Capcom, THQ and Warner Bros games coming to EA’s Origin in early November

By Jeff Hughes October 27, 2011

EA has decided to expand the Origin PC download service and offer titles from third-parties. PC gamers can look forward to purchasing and downloading titles like Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third and more at the beginning November.

Origin is already packing a large 100 game library, but all of those are Electronic Arts birthed products. Now Origin users will be able to download games from three major publishers: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, THQ and Capcom.

“Since launch, we’ve had overwhelming support from both publishers and developers across the gaming industry, recognizing Origin as an opportunity to deliver more of their great content straight to consumers across the globe,” said Origin’s Senior Vice President David Demartini.

Probably a good move on the part of the big publishers as EA says Origin has about 6 million registered users. Capcom hasn’t announced which game they’ll be tossing in first, but THQ and Warner Bros have decided to put up Arkham City and Saints Row: The Third. More games from the three publishers will follow in the coming months, and you’ll soon be able to browse the Origin website for information and release dates for the individual titles.

Representatives from Capcom, THQ and Warner Bros all said they were excited about the new partnership with EA, hoping to grow their PC fanbase through the service. EA will most likely be opening up Origin beyond these three publishers eventually.

Origin was launched in early June this year, and is EA’s digital distribution response to Valve’s popular 1000 game strong Steam service. EA’s been building itself up as a viable competitor in the market by keeping PC releases of its games like, Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3, from digital distribution competitors’ reaches. Origin’s new features include free-to-play games and a beta cloud storage feature.

Image via Kotaku

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I'm a SF Bay Area-based writer/ninja that loves anything geek, tech, comic, social media or gaming-related.

Gaming

EA forcing Origin client on PC gamers that purchase retail copies of Battlefield 3

battlefield3-origin

Confirmed by a DICE community manager, all physical copies of Battlefield 3 for the PC will require consumers to install the Origin client to play the game. Consumers that purchase Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 versions of the game will only need an EA account to play the first-person shooter. This extra step is required for all digital downloads of the game as well, regardless of where the consumer purchases it. EA is already attempting to push the Origin service to the PC community with early beta access to Battlefield 3 as well as other pre-order benefits. This announcement follows the recent confirmation that the anticipated Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG from Bioware will be exclusively available on Origin.
Critics of the Origin service have been quick to point out the limited feature set and problematic interface of the Origin client. The client requires users to both download games as well as install them, different from Steam's more seamless experience. Origin doesn't allow the user to import games from other publishers and lacks the massive social community seen on Steam. Users also complain about Origin eating up resources, a common problem when trying to run graphic-intensive games like Battlefield 3.
This situation is reminiscent of Valve forcing anyone that purchased Half-Life 2 to install Steam to play the game. While PC gamers revolted against the new client initially, Steam has quickly become the most widely used PC game distribution client due to seasonal sales and other promotions. Complete EA games and corresponding DLC content for games such as Crysis 2 and Dragon Age II were removed from Steam when Origin launched. EA claims that Steam imposed a set of terms that wasn't compatible with EA's digital download strategy. It's currently unclear if major EA-branded games will return to the Steam platform this year.

Gaming

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GameStop store

With the upcoming launch of Deus Ex: Human Revolution for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC platforms, GameStop is starting up a program to sell digital versions of PC games within the physical locations of the company. While visitors to the GameStop can accomplish the exact same task on the website, customers interested in the game can apply store credit from trade-ins to the purchase of the digital title. This service is being powered by technology from a recent acquisition, Impulse Inc. The Impulse digital distribution platform is a response to the popularity of Steam as well as the move by Electronic Arts to sell games within a proprietary distribution system called Origin.
As an incentive for those that preorder Deus Ex: Human Revolution, consumers will also receive a DLC pack called Explosive Mission, digital versions of the first two games in the series Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition and Deus Ex: Invisible War, double points for GameStop PowerUp Rewards members as well as an entry in the Augment Your Living Room Sweepstakes (GameStop PowerUp Rewards members only). The sweepstakes includes a 3D HDTV, surround sound system, home theater seating, all three consoles and a $500 GameStop gift card.
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Gaming

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ea blown away by wii u will provide launch games

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Later in the interview, Gibeau explained more about EA's new Origin games service, which will compete with Steam and have an exclusive on Star Wars: The Old Republic. He also commented on the ballooning budgets of console games, commenting that EA is now developing only a half-dozen or so big games each year and that the industry is moving more toward a model not unlike Hollywood's theatrical blockbusters.
If you'd like to know more about the Wii U, check out our constantly evolving complete guide to the new system.