Managing director of Valve Corporation Gabe Newell has tried out EA’s Origin to play Battlefield 3 beta and gave his verdict.
It’s no secret that EA and Valve had some problems with each other recently. It all started when EA pulledCrysis 2 from Steam, and will continue with Battlefield 3 and Mass Effect 3 as they are not expected to appear on Steam store. In the mean time EA has made a big push with their Origin store and acquired approximately four million users so far.
Speaking in the latest edition of PC Gamer, Newell said that he tried out Origin and gave his verdict.
“I think it does some things well. I think there are still some areas where, as a customer, I’d like to see it improve. It’s not that different from any other system like this. There are positive things and negative things.”
With the release of the Battlefield 3 demo this week, I’ve had to use Origin, and have hated every second of it. Mostly because it takes an eternity to get up and running, but also because when once running, there are always hangs or errors. Which for a service people have to use to play such a big game isn’t good enough.
Asked later about competition for his own service, Newell raises a very valid point, saying “I and everyone at Valve know that you’re only as successful as what you’ve done lately,” he added. “So the idea that Steam is somehow the answer to digital distribution ignores the fact that every two or three years, something is going to change dramatically.”
Are you guys happy with Origin?
Battlefield 3 will be out on October 28 for Xbox 360, PS3, and PC
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