Back in September 2020, EA announced plans to do away with its Origin PC launcher and replace it with a new app. Now two years later, that app has finally debuted, promising a lighter client and faster performance, all wrapped up in an overhauled design.
EA began shaking up its digital content strategy back in 2019 when it finally started offering games on Steam once again. Beyond that, EA also made its EA Access subscription service available through Valve's platform. While some games still require EA's launcher when bought through Steam, other titles are completely native, including the upcoming Dead Space Remake.
EA has now begun the process of phasing out Origin. The new EA app will be tested by Origin users over the next few weeks and once everything is ready, the app will roll out to everyone, replacing Origin for good.
Origin has always been one of the worst offenders as far as PC launchers go. Its UI has been outdated for some time, and the launcher was always bloated and sluggish to launch and navigate. The new EA App promises to be the publisher's “fastest & lightest” client to date, and the new UI already looks to be a huge improvement over Origin. The new launcher will also offer background game updates and downloads and a cross-platform friends list.
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KitGuru Says: If the focus here has been on cross-platform connectivity and removing bloat, then the EA App should be much less painful to use compared to Origin. I'd still prefer my games to be native to Steam, but this should still be a big improvement.