Origin (content delivery)

Origin

The home page of the Origin Client
Developer(s)	Electronic Arts
Initial release	June 3, 2011 (2011-06-03)
Stable release	8.4.1.210
Development status	Active, in Beta
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Size	50MB Download, Expands to 100MB, (Approx)
Type	Content delivery Digital rights management Social networking
Website	store.origin.com

Origin (formerly EA Store) is a digital distribution, digital rights management system from Electronic Arts that allows users to purchase games on the internet for PC and mobile platforms, and download them with the Origin client (formerly EA Download Manager, EA Downloader and EA Link). It is currently in Beta.

Origin features social features like profile management, networking with friends with chat and direct game joining along with an in-game overlay, sharing of game library and community integration with networking sites like Facebook, Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Electronic Arts has stated that it wants Origin to match Valve's Steam service, Origin's leading competitor, by the end of March 2012, by adding cloud game saves, auto-patching, achievements and rewards, and cross-platform releases.

Since Origin's launch, the service has received criticism over EA's practice of suspending or deleting accounts for disputed infractions, suspected monitoring of users' computer activity, and for requiring users to forfeit their right to sue before using the software. Origin users are identified by their unified Origin account, which supersedes an EA account and may be canceled if left unused after 24 months if there are not any premium games on it. As of February 2012, Origin has been installed by 9.3 million users.

Components

Origin store

Origin web store

The Origin store allows users to browse and purchase games from Electronic Arts' catalogs. Instead of receiving 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 for at least one year 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, 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.

The Origin store redirects users to a regional store and charges a different price depending on the location of the customer and declines payments from foreign account holders when a consumer uses a VPN to access another region's store to pay that regional price. One justification for this is that it allows the game to be sold for a lower price in regions of the world that cannot afford the higher prices in the first world nations. However, as a result of regional differences and economic currency fluctuations, these prices may be dramatically different. For example, Medal of Honor: Airborne costs $21.15 AUD in the United States but costs $99.99 AUD in Australia as of July 2008, Spore costs £22.21 GBP (£26.11 after Sales Tax) in the United States but costs £39.99 GBP VAT included in the United Kingdom as of September 2008, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 costs 599 RUB ($20) in Russia, $49.99 in USA and $63.50 in Denmark as of February 2010 and more recently Battlefield 3 costs $80 AUD in Australia but costs $60 USD in the United States, representing a 30% markup with a current currency exchange rate of 1 USD to 1.05AUD.

Origin client

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 is designed to be similar to its competitor, Steam. Users can allegedly uninstall the client and the game will still run fine. The predecessor of the Origin client had caused issues with games such as Battlefield 2 and Spore Creature Creator, leading to crashes of a related standalone product.

Origin Mobile

Electronic Arts also plans to launch the Origin platform for mobile devices (such as iOS devices) and achievements can be synced across both platforms. Scrabble Network will be incorporated into Origin mobile. These services will be free of charge.

History

EA Downloader was launched in late 2005. It was replaced by EA Link in November 2006, adding trailers, demos and special content to 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. The constant changes in the software and branding is criticized for being hard to follow.

The digital distribution software 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.

Trademark

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.

Criticism

Removal of Crysis 2 from Steam and Origin exclusives

Shortly after the launch of Origin, Crysis 2 was pulled from Steam and appeared on EA's website with an "only on Origin" claim, though it remains available on other distribution services. This led to speculation that EA would be pulling games from Steam and possibly other download services to make them exclusive to Origin. 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." Valve has yet to comment.

EA's Crysis 2 page no longer carries the "only on Origin" claim, though there has been no sign of it returning to Steam. Alice: Madness Returns, a title initially released with the "only on Origin" claim (but was also on other services besides Steam), has since appeared on Steam. EA have confirmed that Battlefield 3 would not be available through Steam, though the game is currently available for purchase on other non-Origin services such as Gamefly or GamersGate.

The download version of Star Wars: The Old Republic is the only game so far to be announced as Origin exclusive. EA has also announced that limited editions of games would be exclusive to Origin. An example of this is Alice: Madness Returns The Complete Collection which included DLC items available on the console version, but have yet to be made available again for PC since the promotion ended.

Origin account bans

Origin's Terms of Service agreement allows EA to suspend or terminate a user's account, resulting in the inability to install or play any games that are associated with it, with no prior warning and without refund or reimbursement for any purchased content. 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.

An early example of this practice occurred in March of 2011. A user named "Arno" made the comment "Have you sold your souls to the EA devil?" in the BioWare forums. For this post Arno's account was banned for 72 hours which prevented him from installing any of his purchased Origin games, including the just-released Dragon Age II. When he protested the ban on BioWare's forum under a different username, a moderator responded that the appropriate punishment had been applied and subsequently locked the thread. Other threads that made reference to the issue were also locked by moderators. 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.

Despite EA's assurances, several more account bans were again reported in November and December of 2011, at least three of which were for infractions that did not violate the Terms of Service. In one case, a user named "Rob" received a 72-hour account suspension for posting a link to a 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 for several years prior, and EA's own corporate support site and FAQ contained exactly the same link. A different user named "James" had his entire account permanently deleted for quoting another forum user's use of the term "e-peen." When James contacted EA support for an explanation, he was told that the deletion was "necessary due to the repeated nature of the offense on the account" and that no further communication regarding the issue would be available. Another account belonging to a user named "Aaron" was first suspended and then permanently deleted after a different Battlefield 3 user insulted him in the EA forums; the offending post included coarse language, and because the post contained Aaron's name at the end EA's content filter applied the ban to his account instead of the user who wrote the post.

On February 10th 2012 an unnamed EA employee responded to a forum question regarding the Origin account bans, stating that any account which is temporarily suspended will still have access to offline, single-player modes of purchased games. However, the issue of permanent bans or online play were not addressed and the Terms of Service remains unchanged.

Accusations of spying

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, the EULA also contained a passage permitting EA to more explicitly monitor activity as well as to edit or remove material at their discretion. However, this section was removed following an outcry over privacy implications. That outcry was fueled in part by pictures and video captured by several German gamers which showed Origin accessing tax programs and other unrelated software, as well as a report by the newspaper Der Spiegel investigating 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 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," though users must still consent to allowing EA to collect information about their computers.

Forfeiture of legal rights

All Origin users must agree to settle any disputes between themselves and EA through arbitration, requiring that they waive their right to sue EA, receive a jury trial, or join a class action. This restriction also applies to EA's other online services not related to Origin, such as online play and DLC on dedicated game consoles. The clause was implemented following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in AT&T Mobility LLC v. Concepcion, in which the court held that companies could force their customers to accept arbitration in service contracts. The clause has been criticized in the gaming community as a method of avoiding public exposure of misconduct by the company.

Situation in Germany

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, 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 "null and void".

See also

• Online distribution
• Steam
• Impulse

External links

• Origin website
  • Origin forum
• Origin for mobile website
• Origin release history