Here’s the bad Mass Effect 3 news you were all expecting; the PC version of the game, whether attained through retail or digital distribution will require that horrible mess of a piece of s…oftware, Origin.
Worse news is that while the game will be available on competing digital distribution platform Steam, it’ll take a while to get there – so if you’re a PC gamer intent on playing Mass Effect 3 at or around launch date you’re forced to do so through Origin. In addition, the “Deluxe” digital version of the game will be exclusive to EA’s service.
“Origin is required for all PC editions of Mass Effect 3, physical or digital,” wrote Bioware’s Chris Priestly in a FAQ post. “Mass Effect 3 will require a one time, single authorization for the single player game. There is no limit to the number of installs. Playing Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer will require a constant connection.”
“During initial release Mass Effect 3 will be available on Origin and a number of other 3rd party digital retailers, but not on Steam at this time.” Well, Why not? “Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service,” he says “which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content. “
“We are intent on providing Mass Effect to players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play their game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with our consumers,” said Priestly.
Of course, we were all expecting this to happen. EA’s been trying its best to force the use of Origin on PC gamers since its release last year, which would be ok if it didn’t have such a terrible, buggy client. My own experiences with Origin have ranged from bad, to frustratingly mind-numbingly infuriating – so this is one I’ll happily play on console.
Last Updated: January 16, 2012