Modern Warfare 3 Joins the Steamworks Bandwagon

Just as Electronic Arts moves away from Steam, other publishers are getting closer.

We recently learned The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will integrate Steamworks, and Valve (not Activision, oddly) announced today Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 will support Steamworks, as well.

Timed to this announcement is the ability to begin pre-ordering the game on Steam.

The release also made sure to acknowledge Modern Warfare 3 will have dedicated servers support, a former point of contention between Call of Duty's PC fanbase and Infinity Ward. Modern Warfare 2 did not include dedicated servers, which prompted legions of gamers to petition the developer ahead of the game's release. Modern Warfare 2 went on to sell just fine on PC and elsewhere, but this time around, players won't have to worry about dedicated servers being an issue.

Modern Warfare 3 releases on November 8, but this weekend, Activision's hosting Call of Duty XP in Los Angeles, a Blizzcon-esque weekend event where the game's multiplayer will finally be revealed.

If Steam ends up becoming sentient and takes over the world, I'll be okay with it.

Woah woah woah, Skyrim's gonna have steamworks support? Sweet!

Seems like smart move from Activision to get people on MW3's side when they're raging about BF3 being married to Origin.

Great.

I'm not much of a CoD fan, but Activision, you're doing PC versions right. Steamworks and Dedicated servers? You just un-did the decisions that stopped me from getting MW2.

*applause* 
 
Without any sarcasm! 
Well played Activision.

Smart move by Activison. Embrace Steam while EA constantly pushes it away.

Well good for them getting steamworks into MW3

Incredibly smart move by Activision. EA only hurt themselves by their choices.

Didn't expect to see something like this coming out of Activision (same with dedicated servers making a comeback). It seems like EA and Activision are slowly starting to trade places, at least based on the last week or two. (Don't get me wrong though, I still am not really a fan of either)

Time for a 50 percent off sale me thinks.

I don't think the idea of a online store on the pc is established enough for what EA is trying to do. Odd move for a company that seems to want their stuff on every platform that exists.

This isn't going to get me to buy MW3 but, I'm glad that another big publisher moves towards steamworks integration. I hope that EA will come around eventually. Till then I will just add their games to steam manually. 

Didn't MW2 have Steamworks? How is this news?

@bkbroiler said:

If Steam ends up becoming sentient and takes over the world, I'll be okay with it.

It already compels me to spend unreasonable sums of money on game deals, so a world where this is law doesn't seem much different from my reality anyway.

@AlexW00d said:

Didn't MW2 have Steamworks? How is this news?

Companies haven't always shown loyalty to a PC platform service (eg. GFWL games jumping ship to Steamworks).

I think it's just noteworthy that one of the world's biggest franchises from the biggest publisher is sticking with Steamworks as EA moves away from Steam altogether.

Not big on another MW3, but Steam support always makes things a little better.

@Peewi said:

Is this really news worthy? Both MW2 and Blops were Steamworks as well.

i was thinking the same thing, if not steamworks they were on steam so whats the big deal it seems business as usual

If Steam ends up becoming sentient and takes over the world, I'll be okay with it.

Valve will continue to own me then, i'm not complaining

I only really want Steam to be the dominant digital distribution platform on PC because I already have it and the thought of having to run 40 different software platforms makes me nauseous.

....Great You did good on this one but it wont change the fact that this game will be a mediocre update to mw2

EA flips lid over steam laws, goes off on own... Activision says "hey, it's all good" and makes EA look like spoiled child... I was debating MW3 vs BF3 for a while, but I allready have steam with a huge library of games, no need for the spoiled child's web page based garbage... GG Activision and steam, just take my money now, I'll be waiting to play. >.>

Wow, this was a buy until now. Wish it was on Origins.

You should put the game as the first tag, Patrick, so it shows up as the "Dig deeper..." thing.

Modern Warfare 2 was already Steamworks. Remember the debacle? Direct2Drive said they wouldn't sell the game, because they were required to distribute a competitor's store on their product and whatnot?

Obviously they backed out of that threat a couple weeks later, but still... I guess the news that it has dedicated servers is big, but that it's steamworks? That was almost a given.

Its only a matter of time till Steamworks is install to everything, including our microwaves!

Wow, this was a buy until now. Wish it was on Origins.

I'm not a CoD fan, but EA, this is how you do it right.

bros rejoice.

MODERN WARFARE 2 USED STEAMWORKS
 
thats why Black Ops  uses Steamworks
and Modern Warfare 3 uses Steamworks.
 
The intelligence of the original Infinity Ward guys

Smart move by Activision

@jasondesante said:

MODERN WARFARE 2 USED STEAMWORKS thats why Black Ops uses Steamworksand Modern Warfare 3 uses Steamworks. The intelligence of the original Infinity Ward guys

WTF ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT

Didn't MW2 have Steamworks? How is this news?

Now I get it ... this years last quarter is EA turn to be Darth Vader , next quarter will be Activisions turn to be Vader why I didn´t notice this before??? :P

The ideological battle between this and BF3 is pretty funny. BC3 is the game that "gamers" want, but EA is abandoning the things gamer's love. MW3, on the other hand, is the game they used to hate but it's adding the things people want (dedicated servers) while not abandoning things like Steam.  
  
Makes me want to see Steam charge for their service, just to see the reaction lol

@Sanious said:

Wow, this was a buy until now. Wish it was on Origins.

Yeah me too! How will we know if we are playing the game right if EA doesn't gather all of our data?

@Sanious said:

Wow, this was a buy until now. Wish it was on Origins.

I lol'd.

Take my money Activison.

Wait...the fuck is going on here?!?! Oh, Activision you crafty devils you. I see your game now.

And I like it.

Black Ops and MW2 used Steamworks as well, so... duh.

Pre order for TF2 hat, no doubt. :|

While I won't be getting it for PC (I am going 360 where all of my friends play) I am still happy to see them continue to support Steam.

Really, bandwagon?
 This is not new, WM2 and BLOPS were also steamworks.  Dedicated servers are a nice improvement over MW2 though.

When BO used Steam, it didn't do it very well.  The servers had choked bandwidth.  No search in the server browser.  If you wanted to get onto a specific server you had to filter the results and hope it showed up.  You can't enter in server IP.  You can't independently run your own server.  You have to rent it from their provider.  There was no way to form a party so that you can play together with your friends on the same team.  
 
Just by having steam integration is great, but when you do it in such a way that it creates a terrible experience, then you don't really do the consumer any favors.

@UberExplodey said:

bros rejoice.

Correction: Dude Bros!

really starting to dislike pc games being forcefully attached to systems like steamworks or gfwl. i love steam just as much as the next guy, but i don't want a retail boxed game to essentially be an activation code.

There's a high of why they're doing this, is in response to EA and that whole BF3 debacle.