Origin Being Re-branded to "EA Accounts"

[Steven Bogos]

Origin Being Re-branded to "EA Accounts"

The change shouldn't affect you in the slightest.

EA has just sent out an email to the majority of it's Origin [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/tag/view/origin] customers to let them know that their accounts are being re-branded as "EA Accounts". This is essentially a purely cosmetic change, as all accounts will functionally be the same.

"In the coming weeks your Origin Account will be renamed to an EA Account to better represent all of EA's games and services. Your account identity, preferences, and order history will remain unchanged," said the email. "You will continue to use this account and the same login credentials to access all EA games, web sites, and services, including Origin."

"Your Origin Account credentials are now your EA credentials," said an EA rep in a follow-up email.

So what does this mean? It seems strange to do this now, considering all the building [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141577-Dragon-Age-Inquisition-Trial-Lets-You-Play-Multiplayer-For-Free] over the years. Obviously in the early days, when the customer service was lame and the services lamer, it would have made sense to re-brand the service to distance itself, but I would assume that most self-respecting gamers these days can acknowledge that Origin is no longer a name that instantly brings out the torches and pitchforks.

Perhaps it's to avoid confusion with other similarly named companies [https://www.originpc.com/]?

Source: PC Gamer [http://www.pcgamer.com/origin-accounts-are-being-renamed-ea-accounts/]

Permalink

 

[Random Argument Man]

Did EA send the email equivalent of " One of us, One of us"?

 

[Teoes]

Damn, that right there is a catchy name for a snazzy service.

Steam!
Galaxy!
..Accounts.

I like it when companies pick a name for their service and stick with it. Rebranding is a thing that frightens and confuses my doddery old fart brain.

Edit: Hey, thanks for stealth-editing my post to resize the image.. don't you think it's a little small though? Kinda hard to read the "Neh"s now.

 

[Ralancian]

Correct me if I'm wrong but they are just renaming your account not the service. Thus if you play Madden you'll log into your EA account. However the service Origin will remain under the same name you will just log in with an EA Account as opposed to an Origin account.

Don't think that's really rebranding the service but removing confusion of what an Origin account is for standards users.

 

[Matt Dellar]

Weren't our EA accounts converted to Origin accounts five-six years ago or something? I wonder if it really was similarity to Origin PC that made them change it back.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

Ok so YEARS back I created an account to play spore creature creator, and that was an EA account, recently I found out that had been mitigated into an Origin account, and now its being turned back into an EA account. Maybe the next step will be turning it into an Electronic Arts account.

 

[RJ 17]

I dunno, maybe I'm just conditioned to dislike everything EA does, regardless of how benign it might be, but I just don't like the sound of EA Accounts. Maybe it's just too corporate? I dunno...just kinda rubs me the wrong way.

...of course this is absolutely a moot point for me since I don't even have Origin to begin with.

 

[-Dragmire-]

Well, I didn't mind all that much when my Bioware account became an Origin one so this probably won't make a difference either. Still, odd to be changing it again.

 

[Lightknight]

Wait... are they under the impression that our dislike of Origin was due to the name origin? Because it is totally EA we have a problem with as a company.

How do they not get this?

 

[harrisongrimms]

Yeah I got that email too.

The following is my reaction-

*Snort, mild laughter* "Yeah whatever, I dont use it anyways"

 

[Something Amyss]

Ok so YEARS back I created an account to play spore creature creator, and that was an EA account, recently I found out that had been mitigated into an Origin account, and now its being turned back into an EA account. Maybe the next step will be turning it into an Electronic Arts account.

Or maybe it'll become an EA/Origin account.

Weren't our EA accounts converted to Origin accounts five-six years ago or something? I wonder if it really was similarity to Origin PC that made them change it back.

Somehow doubt that'd stop EA.

 

[CrystalShadow]

I'm still kinda miffed that Origin was even used for this in the first place.
Feels like murdering someone, then dancing on their grave.

Then again, I'm playing Wing Commander 4 right now... So... This does remind a person ofcwhat used to be... XD

 

[AstaresPanda]

Weren't our EA accounts converted to Origin accounts five-six years ago or something? I wonder if it really was similarity to Origin PC that made them change it back.

yeh i was thinking this, then i lost mine aand all my BF2142 progress coz silly me building a new pc. But yeh this is dumb.

 

[ThatOtherGirl]

Origin account sounds better, but EA account might be clearer? I am kind of confused why they felt this was necessary at all.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

EA accounts? Is that the best they could come up with? Good grief...their imagination must be in worse disrepair than I thought. There is just no effort to be found in this. I would have called it Fluorescent Neurotica Constrictum. Or "Fluoro-neuroticonstrictum" for shortsies.
It's the simple stuff that catches on, you see.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

The first time I read this news I was hoping that EA had given up on Origin. And was going to go back to selling their games on Steam. Then I realized that sounded too good to ever be true.

 

[fix-the-spade]

Weren't our EA accounts converted to Origin accounts five-six years ago or something? I wonder if it really was similarity to Origin PC that made them change it back.

No, it was EA being EA.

In the last decade I have had an EA Downloader, EA Link, EA Download Manager, EA Store, Origin and now EA Accounts er... account.

Those guys in marketing have to do something to justify all those skinny mocchachinos on expenses, so they constantly rebrand EA's online distribution system. Bearing in mind that in the same period of time Steam has been called Steam and will probably still be called Steam when EA rename their downloader yet again in a couple of years time.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Correct me if I'm wrong but they are just renaming your account not the service. Thus if you play Madden you'll log into your EA account. However the service Origin will remain under the same name you will just log in with an EA Account as opposed to an Origin account.

Don't think that's really rebranding the service but removing confusion of what an Origin account is for standards users.

That's what this looks like to me, too. Just unifying of any internal accounts under one name and keeping the "Origin" name separate to be used only for the storefront/client. "You will continue to use this account and the same login credentials to access all EA games, web sites, and services, including Origin."

EA would be pretty dumb to just drop the Origin name when it's the label of the one guaranteed good thing they made in the past few years (if at least because Origin gives Steam some healthy competition).

 

[Steve the Pocket]

Someone's always playing
Corporation games
Who cares, they're always changing
Corporation names

(or, if you prefer, there's this old Dave Barry column [http://www.heraldextra.com/lifestyles/i-changed-my-name-to-bill-you-better/article_0f126fd8-7262-5a69-b383-560ce86d20fd.html])

Personally I thought the name was probably the one thing they did right about Origin. Like, it always seemed backwards that Valve called their engine "Source" and their distribution service "Steam" instead of the other way around, and having their rival name their service after a synonym of "source" felt like validation.

Perhaps it's to avoid confusion with other similarly named companies [https://www.originpc.com/]?

Similarly named and similarly logo'd, even.

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

I think they might be trying to connect the rising goodwill people associate with Origin to EA. Of course this could go the otherway way, but who knows. If anything it'll dilute a bit more (Origin becomes less great in some eyes, and EA becomes less terrible in some eyes).

Or I'm full of it and you're right, they're trying to distance themselves from other companies named Origin, funny how unoriginal the name is. Or some exec is trying to turn it into a Microsoft style thing and have a network of services all linked to EA more directly (god please no).