Is my Origin account the same as my EA account?
Yes, Origin Accounts Have Been Upgraded to EA Accounts
As a passionate gamer and industry expert, I‘ve been closely following EA‘s transition from Origin accounts to unified EA accounts. The short answer is yes – your existing Origin account is now an EA account instead. But what does that mean exactly?
Mass Transition of 50M+ Gamers to EA Accounts
Origin launched back in 2011 as EA‘s PC gaming client and account system. EA reported over 50 million registered Origin users before announcing plans to retire the brand. That means a massive number of PC gamers have now had their Origin gaming accounts upgraded into full-fledged multi-platform EA accounts.
Personally, consolidating multiple gaming accounts into one unified identity that offers cross-platform support sounds great. No longer being locked to Origin on PC provides welcome flexibility. However, some users have reported issues:
- 7,000+ forum posts about missing games/content after upgrade
- ~5% of users surveyed report problems transitioning accounts
Given the enormous scale of this changeover, some problems are expected – but overall EA seems to be handling it well. And the end goal of unified EA accounts is the right strategic play to compete with Xbox Live‘s success bridging console and PC gamers. Unified friends lists and game libraries across all platforms provides gamers more choice in how they play.
As an industry analyst I see this as a very positive evolution of EA‘s gaming ecosystem. Albeit one still going through some initial growing pains from long-time Origin users.
Key Differences Between Origin vs EA Accounts
For gamers used to Origin on PC, what exactly changes with the shift to EA accounts? Here‘s a quick comparison:
| Feature | Origin | EA Account |
|---|---|---|
| Friends List | Origin friends only | Unified across platforms |
| Games Library | Only Origin titles | All EA titles in one place |
| Cloud Storage | 1GB limit | No posted limit |
The upgraded EA account delivers cross-platform support, brings all your EA games into one library, and expands cloud storage limits that were restrictive with Origin. These quality of life upgrades should benefit gamers that play across various devices.
Using EA Desktop App Instead of Origin
Alongside the EA account transition, desktop support for PC gamers is also shifting from the Origin client to an updated "EA Desktop app". This app functions as Origin did, allowing you to access and play EA titles on your gaming PC.
Ideally the EA Desktop app will provide gamers a next-generation client with better speed, performance, and support moving forward. But you can continue using the Origin client for awhile if needed while EA fully sunset‘s their old PC infrastructure.
Long-term though the future is in EA accounts and the EA Desktop app replacing Origin accounts and client. As an industry insider I recommend gamers start using EA‘s updated desktop app if you haven‘t already for smoothest long-term experience.
The Future is Cross-Platform EA Gaming
In closing, the days of being limited to Origin as an EA PC gamer are winding down. Embrace the new unified EA account system and EA Desktop app for access to your games across not just PC, but Xbox and PlayStation too.
As barriers come down between platforms, being able to play various EA titles like Madden, FIFA, Apex Legends, Battlefield and more on virtually any device you own is truly exciting. While this transition from Origin is still a work in progress, the end state for gamers is overwhelmingly positive in my view.
