And while that’s a bit boring, who can blame EA for (albeit quite blatantly) imitating its most impressive competitor? Steam is a platform people want to hang out on, while EA-since its 2007 Store and Download Manager combo-has almost always been a platform people use only when they absolutely have to. EA says (Opens in a new window) the app will provide users with a “faster, more reliable, and more streamlined gaming experience.”ĭesign-wise, the EA app looks a lot like Steam.

The friends list is displayed on the right instead of being tucked away at the bottom, and a list of the user’s installed games sits on the left, making boot-up less complicated than it’s been for the last decade. Though the app still displays ads for new games upon opening, it doesn’t appear to be nearly as ad-centric as its predecessor, which was largely a marketing client with a side of game library access. The EA app-as it’s officially called-kicks Origin’s clunky interface to the curb in exchange for what appears to be a more intuitive experience. The app, which has been in development for about two years, recently left open beta to become available on select Windows systems. Electronic Arts (EA) announced Thursday that it’s officially replacing Origin with a new EA app.

Ea launcher