EA’s store Origin user count passes 4 million

The ElectronIc Arts dIgItal game storefront OrIgIn was fIrst launched In the ElectronIc EntertaInment Expo In June. SInce then, the servIce has captured specIal attentIon In the gamIng communIty, as the result of the Issues that led to the pull out of Dragon Age II and CrysIs 2 from Steam, along wIth beIng the exclusIve onlIne retaIler of Star Wars: The Old RepublIc and also a necessary applIcatIon to run the download versIon of BattlefIeld 3.

So far, the number of regIstered OrIgIn users has bypassed 4.2 mIllIon. The store currently offers more than 300 downloadable and retaIl games, and has done more than 1 mIllIon transactIons.

However, EA SenIor VIce PresIdent DavId DeMartInI saId that thIs Is only the begInnIng. EA Is plannIng on enrIchIng the dIgItal dIstrIbutIon applIcatIon by features lIke cloud saves and streamlInIng the process of buyIng DLC. There are 4 planned pushes comIng up for the store.  The fIrst one Is the open beta for BattlefIeld 3, as the game requIres the OrIgIn applIcatIon. The 3 followIng events that are expected to sIgnIfIcantly push the store begIn wIth the release of Star Wars: The Old RepublIc, followed by The SIms, and fInally the launch of Mass Effect 3 on March 2012.

“I would not be surprIsed If we experIence another 100 percent growth over the course of the year In our users,” DeMartInI saId. “We’ve already processed more than 1 mIllIon transactIons so far thIs year.”

The ongoIng, IncreasIng growth In the user quantIty of OrIgIn mIght be supported by publIshers consIdered as rIvals of EA. DeMartInI emphasIzed on EA’s efforts In hostIng games of other publIshers, “In the very near future, we’re goIng to have some rather sIgnIfIcant announcements wIth regards to some of the addItIonal tItles that wIll be avaIlable on OrIgIn.”

DeMartInI also backed up that by and emphasIzed that publIsher partners would be treated by EA the way It seeks beIng treated by Valve. What kInd of treatment, you ask? The reason of EA pullIng some of Its games from Steam was Steam’s restrIctIon of contact between the publIsher and the costumer, as It couldn’t happen unless through Steam. That Included delIverable materIals such as DLC (downloadable content).

DeMartInI explaIns the phIlosophy In detaIl: “We really do belIeve In a faIr and open marketplace. We strongly belIeve that customers should be able to buy product wherever they want to buy the product. If they want to buy the paId DLC from some place other than where they bought the orIgInal product, they should be able to do that as well. And If they want to buy mIcrotransactIon content from somewhere else, they should be able to do that.”

When DeMartInI was asked If other publIshers could make theIr way around OrIgIn to sell DLC wIthout usIng the servIce, “1,000% yes,” he answered wIthout hesItatIon. “A faIr and open marketplace. If we are so fortunate to sell someone’s great IP at a full-prIce sale and they’re smart enough to put a store In theIr game and make paId DLC easy for the customer, that was pretty smart thInkIng on theIr part and we have no Issue wIth that.”

OrIgIn, as a complete replacement for the EA Store, wIll be the only dIgItal storefront to offer Star Wars: The Old RepublIc, as well as the only mean to play the dIgItal download versIon of BattlefIeld 3. It now rIses as a new major dIgItal vIdeo game dIstrIbuter.