EA launches Origin, takes aim at Steam

Electronic Arts is doubling down on the digital-gaming space with the launch of a new direct-to-consumer platform, called Origin.

Launching later today, Origin will allow gamers to purchase and download over 150 games directly to their PCs. So far, the content on the site is limited to games from EA "and its partners," the company said in a statement today. In the coming months, EA says that it will offer more games, including the highly anticipated Battlefield 3, FIFA 12, Madden NFL 12, and Mass Effect 3.



"Origin is a game service with two fundamental features," David DeMartini, senior vice president of Global Online at EA, said in a statement. "It's a download service for the very best content from EA and its partners. It also offers a social function which, over time, will connect a player's profile with friends lists and a cross-platform feed that shows what your friends are playing and where."

That social element comes through Origin's desktop application. After downloading it, users can connect with friends and find out what games others are playing. Users of the desktop app will also be able to download games to their PCs.

Origin, which will go live at 9 a.m. PT today, is EA's answer to Steam, a service that offers a wide selection of content. According to Steam's Web site, it now has more than 1,100 games available from a slew of developers for users to buy and play on a Mac or PC. Steam currently offers content from EA, including The Sims 3 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, among others.


As of this writing, Steam has nearly 2.5 million concurrent users on its service. The service had more than 3 million concurrent users earlier this week.

EA's decision to jump into the direct-to-consumer market for PC games makes sense. Back in September, the NPD Group revealed that during the first six months of 2010, PC game downloads outstripped physical PC game sales by 3 million units. Moreover, digital downloads accounted for 43 percent of overall game revenue.

Its gonna suck, maybe even more than EA.