Battlefield 3 for PC will require Origin

Battlefield 3 is coming to a long list of digital retailers in addition to Origin, but there's no avoiding Electronic Arts' own digital distribution service for PC gamers set on playing the military first-person shooter, regardless of how they get the game.

Global Battlefield community manager Daniel Matros confirmed the Origin prerequisite through Twitter this week. When asked by a Twitter user about rumors that Battlefield 3 would require Origin even for players who had the DVD copy of the game, Matros simply replied, "Yes those 'rumors' are true :)"

The tactic to push EA's new social networking store platform is not a new one. Valve has been requiring Steam to be installed on PCs for its games since Half-Life 2 launched in 2004, regardless of whether the game was acquired digitally or through a retailer, while Blizzard insists World of Warcraft and Starcraft II players use Battle.net to get their game on.

For more on Battlefield 3, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.