EA Frostbite Games Unlikely To Be Ported To Linux

[Xaero_Vincent]

I wouldn't put too much hope into Steam Machines. I personally feel like they are sadly more likely to flop than be a major success because they don't differentiate themselves enough from Windows PCs, which have 4x more native games on Steam and can also be ran in Big Picture Mode, which all SteamOS is. As far as EA games go, you won't see any of those games for Linux without their Origin DRM platform ported. It won't matter either, because with the upcoming advancements in Wine and Virtualization, Linux users will still be able to play EA games on a Linux environment should they choose to but I doubt many will.

[johnc]

I wouldn't put too much hope into Steam Machines. I personally feel like they are sadly more likely to flop than be a major success because they don't differentiate themselves enough from Windows PCs, which have 4x more native games on Steam and can also be ran in Big Picture Mode, which all SteamOS is.

It was an interesting idea but for whatever reason Valve didn't successfully execute it. It's way, way too late now, and even MS is trying to converge the XB1 and PC platforms. That might actually make their store more palatable.

But I am a bit surprised at all of the inside industry resistance to -- let's say -- "unorthodox" gaming platforms. It really reveals just how much politics goes on behind the scenes.

[duby229]

I wouldn't put too much hope into Steam Machines. I personally feel like they are sadly more likely to flop than be a major success because they don't differentiate themselves enough from Windows PCs, which have 4x more native games on Steam and can also be ran in Big Picture Mode, which all SteamOS is. As far as EA games go, you won't see any of those games for Linux without their Origin DRM platform ported. It won't matter either, because with the upcoming advancements in Wine and Virtualization, Linux users will still be able to play EA games on a Linux environment should they choose to but I doubt many will.

Please don't do that. EA doesn't want your money, don't give it to them. At least Valve is trying with Steam. I agree it isn't perfect, but Steam provides an easy way to buy and play games natively on linux. I think most of the anti-DRM crowd was formed because of stupid ass CD-Keys and long ass install times and Disc in the drive requirements. Steam solves those problems while still protecting content for the provider. It's the best compromise I've seen yet. No DRM isn't really a solution because without it there is nothing to satisfy providers that want it.

[ObiWan]

Yeah right... DICE is pretty much going to be DX12-only. Not that I care about these guys, but it's a sign of things to come.

Considering that Johan Andersson is one of the main developers of Mantle and one of the developers behind Vulkan, that's very unlikely.

And in April he stated that they will support both

https://twitter.com/repi/status/585752514303262720

With Vulkan they support Windows 7-10 with DX12 just Windows 10, so even from a business point it makes sense to support it for now.

[humbug]

A lot of the reason so many games developers have ported to Linux in the last two years is less about profit and more about the fact that the individuals who work in these companies want to do it on a personal level. Gabe Newell also said that when he canvasses he finds that there is a lot of popular sentiment regarding Linux amongst game devs. Obviously they can't do anything which is loss making but this human factor does play a part.

But for EA games their strategy atm is to only distribute via their own channel Origin. And they have no Linux presence. They are not going to sell to Linux users via gog and Steam and give away a cut. It would require a strategic initiative on their part to release Origin for Linux which looks very unlikely.

[Xaero_Vincent]

It was an interesting idea but for whatever reason Valve didn't successfully execute it. It's way, way too late now, and even MS is trying to converge the XB1 and PC platforms. That might actually make their store more palatable.

But I am a bit surprised at all of the inside industry resistance to -- let's say -- "unorthodox" gaming platforms. It really reveals just how much politics goes on behind the scenes.

Well to be fair, we don't know for sure what will happen but I suspect they won't be successful. Furthermore, Steam Machines aren't even exclusively Linux devices. Some Steam Machines will come with dual-boot SteamOS and Windows 10 as Valve is permitting that and you can bet 99% of the time Windows will be booted on those systems. This really blurs the lines between a "Steam Machine" and a living-room gaming PC, such as the Alienware Alpha.

While Valve's contribution to Linux gaming is vast, it's hard not to overlook all the things Valve did wrong with Steam Machines:

No one exclusive machine -- rather there are several or even dozens with different hardware configs.
No exclusive features -- all the features are on the Windows Steam client too.
No exclusive games -- Valve has said they will not make SteamOS / Steam Machine exclusive games.
No exclusive interface -- Steam Big Picture Mode is offered on all Steam platforms.
Not even an exclusive OS -- Some Steam Machines will run Windows as well.
Many are way overpriced -- The Alternate Steam Machine for instance is $1100 for an Core i3 with a GTX 750Ti.

Everything that defines a consoles' success is missing with the Steam Machines.

The concern I have is if Steam Machines fail, will VP, Feral, and Aspyr still invest in Linux AAA ports and continue supporting their regular Linux customers who use Ubuntu and other distros?

[Pharma]

I don't buy DRMed games.

Including Steam ones.

what the problem with steam DRM i dont get

[johnc]

The concern I have is if Steam Machines fail, will VP, Feral, and Aspyr still invest in Linux AAA ports and continue supporting their regular Linux customers who use Ubuntu and other distros?

Of course not.

[humbug]

While Valve's contribution to Linux gaming is vast, it's hard not to overlook all the things Valve did wrong with Steam Machines:

No one exclusive machine -- rather there are several or even dozens with different hardware configs.
No exclusive features -- all the features are on the Windows Steam client too.
No exclusive games -- Valve has said they will not make SteamOS / Steam Machine exclusive games.
No exclusive interface -- Steam Big Picture Mode is offered on all Steam platforms.
Not even an exclusive OS -- Some Steam Machines will run Windows as well.
Many are way overpriced -- The Alternate Steam Machine for instance is $1100 for an Core i3 with a GTX 750Ti.

Everything that defines a consoles' success is missing with the Steam Machines.

The thing is Valve aim is to democratize the PC gaming industry so that as a business they are not reliant on Microsoft.
They want to make the ecosystem and tools etc such that cross-platform development becomes the norm and it's almost a no-brainer for people to release a Linux version. They are not really trying to create a console, they want the choice and freedom that comes with PC to remain. Plus they are too idealistic to create exclusives or restrict user choice by banning windows on steam machines. If they do what you are asking them to do then they would be criticized as being hypocrites.

btw I am not claiming that their strategy will work. I am aware that they may fail. And I know that they have no chance of competing with the consoles for now. But I don't think making Linux exclusives, restricting user choice or making Linux-only steam features is the answer. The utopia is a world in which people make cross platform games on cross-platform engines using APIs such as Vulkan and after you buy your game once you can choose to play it on any machine on any OS. The last part is already a reality thanks to Steam.

What we have to hope for is that within the next couple of years and couple of generations of Steam Machines that the Linux userbase on steam grows from 1% to maybe 5%. That may seem modest but that is what we need to set us up for the future. The good thing is that the Steam Machines are made from off the shelf PC parts and even when they sell modestly none of these vendors are going to make a loss on it. They have no huge R&D to recover and they can just tweak it and try again until they get it right while excess units can be sold as normal windows PCs. That's the difference between this and the console model. There is no way it will be a sensation but we have to hope that it captures a niche market within the first 2-3 iterations over the next few years and then creates a positive feedback loop both for steamOS and more importantly Linux desktop OS gaming overall. I guess that's what valve wants.

[DonQ]

Well to be fair, we don't know for sure what will happen but I suspect they won't be successful. Furthermore, Steam Machines aren't even exclusively Linux devices. Some Steam Machines will come with dual-boot SteamOS and Windows 10 as Valve is permitting that and you can bet 99% of the time Windows will be booted on those systems. This really blurs the lines between a "Steam Machine" and a living-room gaming PC, such as the Alienware Alpha.

While Valve's contribution to Linux gaming is vast, it's hard not to overlook all the things Valve did wrong with Steam Machines:

No one exclusive machine -- rather there are several or even dozens with different hardware configs.
No exclusive features -- all the features are on the Windows Steam client too.
No exclusive games -- Valve has said they will not make SteamOS / Steam Machine exclusive games.
No exclusive interface -- Steam Big Picture Mode is offered on all Steam platforms.
Not even an exclusive OS -- Some Steam Machines will run Windows as well.
Many are way overpriced -- The Alternate Steam Machine for instance is $1100 for an Core i3 with a GTX 750Ti.

Everything that defines a consoles' success is missing with the Steam Machines.

The concern I have is if Steam Machines fail, will VP, Feral, and Aspyr still invest in Linux AAA ports and continue supporting their regular Linux customers who use Ubuntu and other distros?

I read somewhere that Valve said this is a six-year project. While I understand your points, Valve NEEDS this because everyone knows that Microsoft wants to sell software through the Windows software store, THAT would be close to the end of Steam, especially for new users. I used to boot Windows to play Battlefield (The Witcher 2, too, before it came out on LInux, which I don't think runs that well but I don't feel like playing it through again anyway) when my nephew visited but I have deleted Windows from my computer thus we won't be doing that anymore. I bought us Interstellar Marines which I hope will provide us some of the fun.