't say I know any PC gamers who buy games who do not have Steam already installed on their PC, how does this make a difference?

  • dsmx #19 2 years ago

    By default steam opens on the store page but you can change it to whatever you want it to open on.

  • jambo74 #20 2 years ago

    A: D2D, Impulse, Gamersgate will lose thousands in comission.
    B: The number if MW2 units sold wil not be damaged
    C: They lose

  • General_Zod #21 2 years ago

    I have bought every 3rd party game that has used steamworks I will not be buying MW2 though. I can see where they are coming from, Steam is in a dominant position right now and getting games like MW2 on board will only increase their market share. If Valve wanted to be extra nice they would release a version of steam with no store front and only used the steamworks services. The words cold, day and hell spring to mind when I think of that scenario though.

  • DaemonSpawn #22 2 years ago

    Funny. As if people who want to buy MW2 will not buy it if the some second tier digital distribution systems (mostly Impulse) refuse to sell the game. They will just go to retailers or (more likely) to Steam itself. Job done.

    Their position is understandable, but methods are close to idiotic. If you don't like Steamworks - gather together and develop open independent online platform of same functionality and quality. Then create support team and diverse licensing programs for different developers (from indies to Activision-likes). Then market it accordingly. And then fucking bitch on Valve!

    Valve used its own funds for Steamworks development so why should they promote some other DD systems after all?

  • Zaiz #23 2 years ago

    And D2D downloads always have DRM preserved! I'm amused that they call Steam a "trojan."

    On the other hand, Batman Arkham Asylum on Steam has DRM of its own alongside Steam, which seemed excessive to me. As in it seemed completely absurd. As in, will games I buy in the store soon start coming with two DRMs jammed in there? And the box covered in that infernal plastic they use on new music CDs?

  • gjgjg #24 2 years ago

    MW2 seems to be becoming a turning point for a couple of things in the PC realm

  • Teamallstar #25 2 years ago

    @Pirotic

    Gamestation is a part of Game Group Stores Ltd, which also owns GAME. They are the same company with the same head office with the same depot where all the games come from...

    Sorry to destroy the illusion...

  • GreyBeard #26 2 years ago

    The key point is that if they refuse to stock a massively high profile title like MW2, they won't think twice about doing the same for a smaller title. It's a blocking move.

  • Freek #27 2 years ago

    Yeah, but they're already selling smaller titles that use Steam, like Saints Row 2. They just seem to want to hook into all the attention MW2 is getting for it's lack of dedicated servers.

  • Buran #28 2 years ago

    Really doesn't matter because the PC sales of MW 2 will FLOP.

  • crozon #29 2 years ago

    "Really doesn't matter because the PC sales of MW 2 will FLOP."

    have a look at the steam charts left4dead2, dragon age, borderlands, mass effect outselling "one of the biggest" games of the year.

  • Bazfrag #30 2 years ago

    Their tears sustain me.

  • ph101 #31 2 years ago

    valve must be quaking.

  • cairbre1977 #32 2 years ago

    Steam is too expensive. You can buy Dragon Age in HMV for €40 but steam sell it for €49. That just does not make sense to

  • icematt12 #33 2 years ago

    Well, I like the services Steam provides. But if some people want to get together and produce a decent rival then I am all for it. Gabe has probably done a War Meeting already, so I wait to see the retalitary strike. Still, more money for Valve with hopefully some diverted to free DLC for their games out already.

    I rarely buy games from Steam that I can get from stores, but I think I can see their reasoning why they decide to charge slightly more. Not saying I agree, but more of a guess why.
    Edited by 2 at 07/11/09 @ 00:33

  • Quixz #34 2 years ago

    It's so funny how Acti/IW are trying so had to stop their game from being the best selling game of all time.

  • Sar #35 2 years ago

    How the hell is having it use Steam crippling it?

    Half these comments sound like typical nerdrage to me - and D2D's comments are ridiculous.

    Dragon Age on Steam is £29.99 or £39.99 for the Deluxe version - cheaper than some retail outlets.

  • lockload #36 2 years ago

    You shouldnt have to install a full steam client to play a game, there should be a distribution version for this kind of scenario

    Seriously it would be like Asda selling a game with a leaflet in the box with a freephone number to buy games direct from sainsburys, retarded.
    Edited by 1 at 08/11/09 @ 02:06

  • actionfitz #37 2 years ago

    huzzah!
    fuck you Modern Wank 2!

  • hiddenranbir #38 2 years ago

    Solidarity brothers!

    Games need to be neutral among distributors. Yes, it is great money maker to lock a gamer into your store but I'm sure as this industry grows, laws will catch up and bring fairness back into it.

    Services need to be content neutral(except first party ofc)
    Edited by 1 at 08/11/09 @ 12:27