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48-1185: EA , also known as EA Desktop and formerly known as Origin , is a digital distribution platform for Microsoft Windows and macOS , developed by Electronic Arts for purchasing and playing video games . In October 2022, Origin for Windows was discontinued, directing players to the EA App, with the macOS version remaining as the primary method for users to download and play EA games on that platform. Origin contains social features such as profile management, networking with friends with chat and direct game joining along with an in-game overlay, streaming via Twitch and sharing of game library and community integration with networking sites like Facebook , Xbox Live , PlayStation Network , Nintendo Network , and Nintendo Account . In 2011, Electronic Arts stated that it wanted Origin to match Valve 's Steam service, Origin's primary competitor, by adding cloud game saves, auto-patching, achievements, and cross-platform releases. By 2013, Origin had over 50 million registered users. The Origin store allows users to browse and purchase games from Electronic Arts' catalogs. Instead of receiving

96-541: A DVD . Some companies, such as Bookmasters Distribution, which invested US$ 4.5 million in upgrading its equipment and operating systems, have had to direct capital toward keeping up with the changes in technology. The phenomenon of books going digital has given users the ability to access their books on handheld digital book readers. One benefit of electronic book readers is that they allow users to access additional content via hypertext links. These electronic book readers also give users portability for their books since

144-454: A big-name EA game." In October 2022, Alice O'Connor of Rock Paper Shotgun called Origin "much-maligned" and "inconvenience you must accept to play the EA games which require it, and beyond that it is useless." The login system was criticized for not remembering the login information and logging the user out repeatedly. Reviewing the EA app, O'Connor said: "Just like Origin before it, the new EA app

192-513: A blurb stating that the creature editor would be included with it. IGN revealed that the Spore Creature Creator utility would be available in two different versions on June 17, 2008. There was a paid version (for $ 9.95) and a free demo that was downloadable from Spore.com and included for free, bundled with The SimCity Box . The free version of the editor only contained 25% of the available creature parts that were found within

240-473: A box, disc, or even CD key, purchased software is immediately attached to the user's Origin account and is to be downloaded with the corresponding Origin client. Origin guarantees download availability forever after purchase, and there is no limit to the number of times a game can be downloaded. Users may also add certain EA games to their Origin account by using CD keys from retail copies, and digital copies obtained from other digital distribution services; however,

288-537: A branded storefront, I still don't understand what larger purpose Origin serves. In truth, I'd actually like to see it, er, pick up some steam, because I don't think it's healthy for Valve to not have a viable rival in this space. But this − at least, so far − isn't the way to do it. Origin's neither sprinted to the point of being neck-and-neck with Steam nor has it differentiated itself in any meaningful way. Instead, it's just puttered along at its own languid pace, harmlessly reminding us of its existence every time we pop open

336-408: A game from Steam , only to watch Origin or UPlay spark to life, and thought 'Ah, yes, how pleased I am to see you'? Of course you haven't, unless you own EA or Ubisoft stock. These things don't exist to make games better, they exist to give business liches and C-suite types a little warm glow." In December 2022, it was reported that most games that use the EA App are broken on Steam Deck because

384-615: A judge and professor for information, telecommunication and media law at the University of Münster , the German version of the EULA is a direct translation of the original without any modifications and its clauses are "null and void". There have been several instances of EA enforcing such bans for what critics argue are comparatively minor infractions, such as making rude comments in EA or BioWare's official forums or in chat. During March 2011,

432-405: A major publisher of science fiction and fantasy books, started to sell e-books DRM-free by July 2012. One year later the publisher stated that they will keep this model as removing DRM was not hurting their digital distribution ebook business. Smaller e-book publishers such as O'Reilly Media , Carina Press and Baen Books had already forgone DRM previously. Online distribution is changing

480-596: A new desktop client that will support the new EA Play and EA Play Pro subscriptions. It is expected all Origin content will carry over to the new EA Desktop client once it is fully released. The new client began its beta test in September 2020. The new client, named EA App was released on October 7, 2022, for Windows users with a deployed migration to existing users of Origin. The Origin client remains available for macOS users using macOS Mojave or older. In 2012, Nathan Grayson of Rock Paper Shotgun said that "beyond being

528-731: A premium tier for Origin Access called Origin Access Premier, that allows to play future EA games early, the games will be full version in contrast to the "First Trials" giving to basic Origin Access members. To streamline branding, EA renamed both EA Access and Origin Access both to EA Play, with the Origin Access Premier named to EA Play Pro. EA Downloader was launched in late 2005. It was replaced by EA Link in November 2006, adding trailers, demos and special content to

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576-432: A reader can hold multiple books depending on the size of its hard drive . Companies that are able to adapt and make changes to capitalize on the digital media market have seen sales surge. Vice President of Perseus Books Group stated that since shifting to electronic books (e-books), it saw sales rise by 68% . Independent Publishers Group experienced a sales boost of 23% in the first quarter of 2012 alone. Tor Books ,

624-574: A retailer is the Canadian music chain Sam the Record Man ; the company blamed online distribution for having to close a number of its traditional retail venues in 2007–08. One main reason that sales took such a big hit was that unlicensed downloads of music were very accessible. With copyright infringement affecting sales, the music industry realized it needed to change its business model to keep up with

672-512: A user named "Arno" was banned for allegedly making the comment "Have you sold your souls to the EA devil?" Arno's account was banned for 72 hours which prevented him from playing any of his Origin games. After reporting on the details of the incident, website Rock, Paper, Shotgun received a statement from EA saying that Arno's account ban was a mistake, and that future violations on the forums would not interfere with Origin users' access to their games. Later during October and November 2011, one user

720-673: A user's request, or "on-demand", rather than allowing a user to store it permanently. In contrast, fully downloading content to a hard drive or other forms of storage media may allow offline access in the future. Specialist networks known as content delivery networks help distribute content over the Internet by ensuring both high availability and high performance. Alternative technologies for content delivery include peer-to-peer file sharing technologies. Alternatively, content delivery platforms create and syndicate content remotely, acting like hosted content management systems . Unrelated to

768-422: Is gog.com which has a strict non-DRM policy while most other services allow various (strict or less strict) forms of DRM. Digital distribution is also more eco-friendly than physical. Optical discs are made of polycarbonate plastic and aluminum . The creation of 30 of them requires the use of 300 cubic feet of natural gas , two cups of oil and 24 gallons of water. The protective cases for an optical disc

816-550: Is an inconvenience you must accept to play the EA games which require it, and beyond that it is useless." She further panned the login system, saying "no matter how many times I tell it to remember my login, it will soon forget and log me out." The app was summarized: "If you judge the EA app as a launcher and as a storefront, it is bland, featureless, and wholly forgettable. It is outclassed by its rivals in every way. You would only ever use if you were forced to." In December 2022, Joshua Wolens of PC Gamer said: "Have you ever launched

864-660: Is available in Origin and in Origin-powered games. Unencrypted data includes account numbers, session tokens, as well as the message contents itself. With this type of data, user accounts might get compromised. Origin's end-user license agreement (EULA) gives EA permission to collect information about users' computers regardless of its relation to the Origin program itself, including "application usage (including but not limited to successful installation and/or removal), software, software usage and peripheral hardware." Initially,

912-499: Is designed to be similar to its competitor, Steam . The Origin In Game overlay client can be disabled while playing games. The client also features chat features such as a Friends List and a group chat options (implemented in version 9.3). Client and download performance has been patched and improved in past updates. EA released a subscription service for accessing and playing their games on PC in 2016 originally called EA Access ; via

960-416: Is made from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a known carcinogen . A general issue is the large number of incompatible data formats in which content is delivered, possibly restricting the devices that may be used, or making data conversion necessary. Streaming services can have several drawbacks: requiring a constant Internet connection to use content; the restriction of some content to never be stored locally;

1008-775: The Internet , thus bypassing physical distribution methods, such as paper , optical discs , and VHS videocassettes. The term online distribution is typically applied to freestanding products; downloadable add-ons for other products are more commonly known as downloadable content . With the advancement of network bandwidth capabilities, online distribution became prominent in the 21st century, with prominent platforms such as Amazon Video , and Netflix 's streaming service starting in 2007. Content distributed online may be streamed or downloaded, and often consists of books , films and television programs , music , software, and video games. Streaming involves downloading and using content at

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1056-479: The portmanteau "e-peen", which is slang for "electronic penis." Digital distribution platform Digital distribution , also referred to as content delivery , online distribution , or electronic software distribution , among others, is the delivery or distribution of digital media content such as audio , video , e-books , video games , and other software . The term is generally used to describe distribution over an online delivery medium, such as

1104-602: The DLCs) has been released on Steam, matching EA's story about pulling Crysis 2 due to DLC restraints. EA has confirmed that Battlefield 3 would not be available through Steam. The game is currently available for purchase on other non-Origin services such as GameFly , Green Man Gaming or GamersGate , but the Origin client must be used regardless of where the game was purchased. Battlefield 3 would eventually appear on Steam nine years after its release, in June 2020. Starting from

1152-407: The EULA also contained a passage permitting EA to more explicitly monitor activity as well as to edit or remove material at their discretion. A report by the news magazine Der Spiegel covered the allegations. In response to the controversy, EA issued a statement claiming they "do not have access to information such as pictures, documents or personal data, which have nothing to do with the execution of

1200-577: The IPs you signed, your art direction would not change, and so on. Now it's the opposite extreme: we can put something up on Steam, deliver it to people all around the world, make changes. We can take more interesting risks.[...] Retail doesn't know how to deal with those games. On Steam [a digital distributor] there's no shelf-space restriction. Since the 2000s, there has been an increasing number of smaller and niche titles available and commercially successful, e.g. remakes of classic games. The new possibility of

1248-533: The Origin client, this was called Origin Access . Users can choose between paying a monthly or yearly subscription fee to access a large collection of EA titles (known as The Vault ). Origin Access subscribers also get a 10% discount on all Origin purchases. Starting in March 2018, Origin Access starting offering titles from Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and was looking to add other publishers' titles, including those from indie games . At E3 2018 EA announced

1296-491: The Origin program on the system of the player, neither will they be collected by us." EA also added a sentence to the EULA stating that they would not "use spyware or install spyware on users' machines", although users must still consent to allowing EA to collect information about their computers. According to reports in German newspapers, the German version of Origin's EULA violates several German laws, mainly laws protecting consumers and users' privacy. According to Thomas Hoeren,

1344-497: The above, the term "digital distribution" is also used in film distribution to describe the distribution of content through physical digital media, in opposition to distribution by analog media such as photographic film and magnetic tape (see: digital cinema ). The rise of online distribution has provided controversy for the traditional business models and resulted in challenges as well as new opportunities for traditional retailers and publishers. Online distribution affects all of

1392-406: The addition of retail keys to Origin is restricted to games from 2009 onwards and older keys will not work even if the game is available on Origin, unless user contacts customer support. The Origin client is self-updating software that allows users to download games, expansion packs, content booster packs and patches from Electronic Arts. It shows the status of components available. The Origin client

1440-555: The app causes problems for the Proton compatibility layer. EA said it does not officially support the Steam Deck. Joshua Wolens of PC Gamer also criticized the login system, saying: "I want to stop getting up off my sofa to enter a 2FA code after the EA App signs me out for the millionth time, and Steam Deck users want their games to actually work." EA has been criticized for not encrypting Origin's XMPP chat functionality, which

1488-704: The content delivery service. In September 2007, it was once again replaced by the combination of EA Store and EA Download Manager . Users purchase from the EA Store website and use the downloadable EADM client to download their games. Games bought via EA Link were downloadable using the EA Download Manager. The store and client was reopened under the Origin name on June 3, 2011. In October 2011, EA added games from third-party publishers THQ , Warner Bros. Games and Capcom . The digital distribution software

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1536-487: The content owner directly or from third-party services. YouTube , Netflix , Hulu , Vudu , Amazon Prime Video , DirecTV , SlingTV and other Internet-based video services allow content owners to let users access their content on computers, smartphones, tablets or by using appliances such as video game consoles, set-top boxes or Smart TVs . Many film distributors also include a Digital Copy , also called Digital HD, with Blu-ray disc , Ultra HD Blu-ray , 3D Blu-ray or

1584-715: The digital distribution stimulated also the creation of game titles of very small video game producers like Independent game developer and Modders (e.g. Garry's Mod ), which were before not commercially feasible. The years after 2004 saw the rise of many digital distribution services on the PC, such as Amazon Services , Desura , GameStop , Games for Windows – Live , Impulse , Steam , Origin , Battle.net , Direct2Drive , GOG.com , Epic Games Store and GamersGate . The offered properties differ significantly: while most of these digital distributors do not allow reselling of bought games, Green Man Gaming allows this. Another example

1632-526: The full version. In Australia , on August 30, 2008, three state newspapers owned by News Limited offered the full version either free or for $ 2. The utility includes a test environment for players to see their creatures go through animations and allowed the player to import other user-created creatures through the Sporepedia at Spore.com. The utility included screen capture and video tools as well, including YouTube functionality. The editor also gave

1680-417: The launch of Origin, Crysis 2 was pulled from Steam and appeared on EA's website with an "only on Origin" claim, though it remained available on other distribution services. EA has since stated that Valve removed Crysis 2 due to imposed "business terms" and that "this was not an EA decision or the result of any action by EA." Since then, Crysis 2: Maximum Edition (a re-release of Crysis 2 with all

1728-424: The rapidly changing technology. The step that was taken to move the music industry into the online space has been successful for several reasons. The development of lossy audio compression file formats such as MP3 could take 30 MB for a typical 3-minute song and bring it down to 3 MB without any serious loss of quality. Lossless FLAC files can be up to six times larger than an MP3 while, in comparison,

1776-445: The release of Battlefield 3 in 2011 until November 2019, every first-party game EA published on PC was exclusive to the Origin service. In late 2019, EA began releasing their games on Steam again, starting with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order ; however, the game still uses the Origin client to launch. EA started to release their existing games on Steam in June 2020. In September 2020, EA announced its plans to retire Origin in favor for

1824-536: The restriction of content from being transferred to physical media ; and the enabling of greater censorship at the discretion of owners of content, infrastructure, and consumer devices. Decades after the launch of the World Wide Web , in 2019 businesses were still adapting to the evolving world of distributing content digitally—even regarding the definition and understanding of basic terminology. Spore Creature Creator The SimCity Box artwork showed

1872-474: The rise of music streaming services . In 2017, physical formats overtook downloading again for the first time in six years, but despite the vinyl revival and CDs holding its own, the physical formats account for only 11% revenue as of 2023, while streaming services are dominant with 84% of the US industry. Many traditional network television shows, movies and other video content is now available online, either from

1920-451: The same song might require 30–40 megabytes of storage on a CD. The smaller file size yields much greater Internet transfer speeds. The transition into the online space has boosted sales, and profit for some artists. It has also allowed for potentially lower expenses such as lower coordination costs, lower distribution costs, as well as the possibility for redistributed total profits. These lower costs have aided new artists in breaking onto

1968-404: The scene and gaining recognition. In the past, some emerging artists have struggled to find a way to market themselves and compete in the various distribution channels. The Internet may give artists more control over their music in terms of ownership, rights, creative process, pricing, and more. In addition to providing global users with easier access to content, online stores allow users to choose

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2016-617: The site. During Electronic Arts' E3 2008 presentation on July 14, 2008, Wright humorously noted that fans had done God's work at 38% efficiency by creating the same number of currently known species on Earth, 1,589,000, in about 18 days, compared to God's 6 days . When Spore debuted on September 1, 2008, over 3 million creatures had been added to the Sporepedia via the Spore Creature Creator . When installing Spore , Spore Creature Creator would be uninstalled. At

2064-400: The songs they wish instead of having to purchase an entire album from which there may only be one or two titles that the buyer enjoys. The number of downloaded single tracks rose from 160 million in 2004 to 795 million in 2006, which accounted for a revenue boost from US$ 397 million to US$ 2 billion. Downloading peaked in the US in 2012, after which it started falling due to

2112-490: The structure of the video game industry . Gabe Newell , creator of the digital distribution service Steam , formulated the advantages over physical retail distribution as such: The worst days [for game development] were the cartridge days for the NES. It was a huge risk – you had all this money tied up in silicon in a warehouse somewhere, and so you'd be conservative in the decisions you felt you could make, very conservative in

2160-473: The traditional media markets, including music, press, and broadcasting. In Britain, the iPlayer , a software application for streaming television and radio, accounts for 5% of all bandwidth used in the United Kingdom . The move towards online distribution led to a dip in sales in the 2000s; CD sales were nearly cut in half around this time. One such example of online distribution taking its toll on

2208-987: The user the ability to create animated avatars, and output in RSS and embeddable HTML code to facilitate easy incorporation into such sites as MySpace and Facebook . The software is automatically superseded by Spore when it is installed, since the Creature editor is already present on the game. Shortly after its introduction, the Creature Creator was used to create creatures with oversized genitalia , either stand-alone or engaged in coitus (a phenomenon quickly dubbed "sporn"). EA responded with e-mails sent to those who made pornographic machinima from its demo , and has flagged certain on-line accounts for " TOS violations". Furthermore, YouTube pulled several such videos for violations of its own TOS. By June 24, 2008, users had already uploaded over one million creatures to

2256-411: Was banned for posting about teabagging dead players. Another user received a 72-hour account suspension for posting a link to his own network troubleshooting guide in the EA forums. EA interpreted this as a "commercial" link, even though the same link had been posted elsewhere in the forums, and EA's own corporate support site and FAQ. One user was permanently banned for submitting a forum post containing

2304-542: Was first used to deliver the Battlefield 2: Special Forces expansion pack, and subsequently most EA titles. The biggest product launch on the software is Spore Creature Creator . EA acquired the trademark Origin when it purchased Origin Systems in 1992. Origin Systems was a major game studio in the 1980s and 1990s, best known for its Ultima , Wing Commander , and Crusader game franchises. Shortly after

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