You’re lucky the article itself doesn’t need one!
At first Origin, EA’s online distribution and DRM system for PC, was just that, a store-front and way of ensuring that gamers who paid for their games instead received bees to the face.
Over time, all EA games have started to require an Origin log-in, first with online-enabled console titles such as Battlefield 3 requiring it, and all EA games on the upcoming Wii U needing access to EA’s portal. With an announcement today, however, EA have reached their logical conclusion and now everything to do with EA requires an Origin account.
This includes such acts as talking about EA, thinking about EA, looking at an EA game box or web-page, reading about EA on the Internet, fantasizing about John Riccitiello (non-sexually), fantasizing about John Riccitiello (sexually) and use of the letters E and A, as well, paradoxically, as getting an Origin account.
“We’ve made it easier and more necessary than ever before to get an Origin account” said EA head of Marketing Kat Jackson, “provided, that is, that you already have an Origin account. Just to check before we continue, you do have an Origin account, right? Good, just checking.” When we pressed Stevens on how exactly new users were expected to join Origin when one of the prerequisites for joining is already being present, she simply stated that “the only people who really matter are those who are already here. Other people? Don’t know what they’re missing! We’ve given you plenty of opportunities to get in, why else do you think we “accidentally” gave away all those free games last week?”
The sign-up rate for Origin has, strangely, remained constant, despite the new regulations.
I remember when Steam added this feature. Gabe Newell rationalized it because “It’s not like we’d go all the way up to three levels of security? None of our staff can even count that high, let alone code that high!”.
I fear that with EA’s history of creating sequels to sequels to sequels we’ll be seeing up to 4 origin blockades simply to login. And another 4 just to access my free copy of Assassins Creed 3!
What are you saying that AssCreed isn’t an EA game? That might explain why I got it for free… and why the CD is labeled Madden NFL 2012.
But it’s like whatever. Apple doesn’t have CD drives in their computers anymore, there’s no reason to use them anymore anyway.