Quote Originally Posted by NeoBlueFalcon View Post
Not necessarily. All the OP would have to do is find a regular retail copy of the game. Characters aren't locked to a specific platform. I went between PC and PS4 without a problem, all the OP has to do is register the regular retail copy with the same account.
I wish you were right, but you're not. If you buy a different platform, your account is still locked to Steam -- you need to start a new account on a new platform, thus you lose your old characters/account. (Or more exactly, they're still stuck on the Steam account.) You cannot just buy for a different platform and log on through what had been a Steam account.