Eleven publishers throw weight behind EA’s Origin

A fleet of publishers and developers have signed partnerships with Electronic Arts to support its digital distribution platform, Origin.

Trion Worlds, Robot Entertainment, CD Projekt RED, Freebird Games, Recoil Games, Autumn Games, 1C Company, inXile entertainment, Paradox Interactive, Core Learning Ltd and N3V have all pledged to supply content for the PC service.

"The digital versions of Rift have seen incredible success, and Origin offers an ideal direct-to-consumer avenue for gamers interested in experiencing the rich world of Telara," said Trion’s Jim Butler.

"Origin has established itself as a destination for top titles currently available in the evolving digital marketplace, so it’s definitely a place that Trion wants to be."

Electronic Arts established Origin as a PC games portal in competition with Valve’s Steam service, which is the current market leader. More than 40 million customers use Steam today, Valve recently claimed.

Valve claims that Steam’s annual revenues doubled between 2010 and 2011. It is believed the service takes about a thirty per cent revenue cut from games sold on the platform.

EA recently decided to curb its support for Steam, with blockbuster titles such as Battlefield 3 promoted as an Origin exclusive.

"Origin is focused on providing choice to consumers and the games they play," said Craig Rechenmacher, Origin’s VP of business development and marketing.

"From blockbuster franchises to high-quality independent titles, we’re bringing the industry’s best content to one place. We’re excited to welcome new partners and a diverse new line-up of titles to Origin today."