Steam not listed in Battlefield 3 release plans

Electronic Arts' plans for digitally distributed versions of Battlefield 3 were revealed over the weekend, when a list of digital distribution platforms was listed on the the official site and Valve's Steam service was not listed as a partner.

The list has since been pulled down by Electronic Arts, but not before it was reported by Joystiq.

Electronic Arts did list other digital platforms, however - including Direct2Drive and GamersGate, as well as it's own Origin service.

A number of Electronic Arts games were recently removed from Steam and, while EA has dodged responsibility to a degree, comments to Eurogamer last week suggested that it may be part of a grand plan for the publisher.

'Any retailer can sell our games, but we take direct responsibility for providing patches, updates, additional content and other services to our players,' EA's SVP of global online David DeMartini said.

'You are connecting to our servers, and we want to establish an ongoing relationship with you, to continue to give you the best possible gaming experience. This works well for our partnership with GameStop, Amazon and other online retailers.'

'Unfortunately, if we're not allowed to manage this experience directly and establish a relationship with you, it disrupts our ability to provide the support you expect and deserve.

'At present, there is only one download service that will not allow this relationship. This is not our choice, and unfortunately it is their customer base that is most impacted by this decision. We are working diligently to find a mutually agreeable solution.'

Battlefield 3 will be released on October 25th 2011. Let us know your thoughts in the forums.