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EA: Origin won't offer large sales like Steam

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DVDBack23 @ Jun 07, 2012 16:29 | 18 comments

EA has come out swinging against digital sales platform rival Steam.

Steam, well known for offering games at up to 75 percent off many times over the course of the year, has been a hit with gamers since its inception.

EA, which owns rival service Origin, says you will not be seeing such sales via their platform.

Says Origin boss David DeMartini: "We won't be doing that. Obviously they think it's the right thing to do after a certain amount of time. I just think it cheapens your intellectual property.

"I know both sides of it, I understand it. If you want to sell a whole bunch of units, that is certainly a way to do that, to sell a whole bunch of stuff at a low price. The game makers work incredibly hard to make this intellectual property, and we're not trying to be Target. We're trying to be Nordstrom.

"When I say that, I mean good value, we're trying to give you a fair price point, and occasionally there will be things that are on sale you could look for a discount, just don't look for 75 per cent off going-out-of-business sales."

Origin is the second largest direct-to-consumer gaming platform, with 11 million registered users. Steam has 41 million.

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Comments

Comment by: Bozobub (Jun 07, 2012 16:39)

Because yeah, EA/Origin is so much better than Steam. Uh huh, yeah, that's the ticket.

Comment by: Bryan3404 (Jun 07, 2012 17:12)

That is a great idea be like Nordstrom that only have 116 stores, instead of Target that have over 1,700 stores. The reason for that is because not everyone wants to pay full price for a product that came out a year ago. EA is starting to go downhill with all of their ideas. I like some of their games (Battlefield being one of the main ones) but they only care about money now. Just like the new Battlefield 3 Premium. Paying $50 dollars for a few map packs on a game that I already own and one of the map packs that I also already own. Shame on you EA.

Comment by: KSib (Jun 07, 2012 17:19)

Okay, that logic might work if the quality of digital items was actually different. Last I checked Steam still gets AAA titles.

Comment by: scorpNZ (Jun 07, 2012 17:25)

I'm totally in support of EA & their stance it should also be a model for current consoles as well,the prices should be at a premium & back to where they were at release & and should never drop in price ever.

com'n folks! italics people ! italics!

AD Guides: http://www.afterdawn.com guides/
Console Mod Tuts: http://www.elitemodscene.com/

Comment by: KSib (Jun 07, 2012 17:48)

Originally posted by scorpNZ:
I'm totally in support of EA & their stance it should also be a model for current consoles as well,the prices should be at a premium & back to where they were at release & and should never drop in price ever.
[...]
com'n folks! italics people ! italics!
[...]

What italics, bro?

Comment by: Mysttic (Jun 07, 2012 18:57)

Quote:
I'm totally in support of EA & their stance it should also be a model for current consoles as well,the prices should be at a premium & back to where they were at release & and should never drop in price ever.

HA HA HAH sorry had to let that out.

---------------------------------------

Personally neither service is for me, and although Steam does have very good reduction on costs. As a game collector, it goes against my values to purchase pre-DLC content that isn't boxed. Even then when I can, I like hard copies of my DLC when I can find them.

My biggest issue with EA is that it cost next to nothing to keep uploading to the consumers that pay full market price for something that hogs internet bandwidth, and let's face it, not everyone has unlimited plans no cap. So they say their model is based on what they feel the value of their development team has done on the game. Well, did you forget you make the game for the consumers not yourselves? Without consumers willing to buy the product in the first place, you don't sell anything. But hey if they want to live on their ideal planet that full price for crap is just as = value to for full price for mediocrity as it is = value for full price towards excellence; well good luck with that.

Comment by: i1der (Jun 07, 2012 19:14)

i'm done paying full price... i don't even play games that much anymore, digital is much better for collection in my view... I bought games on steam sales that i never even played yet, crazy? yes... But the prices were really appealing to me at the time. they got my money u didn't "fact"

Comment by: i1der (Jun 07, 2012 19:17)

steam and Netflix made me stop "torrenting".
Just give me what i want for the right price. 1 is better then NADA

Comment by: keola37 (Jun 07, 2012 21:13)

i hate Origin...

this only deepens that hatred.

Comment by: scorpNZ (Jun 07, 2012 23:01)

Originally posted by KSib:

Originally posted by scorpNZ:
I'm totally in support of EA & their stance it should also be a model for current consoles as well,the prices should be at a premium & back to where they were at release & and should never drop in price ever.
[...]
com'n folks! italics people ! italics!
[...]
What italics, bro?

haha very funny..*thinks to self everybody's a comedian*

AD Guides: http://www.afterdawn.com guides/
Console Mod Tuts: http://www.elitemodscene.com/

Comment by: Hopium (Jun 08, 2012 04:13)

is origin even a "competitor" to steam? i refuse to even install it let alone buy ea games after they moved to the online pass model and the horrible origin bf3 beta experience i had.

Comment by: EzCeazy (Jun 08, 2012 05:01)

and this is the start of the fall of EA

Comment by: LordRuss (Jun 08, 2012 14:47)

EA is the beginning to the "Origin" of EAt me. And Steam can follow follow up on that 30 minutes later. I needn't squawk about it as I've done that months previously. Let's suffice to say they're both lustful whores willing to finish the dirty deed.

Originally posted by scorpNZ:

haha very funny..*thinks to self everybody's a comedian*

Me too & I thought it was funny... and the perfect public service announcement...

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

Comment by: Mysttic (Jun 08, 2012 22:27)

Quote:
EA is the beginning to the "Origin" of EAt me. And Steam can follow follow up on that 30 minutes later. I needn't squawk about it as I've done that months previously. Let's suffice to say they're both lustful whores willing to finish the dirty deed.

Very well put.

Comment by: xtago (Jun 09, 2012 02:23)

Originally posted by Hopium:
is origin even a "competitor" to steam? i refuse to even install it let alone buy ea games after they moved to the online pass model and the horrible origin bf3 beta experience i had.

All the platforms are the same, steam is fairly crap and if it's not a world wide release you can be locked from using the game at all, or codes don't get rego'd properly.

origin same deal.

Even rockstar's max payne 3 PC release was an utter mess couldn't load the game as a retail version and you couldn't download or use the game via steam and others as the codes didn't work or wouldn't download or was corrupted.

Then trying to use it you had their own socialgamers club stuffing up and then the DRM was screwing people after that.

Then you have all the bugs in the game still that blocked people on the launch menu and the 1st map/lvl.

so it's not just stream or origin that stuff up.

Comment by: hearme0 (Jun 09, 2012 06:54)

That comment pissed me off. Target vs. Nordstrom????? Doesn't even apply here. Those 2 are differentiated by a single thing........the quality of the clothing product but Steam offers the EXACT SAME QUALITY THING as "Origin" which spies, steals info, snoops and lies to you. Does EA (the world's mosted hated company apparently)seriously think their software lineup is just the best of the best?????????????????????????????????

Arrogant and shitty attitude by them. Stuff is aw-ight at best in most cases. How many different NFS games and basically one or two were good like NFS Most Wanted.

Whomever dictated that response needs to be bitch-slapped.

Comment by: JOHNSTARR (Jun 09, 2012 08:17)

What a freaken shake down EA/Dice is pulling off with Battlefield3. If you don't pay for the rent a server you end up in B.S. matches all night long then on top of it now they basically strong arm peeps to pay the 50$ for the premium service.

No time for Leap frog!!!

Comment by: Mr_Bill06 (Jun 09, 2012 08:26)

They fail to see the point that a huge discount can mean more profit. The thing with software is you never run out of it. When games are on sale for cheap prices people who would have never purchased the game may buy it, I fail to see how that cheapens your product(s)? I think he should look at it this way as well would you pay retail price for an old used car? no you wouldn't. So why 10 years down the road should I still pay close to the then "NEW" market value of the old game now. Steam has been having huge sales on games and I don't see any body complaining. Games are selling and people are making money, better then having your game pirated and making nothing at all.