Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[EA's Origin has 30 million registered users, 4.4 million paying]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/31/eas-origin-has-30-million-registered-users-4-4-million-paying/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/31/eas-origin-has-30-million-registered-users-4-4-million-paying/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/10/31/eas-origin-has-30-million-registered-users-4-4-million-paying/#comments EA's Origin has 30 million registered users, 44 million payingEA's digital distribution service Origin now has 30 million registered users, 4.4 million of whom have purchased content via the service. EA Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore revealed the figures during yesterday's earnings conference. Moore also noted 13 million users have accessed Origin via a mobile device, and an average sale figure of $64.

"With the 70 plus developers that are now putting content on the platform," said Moore, "And with our own content itself - Medal of Honor [Warfighter] debuted this week, obviously - our ability to continue to drive stronger commercial engagement as well as community engagement has got to be key, and the metrics all point towards that being a very strong part of our business."

Based on the last revealed figure of 21 million back in July, Origin's user base increased by 42.9 percent in the last three months. EA secured another 13 developers at least for its catalog in that time.

JoystiqEA's Origin has 30 million registered users, 4.4 million paying originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidEAea-originiosipadiphonemobileoriginpcWed, 31 Oct 2012 15:30:00 EST<![CDATA[Origin coming to Mac, getting achievements and free-to-play later this year]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/origin-coming-to-mac-getting-achievements-and-free-to-play-late/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/origin-coming-to-mac-getting-achievements-and-free-to-play-late/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/08/14/origin-coming-to-mac-getting-achievements-and-free-to-play-late/#comments Over 21 million users have signed up for Origin, EA COO Peter Moore revealed during the publisher's annual Gamescom keynote - Origin currently has over 500 games from more than 50 publishers. But more exciting than boasting figures was the news that the service would be available to Mac users sometime this year.

It's part of improvements coming to the platform overall, improvements which include the integration of achievements and adding free-to-play gaming. Not only that, but EA is bringing its digital distribution platform to, well, other platforms, like Android and Facebook.

JoystiqOrigin coming to Mac, getting achievements and free-to-play later this year originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androideaea-origingamescom-2012macmobileoriginTue, 14 Aug 2012 10:50:00 EST<![CDATA[EA: first year with Origin 'a huge success,' service to become 'stickier']]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/ea-first-year-with-origin-a-huge-success-service-to-become/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/ea-first-year-with-origin-a-huge-success-service-to-become/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/06/15/ea-first-year-with-origin-a-huge-success-service-to-become/#comments EA's Origin service is "a huge success" in its first year, according to EA senior VP of global e-commerce David DeMartini. Despite a rough start with end-user license agreement mishaps and banning some users from playing games they purchased offline, DeMartini said the service has seen 12 million downloads and counts 50 publishing partners among its catalog.

Still, he called the first year "foundational," and he's excited to add "more sticky features" to Origin. Not, like, "We're gonna pour maple syrup on the servers," but in the sense that players will see Origin more as a service (like Steam or Xbox Live) rather than yet another digital retail outlet.

"We want to put features in place where we fully take advantage of your friends lists and gameplay activities amongst all of your friends so you can compare achievements," DeMartini said. "We want you to be able to challenge your friends, and to challenge your friends to play other EA games to try and achieve things that might even be across EA games."

DeMartini insisted that EA games removed from Steam, such as Dragon Age 2, remain off the service due to Steam's rules. "We'd love to have those titles up on Steam, but unfortunately, those titles don't follow the rules that Steam has so therefore those titles are not up on Steam."

As for the future beyond those "stickiness" additions, DeMartini noted additional publishers he'd like to see join Origin. "If Activision was open-minded, we're absolutely willing to take on their great titles. Diablo III is a great game. Call of Duty will be very popular. Take-Two ... I mean there are a couple of large publishers out there that are not on Origin."

JoystiqEA: first year with Origin 'a huge success,' service to become 'stickier' originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 15 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>activisiondavid-demartinidigital-distributioneaea-originelectronic-artsmacoriginpcsteamtake-two-interactiveFri, 15 Jun 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EA has 11 million strong on Origin, made $150 million in ten months]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/ea-has-11-million-strong-on-origin-made-150-million-in-ten-mon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/ea-has-11-million-strong-on-origin-made-150-million-in-ten-mon/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/05/07/ea-has-11-million-strong-on-origin-made-150-million-in-ten-mon/#comments ImageEA's Origin service has a registered 11 million members and has generated $150 million in non-GAAP revenue during the fiscal year from March 31, 2011 to April 1 this year, EA reports.

EA's Nucleus, its cross-platform community network, now has 220 million members, EA says.

EA recently allowed all 11 million members to provide feedback on Origin, its digital distribution service.

JoystiqEA has 11 million strong on Origin, made $150 million in ten months originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 07 May 2012 16:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>EAea-nucleusea-originElectronic-Artsfy-2012nucleusoriginpcMon, 07 May 2012 16:48:00 EST<![CDATA[Crysis 3 accidentally revealed by EA's Origin service]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/try-and-look-surprised-crysis-3-acci-revealed-by-eas-origin-se/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/try-and-look-surprised-crysis-3-acci-revealed-by-eas-origin-se/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/04/11/try-and-look-surprised-crysis-3-acci-revealed-by-eas-origin-se/#comments ImageEA probably wasn't too keen on you learning about a new Crysis just yet - the news comes from its Origin service where box art and cursory details popped up overnight for "Crysis 3" (as seen above). The box art and listings have since been removed, but as we all know Google sees all.

Moreover, as Neogaf points out, GameReactor magazine is teasing a reveal for Crysis 3 in the coming week. Unfortunately for both EA and the European magazine, some of that thunder got stolen by a faulty switch over at Origin.

Box art for Xbox 360 and PC versions popped up, but we imagine it'll also arrive on PlayStation 3. We've reached out to EA for clarification, but we don't expect to hear more until next week's planned reveal. (And yes, that dude on the Crysis 3 cover is rocking what looks like a compound bow.)

Continue reading Crysis 3 accidentally revealed by EA's Origin service

JoystiqCrysis 3 accidentally revealed by EA's Origin service originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 11 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>cryengine-3crysis-3cryteamcrytekeaea-originelectronic-artsmicrosoftoriginpcxboxWed, 11 Apr 2012 09:00:00 EST<![CDATA[SimCity requires internet connection to play, will be sold outside of Origin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/simcity-requires-internet-connection-to-play-will-be-sold-outsi/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/simcity-requires-internet-connection-to-play-will-be-sold-outsi/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/28/simcity-requires-internet-connection-to-play-will-be-sold-outsi/#comments Good news: If you want to download SimCity somewhere other than Origin, you'll have the option to do so. An EA representative confirmed with Joystiq that the title would be available for purchase on other digital distribution platforms, though a list of stores has yet to be finalized. SimCity is arriving sometime in 2013.

Lead designer Stone Librande confirmed that SimCity would be an internet-dependent experience. Players will need to be online on Origin while playing, even if that wasn't the point of purchase. The always-on connection becomes necessary with the game's emphasis on multiplayer and regional impact, and the use of a global economy that all players can influence.

Gallery: SimCity (3/28/12)

JoystiqSimCity requires internet connection to play, will be sold outside of Origin originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>eaea-maxisea-originmaxisoriginpcsimcity-2013simcity-5Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Sega's Shogun 2 expansion leads the charge on Origin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/segas-shogun-2-expansion-leads-the-charge-on-origin/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/segas-shogun-2-expansion-leads-the-charge-on-origin/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/15/segas-shogun-2-expansion-leads-the-charge-on-origin/#comments Sega's PC games have been available on Steam and other internet portals for some time, and are now on the way to EA's Origin service.

Starting today, folks can pre-order the upcoming Total War Shogun 2 expansion, "Fall of the Samurai," and more content will follow in the coming weeks. Beyond the Japanese publisher, Origin added Team 17, Rebellion, Kalypso, "and more" to Origin today, and their games will start showing up "in the coming months."

JoystiqSega's Shogun 2 expansion leads the charge on Origin originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>digital-distributioneaea-originelectronic-artskalypsokalypso-mediaoriginpcrebellionrebellion-studiosshogun-2-fall-of-the-samuraiteam-17team17Team17-SoftwareThu, 15 Mar 2012 03:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Your Mass Effect 3 PC pre-order lets you pre-load the game now]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/your-mass-effect-3-pc-pre-order-lets-you-pre-load-the-game-now/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/your-mass-effect-3-pc-pre-order-lets-you-pre-load-the-game-now/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/02/your-mass-effect-3-pc-pre-order-lets-you-pre-load-the-game-now/#comments
You're no procrastinator. You plan things ahead of time like a responsible member of society. And now you may prepare for Tuesday's launch of Mass Effect 3 by pre-loading the game through EA's Origin platform, freeing up valuable time this weekend to stock up on the cuisine of the future: Mountain Dew and Totino's Pizza Rolls.

If you've pre-ordered Mass Effect 3, all you have to do to pre-load the game is log into your Origin account, head on over to the Game Library section and click the "Ready to Download" button on Mass Effect 3.

JoystiqYour Mass Effect 3 PC pre-order lets you pre-load the game now originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowareeaea-originmass-effect-3originpcpre-loadFri, 02 Mar 2012 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Origin ends offer of Battlefield 3 bonus with Mass Effect 3 early]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/origin-ends-offer-of-battlefield-3-bonus-with-mass-effect-3-earl/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/origin-ends-offer-of-battlefield-3-bonus-with-mass-effect-3-earl/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/17/origin-ends-offer-of-battlefield-3-bonus-with-mass-effect-3-earl/#comments During a brief period of fiscal insanity, EA decided to offer a free copy of Battlefield 3 to Origin pre-ordere of Mass Effect 3. That period has now ended, unfortunately, according to a tweet from EA's Origin account. Moreover, pre-orders won't receive a code to download BF3 immediately, but rather "by March 8th." So, just in time to play Battlefield instead of Mass Effect 3, then? That seems ... unfortunate.

EA originally claimed the deal would extend until March 5, though it seems that the publisher decided to cut it early. Regardless, Origin's tweet went up about 18 hours ago (around 2PM ET yesterday), so it stands to reason that the window of time for a free copy of BF3 was somewhere between Valentine's Day and yesterday afternoon. EA says "all pre-orders made during the deal" will snag a free code, so, uh, hopefully that's you!

JoystiqOrigin ends offer of Battlefield 3 bonus with Mass Effect 3 early originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 17 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>biowaredigital-distributioneaea-originelectronic-artsmass-effect-3originpcFri, 17 Feb 2012 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Pre-order Mass Effect 3 on Origin, get Battlefield 3 free]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/pre-order-mass-effect-3-on-origin-get-battlefield-3-free/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/pre-order-mass-effect-3-on-origin-get-battlefield-3-free/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/02/14/pre-order-mass-effect-3-on-origin-get-battlefield-3-free/#comments It looks like we have the making of a thing on our hands here. Following EA's Origin promotion, which promised a free copy of Dead Space 2 for those who pre-ordered Battlefield 3, it's now employing a similar strategy with Mass Effect 3. We've dubbed it The Leapfrog Initiative[TM].

Anyone who pre-orders Mass Effect 3 through the publisher's digital distribution platform will get a free copy of Battlefield 3. And even though we expressly mentioned Origin in the first paragraph, we'll say it again: this is a PC promotion only. Don't go thinking EA is going to mail you a PS3 copy of Battlefield 3 or anything.

Interested parties can head over to the Origin site. Everyone else, you can safely go back to playing the Mass Effect 3 demo.

JoystiqPre-order Mass Effect 3 on Origin, get Battlefield 3 free originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefield-3biowareeaea-originmass-effect-3originpcTue, 14 Feb 2012 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[EA adds CD Projekt RED, Paradox, and nine other publishers to Origin]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/ea-adds-cd-projekt-red-paradox-and-nine-other-publishers-to-or/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/ea-adds-cd-projekt-red-paradox-and-nine-other-publishers-to-or/http://www.joystiq.com/2012/01/24/ea-adds-cd-projekt-red-paradox-and-nine-other-publishers-to-or/#comments When Valve introduced the hat system to Team Fortress 2, you swore off Steam forever. You're a die hard PC Battlefield player, and simply won't play it anywhere else. You refuse to use standalone clients for launching your favorite PC games. Do these things describe you? Then you're probably a big fan of EA's Origin game service, which will be getting content from 11 publishers "in the coming months," according to a press release issued by EA this morning.

The first game to be added is the aforementioned Rift from Trion Worlds, with games from Robot Entertainment, CD Projekt RED, Freebird Games, Recoil Games, Autumn Games, 1C Company, Inxile Entertainment, Paradox Interactive, Core Learning, and N3V Games joining Rift's ranks soon. EA says that more specific information on pricing and release dates will be offered in the near future via Origin, so keep an eye out while you're remaining steadfast in your stance against that other major digital retailer.

JoystiqEA adds CD Projekt RED, Paradox, and nine other publishers to Origin originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>1c-companyautumn-gamescd-projekt-redcore-learningeaea-originelectronic-artsfreebird-gamesinxile-entertainmentn3v-gamesoriginparadox-interactivepcrecoil-gamesTue, 24 Jan 2012 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Battlefield 3, NFS: The Run for $30; many others discounted in Origin Cyber Monday sale]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/battlefield-3-nfs-the-run-for-30-many-others-discounted-in-o/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/battlefield-3-nfs-the-run-for-30-many-others-discounted-in-o/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/11/28/battlefield-3-nfs-the-run-for-30-many-others-discounted-in-o/#comments Origin may be the new kid on the block, but that doesn't mean it was born yesterday. EA clearly realizes that its digital-only game service needs to compete with the other digital retailers, as evidenced by its overtly aggressive pricing on today's Cyber Monday sales: Battlefield 3 for $30, as well as Need for Speed: The Run, not to mention package savings that rival Steam's.

Beyond the games available for PC, a variety of the publisher's iOS slash mobile titles are also getting deep cuts, all of which end around midnight tonight. If you were waiting patiently for a heavily discounted copy of Risk for your iPad, now is the time!

JoystiqBattlefield 3, NFS: The Run for $30; many others discounted in Origin Cyber Monday sale originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>androidbattlefield-3cyber-mondaycyber-monday-2011eaea-mobileea-originelectronic-artsiosipadiphonemacmobileneed-for-speed-the-runoriginpcMon, 28 Nov 2011 13:27:00 EST<![CDATA[Pre-order Battlefield 3 on Origin and get a free game]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/pre-order-battlefield-3-on-origin-and-get-a-free-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/pre-order-battlefield-3-on-origin-and-get-a-free-game/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/pre-order-battlefield-3-on-origin-and-get-a-free-game/#comments We already knew that pre-ordering Battlefield 3 on Origin (the only place on PC to offer the game digitally) would net gamers access to an early beta in September, but it would seem EA is sweetening the pot with another offer: a free game. According to Ars Technica, one individual was sent the following statement via email after pre-ordering the game through Origin:
As a special thank you for pre-ordering Battlefield 3 early at Origin, we're offering you a bonus PC digital download game. Please apply the code below at the shopping cart to redeem one PC Digital version of one of our recommended shooter titles: Mass Effect 2, Dead Space 2 or Medal of Honor. The price will be reduced to $0 after applying the code at your shopping cart. Hurry-this offer is only good for the month of August, and is exclusive to Origin customers only. See below for more details.
Regardless of how you feel about EA's new platform, the publisher has given you another reason to consider it.

JoystiqPre-order Battlefield 3 on Origin and get a free game originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>battlefield-3dead-space-2diceeaea-originmass-effect-2medal-of-honororiginpcpre-orderMon, 15 Aug 2011 17:15:00 EST<![CDATA[Origin coming to iPad, iPhone and Android; cross-platform Scrabble coming to Android next week, for free]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/07/origin-coming-to-ipad-iphone-and-android-cross-platform-scrabb/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/07/origin-coming-to-ipad-iphone-and-android-cross-platform-scrabb/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/07/origin-coming-to-ipad-iphone-and-android-cross-platform-scrabb/#comments While EA insists that its new (-ly rebranded) download service Origin has "never been about" competing with Steam in the PC space, the same can't be said for Origin and Apple's mobile Game Center service. During its Summer Showcase event, the megapublisher just demoed a mobile version of Origin running on iOS (through an iPad app in this instance, pictured above) promising a cross-platform experience using the same Origin ID you (may or may not) have on your PC.

While originally announced alongside the PC application, today was the first time EA demoed the mobile offering. The Origin app will let you see your friend list and its accompanying news feed, sharing what your digi-friends are doing in Origin, regardless of platform. The EA rep then launched a new version of Need for Speed on iOS directly from Origin; this version uses Origin to push your friends' leaderboard data into the game, a feature EA dubiously claims wasn't possible before Origin. More relevant was the Scrabble demo showing the game being played simultaneously across four platforms, including iPad, iPhone, Android, and Facebook. Because your games are stored "in the cloud" (read: Origin) you can start your game on any platform and continue it on another. EA says the game will be available on Android next week for free, and should support "almost every device at launch."

The Origin mobile app will support the iPhone, iPad and Android platforms, though EA hasn't said when it will be made available. We'll update this post when we've got more information.

JoystiqOrigin coming to iPad, iPhone and Android; cross-platform Scrabble coming to Android next week, for free originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ea-originelectronic-artsmobileoriginThu, 07 Jul 2011 17:56:00 EST<![CDATA[EA's DeMartini claims Origin has 'never been about' competing with Steam]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/eas-demartini-claims-origin-has-never-been-about-competing-wi/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/eas-demartini-claims-origin-has-never-been-about-competing-wi/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/07/06/eas-demartini-claims-origin-has-never-been-about-competing-wi/#comments In a recent forum post, David DeMartini, EA's Senior VP of Global E-Commerce, expressed that gamers should be able to buy EA titles on any site they want, including Steam ... unless, that is, Steam doesn't want them to. Last month's disappearance of Crysis 2 from Valve's service, DeMartini explained, was actually the result of a business deal whereby certain DLC for the game couldn't appear on Steam, and thus Valve removed the title from its service completely.

The veep went on to say that EA's Origin platform is a choice for game buyers, not an exclusive outlet for all of the publisher's content going forward. Along with its developers, EA is "working to integrate more and more between the game and Origin," but DeMartini is "absolutely not at this point saying, 'hey, it's Origin versus Steam.' It's never been about that."

However, DeMartini's words and EA's actions don't exactly line up. According to the company's policy, EA wants to "continue offering our games for sale on all major download sites." Star Wars: The Old Republic doesn't count, it seems, as that title will only be available for download from its Origin service.

JoystiqEA's DeMartini claims Origin has 'never been about' competing with Steam originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 06 Jul 2011 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>crysis-2david-demartinidigital-downloaddigital-saleseaea-originoriginpcstar-wars-the-old-republicsteamWed, 06 Jul 2011 22:30:00 EST