It seems American video game company Electronic Arts may be returning to the Steam digital distribution service owned by Valve Corporation after eight years. After initial reports of the possibility, EA has now tweeted a mug with steam coming out of it.
— Electronic Arts (@EA) October 25, 2019
EA’s return to Steam
This rumor started a few days ago when a Twitter user with the handle RobotBrush posted a screenshot of an application config change. It showed a test application for running Origin-based games through the Steam platform. Instead of completely jumping ship to Valve’s service, it seems EA will allow players to purchase and launch their games through Steam. However, players will still need to end up using the Origin launcher.
Electronic Arts developed and launched digital distribution platform Origin in June of 2011. It comes with most of the features of competitors, like social features, in-game overlay, streaming, a game library, and community integration. It was created to first release the Battlefield 2: Special Forces expansion pack, but the launch of the service saw Crysis 2 being removed from the Steam store. Since Origin’s launch, it has been the typical platform for all EA PC releases.
Some of the Origin franchises that could be coming to Steam include Battlefield, The Sims, and FIFA. There will most likely be older titles in particular being released onto Steam like Mass Effect. Will Apex Legends also make the transition so there is an increase in player base?
Fans reacted to this reveal by saying they might decide to play EA games again. This is because many have avoided titles exclusive to the Origin platform due to game library client preference. No further information has been provided on the time frame or specifics of the change. What are you most excited for? Let us know, and keep up with Daily Esports for all of your esports coverage.
