The Mass Effect series has stabled players from all over, spawning fanfiction, cosplays, and tons of support from the community at large. The third installment in the franchise is set to arrive this year, but with it comes some news that may stifle some loyal gamers who planned to pick up the game on the PC. According to BioWare community Manager Chris Priestly, Mass Effect 3 will not be available through Steam when it launches.
The game will be available on Origin, and a few other third party digital retailers, but it will not appear on Steam. Being one of the biggest digital distributors running in the community right now, Steam is home to thousands of players worldwide. This can be a big upset to many of them, especially considering the first two games in the series can be picked up from the service.
This means that the PC version of the game, including the one at retail, will require the use of EA’s Origin service to launch the game. Yes, this means no matter where you buy the game, you’re stuck – just like with Battlefield 3. Considering the issues between EA and Steam last year, I’m willing to bet that this won’t be changing anytime soon, though Priestly assures us that this lack of seeing the game on Steam will come only “initially.”