Origin is the next EA service set for a rebrand

Electronic Arts is rebranding its Origin desktop app to be called the EA desktop app and giving the PC platform a visual refresh, it’s said.

Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz, the publisher’s SVP of strategic growth Mike Blank said the overhaul was intended “to create a more frictionless, fast, socially-oriented experience for our players”.

The Origin app will be given a more streamlined experience involving fewer clicks to navigate, he said, along with other details such as desktop background updates, a “better patching experience,” and UI updates to login, registration, and game libraries to make them easier to understand.

The Origin rebranding comes as part of a wider strategy at EA, which is seeing the firm prioritize cross-platform play and generally make it easier for players to access its games.

Last month the publisher rebranded the EA Access and EA Origin subscription services as EA Play.

It later confirmed the service will be included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate from this holiday, at no additional cost. On August 31, EA brought its subscription service to Steam for the first time.

Priced at $4.99/£3.99 per month or $29.99/£19.99 annually, EA Play offers unlimited access to the full versions of more than 50 of EA’s back catalogue games.