EA Is Dealing the Final Blow to Origin, and Taking Some Users With It

EA's Origin app, launched in 2011 as a rival to Steam, is finally being replaced by the EA app. This transition, however, comes with significant drawbacks. The clunky user experience and frustrating logins that plagued Origin haven't been addressed, and the switch presents challenges for users.

One major issue is the loss of access to games for users who haven't migrated their accounts from Origin to the new EA app. Players who own games on Origin but haven't transferred their accounts risk losing access to their purchased titles.

Furthermore, the EA app only supports 64-bit operating systems, leaving users with 32-bit systems in the lurch. While Steam also dropped 32-bit support in early 2024, this move highlights concerns about digital ownership and access to purchased games. Most modern systems are 64-bit, but older systems running 32-bit Windows (like some Windows 10 versions sold until 2020) are affected. A simple RAM check (32-bit systems are limited to 4GB) can help determine your system type.

This situation raises questions about the long-term viability of digital game ownership. Losing access to a game library due to system changes is frustrating, and this isn't unique to EA, as Valve's Steam also dropped 32-bit support. The issue is compounded by increasingly invasive digital rights management (DRM) solutions like Denuvo, which often require deep system access and impose arbitrary installation limits.

A potential solution is to support platforms like GOG, which offers DRM-free games. This ensures that purchased games remain accessible regardless of hardware changes, although this model does present challenges regarding software piracy. Despite this, GOG continues to attract new releases, with the upcoming RPG, Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, slated for release on the platform.