Please allow Steam License holders to buy a standalone PC License.

[Youkulm]

Bumping the thread back up. Would appreciate a response from a community rep as to why they're going to block mixed region and linux users.

[Vahlnir]

Bumping the thread back up. Would appreciate a response from a community rep as to why they're going to block mixed region and linux users.

Considering they introduce themselves and then are never heard from again I wouldn't get your hopes up in regards to a response.

[Youkulm]

Wont stop me from trying.

[worldofneil]

As a user with both Steam and non-Steam Windows licences, this upcoming change really concerns me.

TL;DR version: None of these Steam restrictions were in place or mentioned when I purchased my Steam service account in 2014 and I don't feel it's unreasonable for any of us to have a way to switch our accounts non-Steam as they keep adding more and more restrictions to it.

Much longer version (and kudos to anyone who actually reads it all): My original Windows account is from 2010 (1.0) and I bought an additional Steam service account in 2014 (2.28). I have a constant subscription for both. However, I made the "mistake" of putting both of them on the same Square Enix account, because that's what Square Enix suggested I do. They allow you have to 8 service accounts under the same main account so they all share the same login details and one-time password and it's a convenient way to manage them all at once.

However, as we all know, in 2015 when Heavensward came out it was announced we had to buy the expansions on Steam... something that they'd never mentioned until this point. Even though the game was purchased over a year earlier it seemed wrong to just mention this now, but okay so that's not a big deal... purchase expansion on Steam... done. It didn't personally affect me, but I remember at the time a lot of people were very upset as they wanted to get the physical collectors editions and they couldn't without having to also buy the game again on Steam.

But then in 2019 Square Enix made another change requiring us to now launch the game from Steam or it wouldn't work. I asked Square Enix support how I was supposed to handle this having one service account on Steam and one not on Steam and their reply "You'll need to install the game twice".

Thankfully it turned out that implementation was pretty basic and it was just a simple parameter being passed to the launcher, so all I had to do was launch the Steam service account from Steam and for the non-Steam one I can just run ffxivboot.exe directly from the same installation. Phew. But frequently when starting the game I forget which service account it was on last and if it's on the wrong one the game throws you right out, instead of just back to the menu. Argh! It's also very frustrating that for 5 years I was able to switch service accounts/characters with a simple /logout, data centers, select new service account, back in. But now I have to completely shutdown the game and go back in from the launcher and do the username/password/one-time password checks etc. It only adds a few extra minutes, but it's just annoying after 5 years of not having to do that.

And now Square Enix are adding in further integration, although have left us with many questions as they haven't explained how this process will actually work.

I've asked Square Enix support how this will affect me and if linking my account will then lock out my non-Steam service account and they replied very basically:

You will still be able to log into the Windows Launcher to play on your other Service Accounts but you will only be able to launch FFXIV from the Steam account you choose to link to your SQUARE ENIX ID.

So although that sounds like they're not worried and I'll be able to play... I can't help but still feel concerned as that still seems somewhat unclear.

People keep saying this is Steam's fault, not Square Enix, but I don't see how. Square Enix make the game, they also dictate how it runs/functions. None of the announcement say it's Steam requirements either. The game is popular enough that it doesn't have to be on Steam to continue to sell and if anything, Steam would probably be begging SE to keep it on Steam so they still get a percentage of sales. Maybe they're in an agreement, but agreements don't last forever and get renewed/changed all the times, so there's plenty of opportunity for Square Enix to change this and let us out of this Steam/convert our licence. It's crazy that it's 2021 and people can't still change region, but that's another battle...

Originally the 2019 announcements said those change were because of Steam, but after Steam confirming it was nothing to do with them Square Enix quietly updating the lodestone to say it was actually because of them. At least this time they straight away say this is their changes. This is from my original post from 2019 where I contacted Steam to ask why (click the blue symbol in the quote to get to see it in full):

People have also said about how they're looking forward to it so they won't have to log in any more... there's no indication of that all. They would have said that if it was going to make your life easier, this is just another level of restrictions being added to your account.

Sorry for the very long post, largely just expressing my annoyance, but I'm a long term player of this game, with 2 constant subscriptions. I just want to play the game without worrying what hoops I will have to jump through next.

Please Square Enix give us a way to merge or add a standard non-Steam Windows licence to our accounts. Although legally you can change the terms of your game and we always have the option to stop playing, that shouldn't be our only option.

[Ransu]

It doesn't work perfectly fine. Some people have either not access to their Steam account for one reason or another. Or have Regional differences because they moved and this would potentially lock them out of their SE account just because Steam / SE felt like introducing this linking procedure down the line without offering help.

It literally works perfectly fine. If you lost your steam account that's on you. I have no idea how that could even happen outside of you getting banned......which in that case good riddance.

[Jojoya]

Bumping the thread back up. Would appreciate a response from a community rep as to why they're going to block mixed region and linux users.

The reason was stated in the Lodestone notice - fraud prevention.

I really don't understand why so many people are so loyal to Steam when Steam policy is the underlying cause of the problem. They want your money. They're not going to give up access to your wallet easily. They write that into their contracts with companies who want their games sold through Steam. They write that into their terms and conditions with Steam account holders.

I stopped buying games through Steam several years ago unless Steam was the only way to purchase a game I wanted. A couple of my favorite games I repurchased outside of Steam so my ability to play them wouldn't be hindered by Steam issues. Starting over from scratch was far better than leaving Steam in control of my game access.

Those who are affected by the upcoming change have a choice - continue to leave Steam's ever changing terms and conditions controlling your access, or free yourselves once and for all even if it means starting over with a new license. Being veteran players with friends in the game, starting over really is not that difficult a task.

What would be even better is if SE ended their contract relationship with Steam completely. That would allow them to offer current Steam users a standard PC license since their old platform would no longer be supported. As long as Steam is supported as a platform, those who insist on purchasing their licenses through Steam will be left chained to it.

People keep saying this is Steam's fault, not Square Enix, but I don't see how. Square Enix make the game, they also dictate how it runs/functions.

Valve has a contract with SE to sell/run the game that supports their financial interests. SE doesn't get to have complete autonomy about sales if they're using the Valve as a sales agent.

SE has no reason to object to having both license types on a single service account - they make money regardless.

Valve, solely a middleman for gaming transactions, has plenty of reasons to object if you're allowed to bypass their platform to make your purchases. They won't make a profit when you buy outside their platform. It's in Valve's interest to prevent you from being able to do that.

If you want to talk fault, ultimately it's the player's fault for choosing to use Steam as a middleman for their game transactions. If you don't want to deal with the nonsense, you shouldn't buy through Steam when you can buy through other retailers or even the game company directly.

[colnix]

and why should i start over and over again?
i should grind eureka ans boha once more? all relics? thx for suggestion, i'll pass.

[Jojoya]

and why should i start over and over again?
i should grind eureka ans boha once more? all relics? thx for suggestion, i'll pass.

Which is your choice - stay bound to the terms and conditions of your Steam account to retain access to what you acquired through your Steam license.

Just stop complaining that you're stuck using Steam when you didn't need to go through Steam to play the game in the first place.

[worldofneil]

Valve has a contract with SE to sell/run the game that supports their financial interests. SE doesn't get to have complete autonomy about sales if they're using the Valve as a sales agent.

Which is still on Square Enix for choosing to also distribute the game via Steam.

Maybe in the past it was a good way for them to get sales, especially after the disaster of 1.0, but the game is now popular enough that it would do just fine without Steam.

Whatever contract was in place with Steam is not eternal, it will have a set number of years on it and if it continues then that's still on Square Enix for continuing that contract.

One example of a popular game that used to be on Steam, but is now on another store (Epic Games) is Rocket League.

From the Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2...Rocket_League/

Notice: At the request of the publisher, Rocket League® is unlisted on the Steam store and will not appear in search.

Psyonix (now part of Epic games) chose to remove the game from Steam. Since SE could do the same, but continue to sell through Steam, this licence mess is still totally on them.

SE has no reason to object to having both license types on a single service account - they make money regardless.

Well they'd get more money if they didn't have to cut Steam in, but my question is why does the Steam version keep getting additional restrictions?

Having the expansion purchases tied to Steam is one thing, Steam continues to get a cut each time there's an expansion, but why force all these login requirements on us when it just annoys the players, or in some case like the Linux players may stop them from being able to play at all.

Valve, solely a middleman for gaming transactions, has plenty of reasons to object if you're allowed to bypass their platform to make your purchases. They won't make a profit when you buy outside their platform. It's in Valve's interest to prevent you from being able to do that.

And yet when asked about it Valve denied making these restrictions (see my post above) as well as SE own Lodestone posts saying that they Square Enix are the ones making these changes.

If you want to talk fault, ultimately it's the player's fault for choosing to use Steam as a middleman for their game transactions. If you don't want to deal with the nonsense, you shouldn't buy through Steam when you can buy through other retailers or even the game company directly.

Yes thank you, hindsight is a wonderful thing that I wish I could have taken advantage of when they bought in these Steam specific changes (2015, 2019 and 2022) years after I actually bought the game (2014).

This could have gone the other way too, with Square Enix adding in extra restrictions to non-Steam accounts, but leaving the Steam accounts alone in which case you'd be saying "well you shouldn't have bought direct from Square Enix".

If a company changes how the product functions after it has been purchased, the consumer has a right to be upset and complain about it.

[Arkevorkhat]

...
Just stop complaining that you're stuck using Steam when you didn't need to go through Steam to play the game in the first place.

Ah yes, because it was totally made clear that purchasing on steam would add all of this nonsense.
You would only have a leg to stand on here if the two versions weren't marketed as being directly and completely equivalent.