EA explains Battlefield 3 Steam no-show

Battlefield 3 will not be sold through Steam, EA has confirmed.

EA said it took the decision because Valve's service "restricts our ability to directly support players".

It is the latest twist in what is fast becoming a digital war between EA, which recently launched Steam rival Origin, and Valve, over dominance in the PC download space.

Battlefield 3 follows Crysis 2 and Dragon Age 2 in the not on Steam list.

"EA offers games, including Battlefield 3, to all major digital download sites," the publisher said a post on the EA forum.

"In doing so, our goal is to not only reach the widest possible global audience with our games, but also to provide ongoing customer support, patches and great new content. We are intent on providing Battlefield 3 players with the best possible experience no matter where they purchase or play the game, and are happy to partner with any download service that does not restrict our ability to connect directly with consumers.

"Unfortunately, Steam has adopted a set of restrictive terms of service which limit how developers interact with customers to deliver patches and other downloadable content.

"No other download service has adopted these practices."

This is, of course, a reference to Steam's Terms of Service agreement, which forces games to deliver DLC and patches through Steam rather than through a game-specific client.

For what it's worth, EA has expressed a willingness to work with Valve to get its games on Steam - the most popular download shop in the world.

"We hope to work out an agreement where Steam can carry Battlefield 3; meanwhile, gamers can pick from the more than 100 digital retailers."