Problem with STEAM activiation as sole means of installing the game!!!

I've recently wrote to Sports Interactive and SEGA to complain about the lack of option to install the game independent of STEAM. Here's what I wrote to them. Does anyone else agree with me on this?

Dear Sir.

I have played every version of Football Manager since its original inception as Championship Manager back in the very early 1990’s. It is a fantastic game, which has improved every year. That being said I wish to register a complaint about the current version of the game. This complaint relates to the unnecessary, misleading and dishonest manner in which the current game is sold and ‘delivered’ to it’s loyal fan base.

The use of ‘Steam’ was introduced a few years ago as an option for those wishing to install the game and keep it updated online. It was a good idea, but it was always an option and not a prescribed means by which the game had to be installed on the computer. This year it is the only option. I wish to take issue with the minimal notification of this method on the product packaging. I concede that it is probably enough in law to constitute a valid term of the contract of sale. However given that the game can not be played without Steam installation and the vast download, all of which occurs at the time and expense of the consumer, in addition to the purchase price of £29.99 it seems a inequitable on your part to discontinue the option to install, play and update the game without using Steam, using the DVD alone.

I suspect of course the reasons for doing this have been beneficial to both yourself and Steam. However I would like to remind you that your first duty is to your customer, not your business partners and the removal of the option to form a contract of sale solely between you (Sports Interactive/Sega) and me (the customer) and the inclusion of a wholly unnecessary third party (STEAM) is an affront to those loyal customers such as myself who have supported this game since it’s birth.

Given that the download is so extensive I would like an answer to the following question. What exactly is on the disc that comes with the game at the point of purchase in the shop? Or have we all just paid £29.99 for an activation code?

I would hope that the next instalment in the series takes into consideration what I have to say and allows the option to purchase a game, put it in a computer and play it without having to involve all this additional and extra steps.

James Evemy

Eh you can install from the disk and only activate through steam if you want, no need to download it through Steam.

do you moan about people that use pirate games?

I gave up halfway through reading that.

Steam is nowhere near the worst option SI had to choose from, and it has proved a success because they are now able to hire more staff and make the game better. If they returned to the previous way of releasing then the game would get leaked from RTM and result in lost sales, resulting in a worse game.

Your complaint raises valid points but the answer to that complaint isn't something that SI can afford to take anymore.

I gave up halfway through reading that.

I almost gave up after "loyal fanbase" but carried on to see if there was anything worthwhile in there.

Maybe he'll be happy to know that the actions of using Steam, the game took 10 days to be cracked by pirates. The sales went up significantly because of this. And SI are now hiring people with the extra cash they have available to make the game even better.

I have even seen people in the forums get themselves banned for asking for help when their pirated version crashed and wouldn't work. Love it.

Even if you don't like Steam - you have to admit it worked, and the result is reinvestment back to the game, the customer and the fans.

I love the way they said an unnecessary 3rd party program. Did not see them moan about having to install Direct X, or install Windows or Mac as 3rd party programs to run the game.

Deja vu