EA launching competitor to Steam

[Great Rumbler]

In an interview with Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello, the Wall Street Journal reports (subscription required to view) Star Wars: The Old Republic will exclusively be a part of their new digital delivery service named Origin. EA will announce more details about Origin tomorrow (Friday).

The article reaffirms players will be able to purchase SWTOR in retail stores as well as from Origin, but the EA service will be the only internet-based one to digitally distribute the game. As we reported in our coverage of the UBS Media and Communications conference, EA CFO Eric Brown stated the game's PC client will be available in both a retail packaged format and digital download format. The Origin service is described as similar to iTunes and will let players purchase, download and keep track of multiple EA game purchases as well as act as a social networking platform. This functionality is available to players even if they don't purchase the game through Origin.

http://darthhater.com/2011/06/03/wsj-rep...d-service/

Can't really say that I have much interest in this, but they're supposedly offering exclusive content for their games so maybe it would be worth it for that. Still, I like having all my DD games on Steam, and not scattered across a dozen different services.

[EdenMaster]

[A Black Falcon]

EA also signed on to GOG a couple of days ago, and EA games now will be on GOG. No System Shock or Syndicate, supposedly because of rights reasons, sadly. They're starting with Ultima Underworld 1+2, Dungeon Keeper 1, and one more, but a bunch more are coming. :)

[Great Rumbler]

:barf

[Dark Jaguar]

So... more of this "exclusive content" stuff. The worst part is, they're going to give a different exclusive quest to the Gamestop version, and yet another to the Steam version. If you want the full game, you either steal the extra content packs or you buy the game 3 times, 3 times within a small window just after the game comes out because the other bad part is that this content magically disappears forever afterwards. The idea of games being digitally distributed is great, but part of that is the idea that the game should be around forever because of the manufacturing cost reduced to zero. Forced scarcity blows.

Some parts of this generation really suck.

[Great Rumbler]

Remember when you could go out and buy a game and you actually got the whole game?