In 2011, EA’s games started to disappear from Steam as EA decided to start selling its digital PC games directly, through its own digital storefront and launcher, Origin. Now years later, it’s starting to look like EA’s games might make their way back to Valve’s platform.
There have been several clues over the past few months suggesting EA’s grand return to Steam. It started when an image of Steam’s new library user interface showed an image of Mirror’s Edge Catalyst. The game was never released on Steam, so it showing up in the image was strange. It didn’t get too much attention though, because it’s easy enough to add non-Steam games to one’s personal Steam library.
A more recent find, is that a Steam test app suggest that there’ll be Origin integration of some sort coming.
That, however, isn’t all. EA and Pandemic’s underrated open world, World War II action-adventure The Saboteur has a Steam database entry, and there’s one solitary person playing it. While it was released for PC, the PC version was never released on Steam – so it’s a curious entry.
The last Steam/EA oddity is that Dragon Age II has been given a new package. The game was yanked from Steam in 2011 along with much of EA’s library (the original Dragon Age is still available).There’s no reason for this at all unless it was going to return to the platform.
These three clues have many convinced that EA’s games – at least their older ones – will be back on Steam soon.
Last Updated: October 23, 2019
Admiral Chief
October 23, 2019 at 12:55
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/85d8086206bb36138a19df4bc4152490474703f188da26c70933142946821f8a.png
SagatatiaRZA
October 23, 2019 at 12:55
I have enough VR sex games on Steam, I don’t need EA to fuck me there too
Gustav Willem Diedericks
October 23, 2019 at 13:05
I knew this would eventually happen. The segregated one-publisher platforms won’t make enough money to stand on their own and to keep running. Outsourcing is inevitable and what better place to outsource to than Steam or Epic?
Paul
October 23, 2019 at 14:51
The problem for EA and it’s the same for Ubisoft, their platforms are mostly designed for it’s own games and most of them get advertised on it’s front page a lot more than other games do and because of that, it was never a real challenge to Steam whereas Epic and even GoG could be a challenge to Steam if they play their cards right.
Paul
October 23, 2019 at 14:51
The problem for EA and it’s the same for Ubisoft, their platforms are mostly designed for it’s own games and most of them get advertised on it’s front page a lot more than other games do and because of that, it was never a real challenge to Steam whereas Epic and even GoG could be a challenge to Steam if they play their cards right.
Admiral Chief
October 23, 2019 at 13:14
Remember outsourcing and insourcing and the Drakensberg boys choir and protecting me from yourself?
Gustav Willem Diedericks
October 23, 2019 at 14:41
I do. Heard it, saw it, got the shirt
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a1174afd7f05097af7f2da28fd8ad6e88ea7eba2f2b2826a75692b94e3610e85.jpg
Paul
October 23, 2019 at 14:51
The problem for EA and it’s the same for Ubisoft, their platforms are mostly designed for it’s own games and most of them get advertised on it’s front page a lot more than other games do and because of that, it was never a real challenge to Steam whereas Epic and even GoG could be a challenge to Steam if they play their cards right.
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 23, 2019 at 13:14
I remember when this happened. Mass Effect 3 & Kingdoms of Amalur came out more or less the same time & EA were hyping Origin. KoA was released on Steam & Origin while my ME3 preorder ended up having the unexpected surprise of being Origin-exclusive. And that was the last time I bought EA.
Pariah
October 23, 2019 at 15:32
You’ve missed out on some great ga… Oh, wait.
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 23, 2019 at 15:42
I also remember EA saying when Origin launched that their games wouldn’t get discounts because Steam sales devalued them. That didn’t even last a year.
Paul
October 23, 2019 at 17:07
I suspect Origin as well as Uplay came about for one simple reason and that was to collect 30% and not give it to Steam.
EA still does sales but dlc contents don’t really go on sale with them and I rarely buy games without all the best dlc contents so EA is missing out from me.
In any case, it looks like EA are doing what Ubisoft did, putting it’s games on Steam but still needing it’s own store front, I suspect, so they still collect 30% no matter what.
Pariah
October 23, 2019 at 19:02
Funny that devs pulled out of the first Epic sale for the same reason. What a weird world we live in.
Alien Emperor Trevor
October 23, 2019 at 23:29
I thought they pulled out of the sale because Epic didn’t bother to consult them before discounting their games?
Pariah
October 24, 2019 at 03:08
Yeah and the result is that it “devalued their games”. That was the case for the new releases, that’s how the publishers felt. That’s why they didn’t want them on sale, and had Epic consulted them beforehand those games would not have been put on sale. This wasn’t true for all the games, mostly the new and pre-order ones.
Admiral Chief
October 24, 2019 at 10:19
EA games are devalued because of the EA stench
Pariah
October 24, 2019 at 14:46
Nah, that’s just because they’re mostly trash.
Pariah
October 23, 2019 at 13:14
Heh, so somewhat ironically, EA’s distribution platform ran out of steam and they’re returning to their origins.
Raptor Rants
October 23, 2019 at 13:14
so coming to stEAm?
Admiral Chief
October 23, 2019 at 13:24
I sEA what you did thEAr
Raptor Rants
October 23, 2019 at 15:42
there*
That will be $2.99 for the correction
Pariah
October 23, 2019 at 15:42
tl;dr
CrAiGiSh
October 23, 2019 at 13:56
dEAvil …
I’ll show my way out.
Hammersteyn
October 23, 2019 at 14:19
More garbage on Steam
Pennywise The Dancing Clown
October 23, 2019 at 15:12
Have you tried browsing games on steam? Dear me but most of the games on there looks like crap!!!
IF you do not know what title you are looking for, you won’t find something.
My experience any ways
Paul
October 23, 2019 at 14:42
This sounds like they are doing what Ubisoft did with having it’s games on Steam but still needing Uplay and assuming they collect the 30% cut, I doubt they’ll complain about doing this and in fact EA should have followed Ubisoft years ago.
So this doesn’t suggest that Origin is doing bad, just that EA is looking for another point of sales for it’s games.
HairyEwok
October 24, 2019 at 09:53
With all these integrations and multiple logins to play a single game, It’ll be great if we can have GOG Galaxy 2.0. One application with all your games in one library. Link your origin, steam, ubi, bethesda, microsoft, paradox, Blizzard and epic games accounts and you’re all set.
HairyEwok
October 24, 2019 at 09:53
With all these integrations and multiple logins to play a single game, It’ll be great if we can have GOG Galaxy 2.0. One application with all your games in one library. Link your origin, steam, ubi, bethesda, microsoft, paradox, Blizzard and epic games accounts and you’re all set.