EA Gets Ready to Throw Down With Steam - UPDATED

[intheweeds]

By the sounds of the posts here, it sounds like it might not be much to worry about, but this can't be good for PC gaming in general. Having any titles be exclusive to any particular distribution service means multiple accounts and information to be remembered. It's just one more overly complex barrier to playing PC games.

I tend to agree with most here that I won't be bothering with any EA games if I have to open a separate Origin account to do so. If it is successful, others may follow and I really don't want to be in a situation where i have to remember account information for every developer i buy a game from. Especially during this time where it seems every online entity that has anything to do with gaming is in the firing line of some immature hacker, I have no desire to have account information in so many places.

 

[Vaccine]

i could just avoid origin buy buying, you know, a disc? ever heard of it EA?
If they pull this shite with BF3 and ME3, i will be visiting PC world more often!

They'll most likely drive home their own platform by making their disc bought multiplayer games require an Origin installation.

 

[NLS]

On one hand, Steam needs competition. On the other hand, I'm not sure that competition should be EA. On another hand, it could be worse: it could be Activision. On another hand, what is this going to mean for games like Mass Effect 3 and Battlefield 3?

Wait a second... how many hands do you have?

Oh and, I remember seeing that "Origin" logo somewhere before. Oh yes, it was at the end of a BF3 trailer.

 

[Naturality]

Well then, I'm not buying anymore EA games. After Battlefield 3, of course.

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

i could just avoid origin buy buying, you know, a disc? ever heard of it EA?
If they pull this shite with BF3 and ME3, i will be visiting PC world more often!

You realise EA will probably make installing origin mandatory same as steam games? Even if you buy it retail.

If that's the case then i'm not getting the old republic as i already have one digital distro platform thanks and i'm not running a second for one game.

 

[Mzullos5]

This seems like it's only going to hurt their PC market, not their consol. EA is not a company that understans how Steam works. Steam is not just a retailer, it's a service. If Origin and Steam were butlers and you asked for a milkshake; Origin will bring you the milkshake while Steam will bring you the milkshake, a plate of cookies, and will ask if you care for a pizza as well. Valve knows that simply being nice to their customers is what makes them money. Honestly, I think Valve should get into the publishing market. But that's just me.

 

[Echo136]

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah... this idea's gonna tank. And tank horribly. They'll wind up going back to Steam once Origin fails miserably.

Its not a bad idea at all. I only started using STEAM because of Team Fortress Classic and Half-Life 2, and then the Orange Box, and then it just snowballed from there and now I own over 100 games on STEAM. If it hadn't been for the Valve games I wouldnt have ever used it at all.



Well, the only way it will be able to compete is if EA can do insane sales like STEAM

 

[Littaly]

Will there be super cheap deals? 'Cause two services offering super cheap deals are better than one.

 

[Unorthodoxx]

Here's to hoping they leave my copy of bad company two and Dragon Age Origins alone. I've grown to love Steam, and the few times I've had to contact Vale support everything asked was done amazingly quick and effectively. Has anyone attempted to register Battlefield Veteran status with EA? Perhaps it was just me but it was literally the most frustrating thing I've ever done. Regardless I will not be partaking in Origin, and I had no active plans to actually play TOR when it was released anyway.

 

[angmoo]

So EA is actually helping me not buy their games?

That's cool.

 

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

i could just avoid origin buy buying, you know, a disc? ever heard of it EA?
If they pull this shite with BF3 and ME3, i will be visiting PC world more often!

They'll most likely drive home their own platform by making their disc bought multiplayer games require an Origin installation.

eh, wont really bother me. i rarely use online retail sevices.I only use steam for the great sales.

 

[gunner1905]

Fuck, this means there won't be ME2 GOTY (if it ever comes out) for my steam collection, FIFA will never be on steam and BF3 is tainted with a less useful service.
EA why are you doing this

Oh, for those people who have games from EA on their steam account, it should be fine. You should still be able to play it and download it again. I've had this happen to F1 2010, I bought it and it was removed from my region (because of fuckin GFWL, which also blocks me from buying Dead Rising 2 even though I would buy it cause it's on sale) and it still works fine, you can't buy it again of course.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Yeah, unlike EA, I actually like Valve so I hope Steam kicks your ass EA.

 

[sniperworm]

Well for a certain few of their games there is nice cheap way to avoid this issue completely which EA is bound to love. Preowned console versions I'm not typically one for preowned games any more but I'll make an exception for EA.

 

[idarkphoenixi]

Pray that this idea fails miserably, I don't want to sign up to origin just so I can buy my new battlefield game.

 

[Jegsimmons]

EA...i understand your business people who want to try new things and earn a better profit like most people would do. I respect that.
ON THE OTHER HAND.....this will probably go down faster than a brick ship in an ice berg field.