Electronic Arts has stated that Origin will reach its potential in two years, and that publishers having their own digital arenas will be important. Feline EA Sports head Peter Moore also believes that the hatred for Origin has died down.
"It's quieted down," he told Kotaku. "I don't think you see the initial level of vitriol. And I've been in gaming long enough [that I know that] if you try to add something that's different and particularly if you add the layer that it's EA and everything that goes with it.
"... It's one of those things where I would ask give us 18 months to two years. And if we sit here two years from now, start looking at it then," he said. "I think the ability to have your own direct platform with the consumer is going to be very important in the digital world going forward."
So essentially, he's suggesting more publishers need to have their own Origin equivalent. Do we really want an industry where gamers have to have separate online accounts with a dozen different digital services from a dozen different publishers? That's essentially what Moore is pushing for here, and that's ridiculous.
People like Steam because it unifies their PC gaming. They like GOG because it provides a wide range of thematic games at affordable prices. People predominantly dislike Origin because it's an unnecessary complication from an untrustworthy publisher that wants to sell all its digital games for $60. What doesn't EA get about this?
PC Gamer Vitriol Subsiding [Kotaku]
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Contest:
10:00 AM on 02.16.2012 | 
I also have an Impulse account without any games, many different "bundles," a few games on Amazon (largely with Steam codes, however), and a game on GreenManGaming (Steam code).
I will say this however: I only have Origins because I have to. This isn't about increasing competition; it's about decreasing it. If I didn't have to have Origins to play BF3, I wouldn't have it, and I probably wouldn't end up going to Origins for anything. I honestly don't think they'll be able to compete head to head with any of the other major choices without exclusive content.
I've said it before, but there's never been room for a fourth hardcore (Sony, MS, Valve) platform and there's not much room left for a supplemental platform (Nintendo, Apple, Android, GOG). EA seems to want to get in on both ends yet they want to enter both in the most decrepit, outdated, draconian ways possible.
Origin has only expanded because old EA accounts expanded to origin. I never made an Origin Account myself, it was thrown at me from some old EA account I had. I've not used it beyond some used EA games or demos because there honestly is no incentive to. I'm not missing out on anything that I can't already get from other platforms.
but ewww kotaku
Nailed it. It has nothing to do with competition, and everything to do with moving towards a future dominated by publisher control. Publishers have gone out of their way to control the consuming habits of gamers in the last half decade, it would be naive to think that Origin is any exception to that.
We can add origin to that list.
TLDR - EA corp greed bad, they can eat a bag of nastiness.
Now I'm thinking about Digimon for some reason.
Odd that they made Kingdoms of Amalur available on Steam though... they must not have wanted to take the risk; too new to be a "reel-the-fans-in" kind of IP.
Almost every new games on Steam has a 10% discount if you pre-order. The only exceptions are Call of Duty or any Activision game.
Also, having all publishers have their own client and prices might drive competition in the long run, whereas at the moment, a good deal of it depends probably on your relationship with Valve as a company.
Riiiiiight.
It's a simple reality in today's world. It's a money thing. Whoever owns the store gets a percentage of sales in the store and additionally can control content distribution methods such as subscriptions or ingame sales. it simply doesn't make sense for any large publisher to give away 30% of their game sales and subscriptions or to be restricted in how they manage the monetization of their games.
Eventually many of these digital stores will provide actual competition for Steam as 3rd party games will now have a choice as to where they want to sell their product... increased competition will either mean lower consumer costs or higher direct profit for the game devs and neither of those is a bad thing.
Well, let me put it simple. I still HATE Origin and I still HATE the idea of publishers having their own proprietary platform.
If you go out and don't sell your shit for 60$ I'd at least see that you are trying! But right now EA thinks their customers are a bunch of idiots.
Which makes me really proud that I got the Russian BF3 version for 30 euros. Patching is a bitch but at least you fuckers don't get my money! :P
"The hate has died down?" What in the butt-nuttering Christ are you on Peter Moore? You got a theme park in your head filled with blow and hookers that have Benjamin Franklin's face? That's like a slaveholder in the 19th century saying, "Yah, those songs my slaves sing are HAPPY songs." Delusion must be a fine art at an EA board meeting.
More aptly it doesn't make sense for a developer to give away X% of their profits or flat out being forced to sell their souls to a publisher when they can just go DD.
Publishers used to serve a purpose without them you flat out COULD NOT get your product to market. Now you can, easily, without them...
All Origin is is a publisher realizing t heir publishing business is probably going to tank in the next 5-10 years and figuring out how to keep scraping that 30% off the backs of developers.
All that said I think it would be best for EA take a lesson from Paradox and spin Origin off into it's own private company that isn't ruled by the demands of shareholders or the demands of a company far more interested in pushing their titles over others.
I didn't buy and won't buy ME3 even though I really loved the first two because even the retail Version of the game requires me to get an origin-account. I did the same with BF3 and went out of my way to buy Kingdoms of Amalur on Steam because the retail Version uses Origin for it's DRM.
A Publisher having sole control over the digital space is horrible. It means it's only competing with itself in that application and that more than likely means less sales, more Intrusive DRM (which is already very horrible in Origin and doesn't add ANYTHING to the game like Steam does) and higher prices. I know you want money EA, we all want. But you're not getting mine if you don't get your act together.
I disagree with some of what you said, but I think you're right on here, Derangel. I would be much cooler with Origin if it -tried- to be competition to Steam. Instead, it's just -the place you have to go- to get big EA titles, which isn't good for competition at all. To make the comparison whole, Paradox started selling its games on Steam at some point after established GamersGate. What happened? They made -mad- bank, and have officially switched to Steam as their main digital storefront. They still sell their games through other services, but Steam is the main.
Perfectly put, Jim. That's my feelings to the T. I came to love Steam and GOG for the amazing conveniences they offer. OF COURSE, I'm going be upset when someone needlessly takes away from that. I mean, I'm over it now. It is what it is. But they're stupid if they don't understand why so many of us are unhappy about it. They are to this Origin thing as Ubisoft is to DRM - oblivious.
Oh well. I preordered ME3 on Origin and got BF3 for free, so I ain't mad. Offer expires March 5th. Only valid to members of the PC master race. :P
Maybe not in this topic, but it's a sentiment I've seen way too much. People who say Steam should be the only digital service and other things like that. I'm pretty sure EA has seen the writing on the wall for PC retail sales. Retail PC games have maybe another decade before they're essentially obsolete.
Amazon's digital service has some potential, but Amazon is marred by one of the issues Origin has. An utterly horrid search system. One of the nice things about Steam's store is how easy it is to find things and how well laid out it is. Origin's store is a lesson is bad design, but Amazon is a cluster-fuck.
As long as publishers think they can charge retail prices for DD copies of games I don't think retail PC games will go away. I'll choose the retail copy every time in that case. I only go the DD route if its the only way to get it or they are having a sale.
Been using it since it came out. You either haven't actually tried it yourself, haven't used Steam, or are fucking stupid. Just saying.
The ONLY thing that Origin does better is faster downloads, but let's face it, their servers are probably idling most of the time anyway.
If a publisher is in control of their content and prices, and starts to see things slipping away from them, they can adjust prices and have sales. Back to Karkland is half price at the moment, which is just about reasonable for a map pack for a game you spend a lot of time on.
@Charles- so depriving yourself of any good EA games you might like is really going to show them who's boss? Believe it or not, I'd imagine a company is more likely to notice if the silent minority who don't buy games on principle stopped and actually spoke up, whilst still purchasing games. As much as one might admire the strength of your principles, I believe this manner of sticking it to the man is actually less effective than simply telling them in some manner or other. Write a letter, and then you still get to play games.