Digital distribution RIP EAs Origin launcher: We knew ye all too well, unfortunately End of 32-bit Windows support offered an excuse to put the nail in the coffin. Samuel Axon Jan 21, 2025 4:17 pm | 39 Things did not go well for Origin. Credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images Things did not go well for Origin. Credit: Aurich Lawson / Getty Images Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreAfter 14 years, EA will retire its controversial Origin game distribution app for Windows, the company announced. Origin will stop working on April 17, 2025. Folks still using it will be directed to install the newer EA app, which launched in 2022.The launch of Origin in 2011 was a flashpoint of controversy among gamers, as EAalready not a beloved company by this pointbegan pulling titles like Crysis 2 from the popular Steam platform to drive players to its own launcher.Frankly, it all made sense from EA's point of view. For a publisher that size, Valve had relatively little to offer in terms of services or tools, yet it was taking a big chunk of games' revenue. Why wouldn't EA want to get that money back?The transition was a rough one, though, because it didn't make as much sense from the consumer's point of view. Players distrusted EA and had a lot of goodwill for Valve and Steam. Origin lacked features players liked on Steam, and old habits and social connections die hard. Plus, EA's use of Origina long-dead brand name tied to classic RPGs and other games of the '80s and '90sfor something like this felt to some like a slap in the face.EA eventually put its games back on Steam starting in 2019. It also announced plans to retire the Origin name and app in favor of a more simply branded "EA" app, which launched in 2022.The company attempted to migrate its users from Origin to the new app and stopped releasing games on Origin, but it still remained an option for older games. Come April 17, the app will be retired completely.EA cited Microsoft's plan to end support for the 32-bit version of Windows 10 this coming October as a catalyst. Since there is no 32-bit version of Windows 11, that effectively ends OS support for 32-bit Windows applications as we previously knew it. (The Origin app is 32-bit, and the newer EA app is 64-bit.) It seems as good a time as any to pull the plug.Samuel AxonSenior EditorSamuel AxonSenior Editor Samuel Axon is a senior editor at Ars Technica. He covers Apple, software development, gaming, AI, entertainment, and mixed reality. He has been writing about gaming and technology for nearly two decades at Engadget, PC World, Mashable, Vice, Polygon, Wired, and others. He previously ran a marketing and PR agency in the gaming industry, led editorial for the TV network CBS, and worked on social media marketing strategy for Samsung Mobile at the creative agency SPCSHP. He also is an independent software and game developer for iOS, Windows, and other platforms, and heis a graduate of DePaul University, where he studied interactive media and software development. 39 Comments