Option to get off steam

[Seku]

If anyone from SE gets this. Can it please be looked into for getting our accounts off and away from steam either now or sometime in the future. Thank you.

[Carvaka]

Lot of demand for this right now

[Seku]

Yeah I know. I didn't know that you're 100% locked into steam and HAVE to buy the game through them to update the pc version if you register through them. It's causing some problems now, I don't want my account attached to steam if for w/e reason in the future they don't sell future expansions and ect. Sucks due to the fact the current way to get rid of steam is by 100% losing any progression you've made.

[R-Kine]

I'm disgusted by how the game is tied to a platform. FFXI was a lot better in that regard. As long the code is valid you can register any expansion from any console and play it anywhere.

[JimboTCB]

I just got told in a support ticket that my account is supposedly on Steam, which is goddamned bullshit because I never bought the game via Steam, I deliberately bought it directly through Mogstation because I didn't want to deal with being locked in to Steam, now I'm stuck with a HW code that I can't even use and all my character progression is locked to a platform that I never bought the game through.

[Semirhage]

Completely agreed.

Valve is dropping the ball so hard on these preorders. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of Steam players would transfer off in a heartbeat. No physical CE, plus delaying the preorder longer than an entirely different console? Not okay.

There's probably a legal reason why we're stuck on Steam, but I'd still like to know. Unless there's a contract keeping us with Steam, I don't see any reason why we should be locked there.

[m3eansean]

Unless there's a contract keeping us with Steam, I don't see any reason why we should be locked there.

We all "agreed" to this in the enormous user rights page we are shown when we first sign up to Steam. I never read them, don't know anyone who did. Ran into a lawyer friend and tried to get him on Steam - he wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole after reading their "agreement" for users.

On steam, we technically don't even own the games we "buy" Steam does, and is giving us unlimited rights to play them as long as their servers remain up, and can revoke access at any time.

[Seku]

We all "agreed" to this in the enormous user rights page we are shown when we first sign up to Steam. I never read them, don't know anyone who did. Ran into a lawyer friend and tried to get him on Steam - he wouldn't touch them with a 10 foot pole after reading their "agreement" for users.

On steam, we technically don't even own the games we "buy" Steam does, and is giving us unlimited rights to play them as long as their servers remain up, and can revoke access at any time.

Even so. SE could at least make it so that you can register a 2nd "PC" game, so those that REALLY want to get off can at least rebuy the games and expansions to do so. I know it may take some time to code around that or w/e. But they could at least start looking into it a bit and truthfully would be in their best interest to do so. That way in case Steam goes down. Decides to stop supporting FF14 ect ect, then they won't lose a portion of their subscriber base. Unless Steam users are a extreme minority

[m3eansean]

Even so. SE could at least make it so that you can register a 2nd "PC" game, so those that REALLY want to get off can at least rebuy the games and expansions to do so. I know it may take some time to code around that or w/e. But they could at least start looking into it a bit and truthfully would be in their best interest to do so. That way in case Steam goes down. Decides to stop supporting FF14 ect ect, then they won't lose a portion of their subscriber base. Unless Steam users are a extreme minority

The short answer is no, they can't. In order to get the privilege to sell the game on the Steam platform, they (SE) have to abide by Valve's licensing rules. Steam is considered it's own platform on the PC and is the primary reason this is done is sales. Valve knows how many thousands and thousands of players use their product daily and sold the idea to SE for a cut off the top (how it always works). SE is just as bound as we the players are due to contract licensing, almost without a doubt. All Steam games are this way. Most users are unaware, since they bury in the bottom of their end-user license agreement. But technically, every Steam user, accepted and acknowledged this restriction upon setting up their Steam account.

[Raist]

The short answer is no, they can't. In order to get the privilege to sell the game on the Steam platform, they (SE) have to abide by Valve's licensing rules. Steam is considered it's own platform on the PC and is the primary reason this is done is sales. Valve knows how many thousands and thousands of players use their product daily and sold the idea to SE for a cut off the top (how it always works). SE is just as bound as we the players are due to contract licensing, almost without a doubt. All Steam games are this way. Most users are unaware, since they bury in the bottom of their end-user license agreement. But technically, every Steam user, accepted and acknowledged this restriction upon setting up their Steam account.

It still stands though that you should be able to link a standard PC license as a separate platform just like you can with the Sony consoles. Sony has some very screwy licensing going on there as well--and yet you can link your character data (which is technically SE's property and not yours or Valve's) to those other platforms. There should be a remedy for this scenario as well. Your Steam license would still be viable. Just like with the consoles, the standard Windows license would be in parallel and actually installed in a separate directory, using it's standalone launcher to update, and all that other good stuff. It simply should be licensed just like the other platforms.