Oleg, Luthier, you need to give UBI a damn good bollocking.

[WTE_Galway]

Originally Posted by Novotny

It really does amaze me the number of people I would have thought were interested in CoD but who cannot countenance Steam. It's a pity. Oh well, things will always change, and at some point in our lives, we become resistant to change per se, and then we die. It has always been such and it always will be as such.

Farewell to those of you who cannot come along for the ride.

I think the whole point is that UBi see the big money being in 15 year old online gamer fanbois who already have every 1st person shooter in existence and already have steam.

What the community will lose out of this is the long term people with a vast historical background who are not gamers .. and what it will acquire is more online "Halo/Quake with wings" gamer types.

To be honest UBI will probably make WAY more money this way and is very unlikely to care about the occasional person that mainly plays offline and does not have or want steam.

[Novotny]

Actually, it's been suggested that 1C may be a force behind the requirement for Steam, but we don't know if there's any truth in that.

This Steam business is a little offtopic to the original thread title, or to your points. Nevertheless - as you've probably gathered - I think Steam is great. Kids that are into Halo have their consoles. As for mums that play farmville; well, I doubt they use Steam - is it something to do with this cougar expression? I'm not quite clear on how that comes into it.

At any rate, Steam is a godsend for gamers that like even playing fields and convenience, and also for developers who can circumnavigate piracy and reach greater audiences. If they choose to publish directly on it, they make a greater profit than they would going with conventional routes. Clearly, though, 1C are taking both journeys. I guess they've weighed it up and know what they are doing.

Anyways, I'd like our community to come with us, but recognise that change will always leave some at the wayside. Such is life.