Developer Bohemia Interactive revealed that their upcoming shooter, ARMA 3, will be a Steam exclusive.
News came by way of a press release, in which Project Leader Joris-Jan van 't Land said the team came to the decision in order to ensure that the game would release on time.
Land cited the incident in Greece and other "difficult phases in development" for Steam-only release. Last month two Bohemia Interactive staffers, Martin Pezlar and Ivan Buchta, were released from a Greek prision after spending 128 days in jail for espionage.
"As an independent developer, we're constantly evaluating the way we develop, distribute and publish games. Valve made tremendous improvements to their system, which made the installation/update process much more user-friendly - for both developers and customers," said Bohemia Interactive's CEO, Marek Španěl.
"We realize that some people may find it difficult to migrate to a new platform, especially if they were used to purchasing and playing our games without any external third-party application," he added. "We have evaluated the pros and cons, but in the end Steam enables us to release ARMA 3, brings massive advantages to the game, and improves the end-user experience. Not to forget, the majority of our players already come from Steam."
Boxed copies of ARMA 3 will still be available at retail in most regions, containing either Steam Codes in a retail package, or DVD data to speed up installation.
ARMA 3 takes place on the islands of Lemnos, the site that Pezlar and Buchta were arrested for photographing military installations. It has since been renamed in the game as Altis. Set in the near-future, the game puts players in the boots of British Special Forces soldier Captain Scott Miller, part of a deployment of NATO forces to hold off an Iranian military offensive.
ARMA 3 is on track to launch on Steam for PC later this year.
