If you think Origin, EA's digital distribution platform, is horrible in its current state, the company's COO has a message for you: it needs two more years to be perfected. According to Peter Moore 18 months to two years will bring about the improvements you crave. Speaking to Kotaku, he said that the platform had overcome its early growing problems and users have begun to warm to it.
"It's one of those things where I would ask give us 18 months to two years," said Moore. "And if we sit here two years from now, start looking at it then. I think the ability to have your own direct platform with the consumer is going to be very important in the digital world going forward."
Moore doesn't really address some of the biggest problems with the platform - like how it makes you take multiple steps just to get into a game. Its closest competitor – Steam – makes the transition from Steam Client to game almost seamlessly.
He went on to say that the company needs to add new features to the storefront to create more value and make it a platform central to gaming instead of being viewed as a form of DRM.
"We need to continue to add social layers so there is value to the consumer," he said. "So it doesn't feel like, in their words, 'something that is mandatory that I don't want.’"
Finally, he says that it got off to a bad start because of "false accusations" such as the wording of its EULA:
"It got off to a rocky start for all the wrong reasons which were mostly inaccurate: accusations of Spyware, The EULA, we were clearly focused on by some folks who said, 'We don't like this. How can we start picking things apart?'"
Love it or hate it, EA has numbers that show Origin is being used by consumers: it currently has more than nine million users, and has generated $100 million from the digital sales since its launch in June of 2011.
Source: Develop
Comments
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
Well Peter Moore, I'm glad you are there to polish this turd in to a shiny rock (of shit.) Because if you weren't there EA most certainly would have done only the bare minimum and called it a day.
Good on ya Peter.
I do have to disagree with your marketing numbers though. You don't get to compete in the numbers game if your Origin tool is the only place to get a specific game. (Like BF3) You numbers might mean something if you had a competitor platform (like Steam.) Only then can you claim victory, because right now you are really just saying "nine million users were forced to this Origin platform because we withheld distribution of a very popular developers game to all other digital distribution platforms." Otherwise your commentary is not compelling at all, its forced.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
I'm not really sure what people mean when they say that it takes 'multiple steps' just to launch a game. From what I remember, you just click once and that's it. From my standpoint, Origin may develop into something nice but it's too primitive right now. On the other hand, it's quite unrealistic to expect ANY piece of software to "instantly" match something that has already been in development for years (such as Steam). The Origin client even says "Beta" at the top so naturally it's unfinished in its current state.
What I'd like to see improved at least is the game library which manifests DLC as an actual game for some reason even though it's an addon to another (e.g. Mass Effect's Pinnacle Station). I also don't like how you can't remove demo's from your list when you're done with them and speaking of demos, it's quite a challenge finding them sometimes because they aren't necessarily listed on the Origin Store (e.g. Mass Effect 3's demo). Lastly, they really need to add to their storefront so that you can at least see your transaction history whereas right now you have to be signed into Origin itself.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
That's nice. But can you quit witholding your games from Steam? That kind of dick move to try to force me to use your shit doesn't exactly instill me with confidence that you will not continue to screw me in the future. I'm comfortable with Steam because I trust Valve. I do not, and probably never will, trust EA. You're not going to fix that in 18-24 months, believe me.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
Here's the thing, EA. Three years to get up to speed is not acceptable in a world where viable alternatives exist. Steam may have taken a few years to get up to speed, but it came onto the scene at a time where digital distribution was pretty much a foreign concept.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
After my experience with Battlefield 3 on Origin I will never again buy a game requiring Origin.
I'm also sick of games that want you to install a crappy browser plugin just to launch the game. I will never buy another game that forces you to do this.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
Sorry EA, I'll stick to Steam where I feel treated like a law abiding citizen.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
From what I've been told, EA had converted all previous EA/Bioware accounts into Origin accounts, and had been counting those in with the Origin User figures.
Anyone know if this is true? If it is, it means that EA is including me in the count, even though I have never used Origin, NOR have plans to ever using it.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
Sorry EA, but Origin doesn't need to exist unless you have plans to allow me to buy digital licenses that can be transferred to Steam.
Re: EA: Origin Needs Two More Years to Be Perfected
Translation we are in need of more hapless victims.
Copyright infringement is nothing more than civil disobedience to a bad set of laws. Let's renegotiate them.
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