Bohemia Interactive stands on the verge of revealing release plans for Arma 3 as Project Lead Joris-Jan van ‘t Land updates the Arma community in a recent blog post.
Despite a rough past few months with two developers being arrested in Greece for alleged espionage, Joris-Jan writes that the studio is hard at work striving towards one goal set by CEO Marek Španěl: “Do all we can to release Arma 3 in 2013.”
According to the team, “one of the steps in this plan has been to select Valve’s Steam as our primary platform. Not only is Arma 3 PC-exclusive, but now we have decided to make it Steam-exclusive as well.”
“The bottom-line: we feel that without going Steam-exclusive, we would not be able to release Arma 3 in 2013.”
Joris-Jan outlines the key reasons for this descision:
- Proven distribution platform
- Fewer distributed versions
- Ready-made functionality
- Piracy
- Focus on game development
He goes on to write that, overall, it will be a smoother experience for players who will be able to enjoy many of Steam’s desirable online features. You can read more about what he had to say here.
In closing, he writes, “it is important not to forget the bottom-line as set out above: we honestly believe that we would not be able to deliver Arma 3 in 2013 without this decision. Now, a few months ahead, we feel strongly that it is paying off, and soon you’ll get a chance to see why.”
In addition, you can check out his quick FAQ answering some of the questions you might have.
1. So, when will you release Arma 3 then?
- “Soon” has become an overused word, but we are preparing all we need to unveil our plans right this moment.
2. Do I have to run the game through Steam?
- Yes, it will be required to run the game through Steam. We do not believe in always-online types of DRM however, so Offline mode will be supported.
3. Will I be able to buy a boxed copy of Arma 3?
- There will be boxed copies in most regions. These may either be Steam Codes in a retail package, or also contain DVD data (speeding up installation). You will still have to run and update through Steam the first time.
4. I don’t want any of the benefits Steam brings me, so why should I care?
- There was a very real chance there would be no Arma 3 this year otherwise.
Thanks, OffDutyGamers.