PETITION: Regarding FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam Version (Mar. 8)

[Lachesia]

You're completely wrong. Steam does not require developers to adhere to any form of DRM.

Did you even read the announcement? In case you didn't here's a refresher:

In order to align closely with Steam policies, we plan to implement a restricted login check process for Steam service account users.

[Affected]
FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam Version

[Changes]
Current:
FINAL FANTASY XIV Steam version clients can currently be opened directly without going through the Steam application and is possible to use the regular Windows version client application for Steam version service accounts.

After the change:
For Steam version service accounts, the FINAL FANTASY XIV client application will need to be started up from the Steam application's Play button. Any other method of direct startup will no longer be available.

[Time and Date of Implementation]
Late March 2019 (tentative)

We thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

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SquareEnix has a contractual agreement with Steam to follow and adhere to their policy guidelines in order to use the platform for their product. So No, Eli85 is correct. Steam does have a push for this. And quite literally the push is because while they make perhaps 20% revenue from SE for providing a platform for their game to be distributed (like Gamestop, Walmart, and other places you can buy SE products), they get more of their revenue through their advertisement and sale of OTHER games. Steam wants to continue that trend by forcing you to see 'alternative' games with the launcher (that big window that says 'NEW ON STEAM!' every time you open the dang thing.) This policy is motivated entirely by Steam wanting to keep their own cashflow going by getting those 'click tickets' and showing off other games in their arsenal outside of SE (Aion, Legion II, etc.)

If SE doesn't adhere to the agreement they made with Steam, Steam has the right to remove their product from their 'store', and that in and of itself means that Steam-account users are screwed, because you can no longer launch the game except from Steam and if Steam doesn't allow the game to be there because of a breach of terms, it will no longer be a platform available to gamers.

Square needs to allow us to CONVERT our Steam accounts into Basic Windows/PC accounts, or consider PC/Steam to be one in the same and stop double-selling the same product, on the same platform with a different access point.