EA Will Rebrand Origin As It Streamlines Services

EA is making moves to rebrand its desktop app, and the name "Origin" looks to be going away. VentureBeat and Gamesindustry.biz are both reporting that EA is planning to change Origin to simply be known as the EA desktop app, which is part of a wider strategy the company is employing to make their services clearer to customers.

The new EA app, which will replace Origin, will let users sign up to EA Play or EA Play Pro, and will also carry the store that is currently featured in the Origin app. VentureBeat has a quote from EA senior vice president Michael Blank on the change: "The EA Desktop app is being designed to deliver a frictionless and socially connected experience that is faster for players to get into their games." It's designed to be faster to find, download, and launch games than before.

Anyone looking to sign up for and check out the new EA desktop app can sign up for the beta.

"This move aligns to the strategy, which is to help players play our games more effectively," Blank told the site. "We had these different names. The reality is that they all align to the same objective, which is to help our players play." He also said that EA is taking things like cross-play and cross-save more seriously. "If you’re delivering a similar game experience across multiple different devices, it’s important to be able to let those players play together," he said.

Blank also spoke to Gamesindustry.biz, saying that they want the EA desktop app to be "the best place for them to connect with the people they want to play with in the games they want to play."

In August, EA made EA Play the new name for its cross-platform subscription service, ditching the Origin branding. They've also recently announced that the EA Play back catalog will become a part of Xbox Game Pass, making Microsoft's subscription service even stronger than before.

EA is set to release Star Wars: Squadrons and FIFA 21 in October, and will have versions of both FIFA and Madden NFL 21 available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.