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

[Tulnekaya]

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

Exactly what it says on the tin.

For a variety of reasons, I do not like using the Steam launcher. Some of them are matters of personal privacy. Others are related to issues I have with its functionality on start up and ongoing performance.

Had I known years ago when I first bought the game that more and more linking would be done between my FFXIV account and my Steam account, I would have gotten the stand-alone PC license. The upcoming changes, unless I can figure out something with Steam's help-desk, may make my secondary account inaccessible.

I'm at the point where I would honestly consider getting a PS4 license to run it on my dying old brick of a console rather than continue using Steam. I would *happily* pay for the full game, again, just to never have to deal with Steam again on either of my accounts.

And I know I'm not alone in that. Every further integration, irritation comes up with many of my friends who play the game.

While I doubt SquareEnix will consider it, I can dream right?

[Youkulm]

I remember this issue coming up last time they did something like this and we were 100% ignored by the devs. All I want is to be able to buy a windows key for my account so I can stop using steam, but they don't let you have a steam + windows key on the same account.

LET MY RE-BUY YOUR GAME SE SO I CAN STOP USING STEAM. I'm trying to give you money and you wont let me. It makes zero sense.

If I had known back in 2014 how awful steam was going to be for FF14 was I would have never bought it through there.

As it stands if someone wants off steam they need a brand new account which means giving up all of their progress/vet rewards/seasonal items/recruitment rewards on their original account character.

[Vahlnir]

Yeah, I think they need to allow people to switch versions if they really want to. Sadly, if someone is on Steam and they don't want to use it, their only alternatives are starting a brand new account or buying the console version. For what it's worth with the console version though it actually runs fine if you have at least a PS4 Pro. And you can save your settings from your PC/Steam version and roll with a mouse/keyboard there as well if that is your thing. But anyway, I really don't think that's a good alternative for Steam users. It's an expensive one for most people. It just...shouldn't be a thing.

[Ranaku]

They can't let you do this cause it is against steams policy i think so they either have to take the game entirely from steam or can't change peoples licenses if players created their accounts over steam.

So this is not really SE fault, they can't offer you a switch of licenses cause it would violate steams policy which would make steam remove XIV entirely which would obviously cause even more trouble.

But yeah, it sucks and i am also playing over steam and i am not happy with it.

[Youkulm]

So this is not really SE fault, they can't offer you a switch of licenses

Most of the steam users, I know personally ( wont speak for anyone else ) in game, are willing to re-buy the game. So this isn't a "switching" issue. They downright wont let us even have a windows and a steam key. They honestly need to fix this. This should not be an issue if I can have a PlayStation Key on the same account as a Steam Key. I should be able to have a Windows + Steam + PlayStation key if I want to.

[NevrastCrescent]

I got the game as a gift in 2014, but at the time I didn't have a good PC to run it.

I linked the account in an e-mail that I no longer have access to.

I removed the game from my Steam library, bought it again, but got the same Key (Steam only offers one key per account); So I had to create another Steam account, buy the game again through it and use the code provided for this account in my FFXIV.

When this new Steam account linkin goes into effect, will I have to use the Base Game Key/ARR, or Endwalker? I don't think they specified. I'm afraid this will give me problems. The kind that makes me lose my 8-year-old account.

[Youkulm]

I got the game as a gift in 2014, but at the time I didn't have a good PC to run it.

I linked the account in an e-mail that I no longer have access to.

I removed the game from my Steam library, bought it again, but got the same Key (Steam only offers one key per account); So I had to create another Steam account, buy the game again through it and use the code provided for this account in my FFXIV.

When this new Steam account linkin goes into effect, will I have to use the Base Game Key/ARR, or Endwalker? I don't think they specified. I'm afraid this will give me problems. The kind that makes me lose my 8-year-old account.

As far as I know, you'll have to be logged into the steam account linked to the FFXIV account to be able to login to the FFXIV account. This isn't anything new, its just coming up again ( with the recent announcement ). So if you've had no problems thus far you should be ok.

[Ranaku]

Most of the steam users, I know personally ( wont speak for anyone else ) in game, are willing to re-buy the game. So this isn't a "switching" issue. They downright wont let us even have a windows and a steam key. They honestly need to fix this. This should not be an issue if I can have a PlayStation Key on the same account as a Steam Key. I should be able to have a Windows + Steam + PlayStation key if I want to.

I mean it is nice that people are willing to re buy the game but it is still doing nothing to the fact that SE can't offer that option.

"Both versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV are identical. However, due to some additional features associated with the Steam platform, a standard Windows PC version of FINAL FANTASY XIV is incompatible with a Steam version of the same title. Expansions also must be registered on the same platform as their base game."

Steam policy, SE can't do anything against it. And if they would offer you to re buy the game and transfer your account to that this would be a breach of said steam policy which would lead to the possible termination of the game from steam entirely. Which would result in a giant mess with people not having access to their accounts, SE figuring out how to give people their access back and obviously a huge loss in players since many find the game over steam obviously. Which would lead to a loss of money for both SE and steam and as you know...they really don't like to lose money.

[Youkulm]

I mean it is nice that people are willing to re buy the game but it is still doing nothing to the fact that SE can't offer that option.

"Both versions of FINAL FANTASY XIV are identical. However, due to some additional features associated with the Steam platform, a standard Windows PC version of FINAL FANTASY XIV is incompatible with a Steam version of the same title. Expansions also must be registered on the same platform as their base game."

Steam policy, SE can't do anything against it. And if they would offer you to re buy the game and transfer your account to that this would be a breach of said steam policy which would lead to the possible termination of the game from steam entirely. Which would result in a giant mess with people not having access to their accounts, SE figuring out how to give people their access back and obviously a huge loss in players since many find the game over steam obviously. Which would lead to a loss of money for both SE and steam and as you know...they really don't like to lose money.

I'd like to see the source on the Steam policy/contract with SE for this if you have it, thanks! Would clear up a lot of frustration with the dev team and forum GMs refusing to respond to these threads when they pop up.

[Ranaku]

I'd like to see the source on the Steam policy/contract with SE for this if you have it, thanks! Would clear up a lot of frustration with the dev team and forum GMs refusing to respond to these threads when they pop up.

I wish i would find the source, there was some protest some years ago when you were still able to play the windows version even if you had a steam account and that was also against their policy with the overlay as far as i remember and there was a statement from support where this reasoning was presented. But i really can't find it and obviously we don't have access to the contracts SE has with Steam where this would be probably written down.

All i know is that Steam doesn't allow this cause they make money over the wallet purchases and ofc over the expansionpack sells and even over the subscriptions over steam. So if you could cut them as a steam account user completely out that would mean they lose all profit they can make from the game which would be a obvious problem for a corporation that wants to make money. So they hold us basically as hostages and it's either all in or all out and SE probably also wouldn't like to lose a big platform like steam completely.

As i said i also made the mistake of buying the game over steam and i am not happy with it either. And i wish i could buy the game just for windows and be done with it. But that problem was a hot topic some years ago already and people screamed for this and nothing was done so...at some point you accept that you have to pay for your sins...