Publishing giant EA has announced that the EA app beta is complete, with the PC gaming client taking over from its long-standing Steam competitor platform, Origin. The EA app will now serve as the company’s home for all its biggest existing and upcoming games, including the likes of Apex Legends, The Sims, FIFA 23, Mass Effect, Star Wars games Battlefront and Jedi, and the newly announced Need for Speed Unbound.
The new-look app was announced in September 2020, with the two clients existing simultaneously during the beta period. Now, the EA app has officially moved out of open beta, with EA stating that it “will soon replace Origin as our primary PC platform.” Much like many other such services, you will be able to import friends from across multiple other platforms by connecting your accounts including those on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation to the app.
EA notes that for players on Origin, it has endeavoured to make the transition to the new EA app as smooth as possible, and that invites will be sent out to users. It explains that “By the time you receive your invite, all your games and content, including games previously installed, will be ready and waiting for you on the EA app.” It adds that both local and cloud saves will transfer over as well, along with your EA friends list.
The EA app was previously able to be used alongside the Origin client, but in some circumstances games were not available on the service or would not appear in its store. The transition from the Origin client – originally introduced in June 2011 as a competitor to Steam – was announced in September 2020 in a move designed to support subscription service EA Play, which offers its entry-level users early access to new games, or grants full access for those on its EA Play Pro tier. The basic EA Play tier is also currently included with Microsoft’s Xbox and PC Game Pass service.
If you’re interested in EA games, the Apex Legends Halloween event Fight or Fright is underway. Our FIFA 23 review takes a look at the latest entry in the football game series, while we have all the speculation and our hopes for The Sims 5. If you just want something new to play, why not browse the best free PC games for some ideas?