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Electronic Arts hints at possible return to Steam, 8 years after Origin launch

Aaron Mamiit
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What appears to be an innocent tweet from Electronic Arts may be hinting that the publisher’s PC games will soon return to Steam, eight years after the launch of its own Origin platform.

The tweet in question features a mug with an Electronic Arts logo, with no caption to explain its purpose.

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… pic.twitter.com/bHZy7mEWFW

— Electronic Arts (@EA) October 25, 2019

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With steam coming out from the top of the mug, it may be a stretch to think that this tweet alone means that Electronic Arts will make such a major move on how it distributes its PC games. However, it is supported by recent discoveries made by Redditors, including the first look of the new Steam library user interface that featured Mirror’s Edge Catalyst; someone playing The Saboteur, which is not on sale on Steam; and a new package for Dragon Age II.

Perhaps the most important indicator of Electronic Arts’ pending return to Steam is a test application that will allow players to buy games on Steam, but run them through the Origins launcher.

looks like EA are indeed getting ready to come back to steam

:) pic.twitter.com/p5KVTlu40c

— lashman (@RobotBrush) October 22, 2019

Electronic Arts caused controversy when it launched Origin in 2011, as it pulled Crysis 2 from Steam and decided against releasing Battlefield 3 on Valve’s PC games distribution platform. Ever since then, all of the games that Electronic Arts published for the PC were exclusive to Origin.

Electronic Arts’ specific plans remain unclear if it is indeed planning to bring its games back to Steam. Some older games such as the aforementioned Mirror’s Edge Catalyst, The Saboteur, and Dragon Age II may soon be added to Valve’s platform, in addition to current hits such as the free-to-play battle royale shooter Apex Legends.

There is also the possibility that the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order may also launch on Steam to widen the game’s distribution, though it remains to be seen if Electronic Arts is willing to hand over 30% of sales of a brand new game to Valve.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, set between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, shows potential with its flashy combat, challenging traversal, and rewarding exploration. The game is set to launch on November 15 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

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