EA downplays Origin exclusivity
It'll be a while before the truth shakes out, but EA claims it's not looking to make its PC titles exclusive to the publisher's Origin digital distribution platform.
"Competition and choice go hand in hand. So the fact we will only distribute our own games on our own platform, I don't see that," EA Euro boss Jens Uwe Intat told Eurogamer. He explained that the company is in discussions with other publishers to have their games on Origin, but EA's key focus is to "develop an impressive consumer experience where people are happy to play and buy games."
EA has been quite aggressive in promoting Origin, offering exclusive deals and using its force to become the only online portal offering The Old Republic -- and manipulate supply, a move that could (in theory) deliver a better customer experience. But then there's the whole issue between EA's Origin and Valve's Steam, where the availability of Battlefield 3 has become the latest casualty. What's really going on has been lost in a cacophony of corporate talk.
