In a what appears to be a thinly veiled attempt at targeting Steam users, EA’s Origin service is promoting a player appreciation sale that wants you to forget about your current backlog of games. Instead, Origin invites you to buy some games that “you’ll actually play”.
It’s no secret that Steam users are notorious for buying piles of games at steep discount that go unplayed, sometimes forever. In a study by Ars Technica, it was revealed that somewhere around one-third of all games purchased on Steam have been played for less than 6 minutes. It would seem EA is hoping to capitalize on that fact by advertising directly to those among us that are guilty of buying games that we’ll never play.
Back in 2012, in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, EA’s stance for Origin was that game sales “cheapen intellectual property”. It’s clear that EA is starting to see the light as far as sales are concerned for it’s digital distribution platform. Valve is clearly making a bit of profit with their annual and weekly sales, it’s no wonder EA wants a piece of the action. Some of the deals currently featured on Origin are actually pretty good, especially if you’ve previously purchased the EA Humble Bundle and want some Sims 3 expansions for cheap.
While EA makes a wide range of games, there are some significant holes in terms of what games they offer. It’s also worth noting that even on sale, many of their games are still on the higher end of the price spectrum. Origin’s sale features just under 50 games coming in around a $5 average. Steam, by contrast, currently has 656 games that come in under that price.
- Is it a matter of quality over quantity?
- Van EA really hope to succeed without featuring more independent publishers on their service?
- Is EA doomed to forever be the program you have because of Battlefield?
- What, if anything, would make you adopt Origin more in the future?
We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below.