EA has announced that they will be completely revamping their PC digital game launcher; Origin. It will now be dubbed the EA Desktop App and will utilize the EA Play branding which includes their annual subscription services. In their blog post, EA describes the app as “next-generation PC gaming platform” where players will be able to subscribe to the aforementioned services, EA Play and EA Play Pro, which in and of themselves are a rebrand of EA’s Origin Access. Ever since EA has re-allowed most of their IP’s to be launched from other PC launchers, the company has been on a path to making sure that everyone around the world will be able to access their titles in most alleyways and avenues.
EA states in the post that the EA Desktop App will include “faster controls, fewer clicks to jump back into your favorite games, and powerful Playtime Controls to help you keep tabs on how much time you and your family spend playing.” The company goes onto say that they will be making it easier to install new games, regardless if you’re doing it regularly or via EA Membership. Speaking of which, the company also mentioned that they will be bringing in new benefits for those who have EA Play and EA Play Pro, although they did not state what those exact benefits will be.
Obviously the most notable thing to come out of this the fact that the company is essentially doing away with the Origin name. Originally launching in 2011, EA Origin was the one-stop-shop for all of the company’s IP’s, with the idea being that you could only play them on PC through this specific launcher. Unfortunately, Origin was plagued by extremely slow load times and fairly complex menu system, not to mention the fact that it was rumored for years that the software running the launcher contained a sort of spyware.
Despite the rocky start, EA continued pushing Origin, and slowly but surely, became a reliable and serviceable launcher. EA was able to do this thanks to the Origin Access, and later Origin Access Premier, which offered a plethora of mostly AAA titles to play at any time for an annual fee. Things began to change when the company began rebranding into the EA Play name, and now this new EA Desktop App confirms the end of the Origin experiment. The company hasn’t revealed when the new app will go live, but they are offering those interested to sign up and try out a beta-build, which you can check out here.