EA omits Steam from list of Battlefield 3 retailers

Valve's distribution platform Steam was not included on EA's list of digital retailers supporting Battlefield 3.

The list, which included other digital retail sites like Direct2Drive and GamersGate, was first reported by Joystiq, but has since been removed from the Battlefield 3 website.

The ommission follows an apparent breakdown in the relationship between the two companies since the launch of EA's Origin service, during which Valve pulled Crysis 2 from Steam due to EA's approach to post-release content.

In a recent interview with IndustryGamers, EA's David DeMartini expressed the company's desire to work with as many retail partners as possible, and claimed that EA is "working diligently" to resolve the situation with Valve.

"What we're doing is no different than what they have done historically with regards to how they've handled ongoing patches, etc. It seems to be a little bit of a juxtaposition that we find ourselves in agreement with everybody in the channel – everyone seems to find our policy acceptable with a singular exception."

"I do think there are some policies and principles that everybody should adhere to that are in the best interest of the consumer, and I hope they come to that realisation as well and that they believe in choice just like we do."

GamesIndustry.biz has contacted EA for comment, but so far the company has offered no official response on the matter.