No Mutants Allowed

Brother None

EA Origin is offering a special deal to crowdfunded games from Kickstarter, where it waives distribution fees for 90 days. Wasteland 2 is the first one on board. From the press release:

Electronic Arts Inc. announced today a program to waive distribution fees on Origin™ for any developer that has a successfully crowd-funded, ready-to-publish downloadable PC game. Origin will provide distribution services free of charge for 90 days after the game’s launch, giving new crowd-funded games a chance to reach the growing Origin audience of more than 12 million registered users worldwide.

“I have had a long relationship with EA and it is great to see them recognize and support the crowd-funded games model”
“The public support for crowd-funding creative game ideas coming from small developers today is nothing short of phenomenal,” said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President of Origin at EA. “It’s also incredibly healthy for the gaming industry. Gamers around the world deserve a chance to play every great new game, and by waiving distribution fees on Origin we can help make that a reality for successfully crowd-funded developers.”

Via websites like Kickstarter, crowd-funding has emerged as an exciting new method for entrepreneurs with creative game ideas to gather financial support to start their development ventures. Origin can help ready-to-publish games quickly reach a global audience of millions of PC and online gamers, ready for purchase, download and play.

“Crowd-funded projects are like the 'people's choice awards' -- a way for gaming fans to express what they want to buy and play,” said Jane Jensen, President, Pinkerton Road. “It's great to see a big publisher like EA acknowledging that and opening up distribution opportunities for these games.”

“I have had a long relationship with EA and it is great to see them recognize and support the crowd-funded games model,” said Brian Fargo, CEO, inXile Entertainment. “Having Origin waive their distribution fees for 90 days for fan funded games is a major economic bonus for small developers. We look forward to bringing Wasteland 2 to the Origin audience.”

The Origin offer will be available to fully-funded, complete and ready-to-publish games designed for digital download to PC platforms. Developers will provide ongoing support for their games. Developers can visit www.origin.com/publishing to contact Origin for more information about the program.

This means Origin will be one of the digital distribution platforms for Wasteland 2, as well as Steam and its own site. inXile will bring as many distribution platforms in as it can, and this does not change anything about it being offered DRM-free. Chris Keenan explains.

Just to confirm what most are saying, this is not an exclusive deal. One of our core tenants has been to make our fans happy. That is why we spend so much time learning about what you want and don't want in Wasteland 2. This also spreads to distribution of the game. Some people like Steam, others Desura, Origin or GOG. If we only listened to the people who didn't like a specific distribution platform, we would have nowhere to deliver the game. For that reason, we want to include ALL distribution methods we can so that YOU can choose which one you support and download it from there. We just want people to have easy access to play the game we're going to put the next 18 months of our life into.

Dionysus · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 13:34 Post subject:

I guess it's a step in the right direction for Origin. But it seems like they are way too late to the party. It was clear that they didn't get it when they launched it last summer.

Beelzebud · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 16:15 Post subject:

I'll be sticking with Steam. One intrusive DRM client is enough, and I actually trust Valve.

I bought a game (battlefield 2142, $45.00)from EA Download Link (before they renamed it origin), and after two weeks it locked me out of the game saying I didn't have a valid CD key. I never could get EA to re-activate my game. Even phone support did nothing to help. They literally ripped me off. I'll never buy from, or use their services again. I already skipped Mass Effect 3, and Battlefield 3 because of this.
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I'd rather make a smaller dedicated fan base ecstatic than worry too much about the larger audience. --Brian Fargo, one of the good guys.

Makagulfazel · Orderite Joined: 14 Jun 2007 Posts: 4744 Status: Offline

Scary topic title.

GOOD NEWS, CIGARETTE JUICE!
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The world is a dick.

God is Dog backwards · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 20:51 Post subject:

Don't like this. A deal with the devil. Yeah, in the short term it looks good, but EA surely epitomizes those shitty big publishers Fargo slated so much to his advantage in the Kickstarter campaign. Seeing him take a step into bed with them now he's got my money looks really wrong and whatever the logic of it feels to me like something of a betrayal. Anyway.

TorontRayne · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 22:13 Post subject:

Brother None · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 23:19 Post subject:

I'd get on your side on this if EA was actually involved in this project. They're not. They're going to distribute it once it's done. And given that Origin is the second-biggest digital retailer, that was pretty much a given. No good reason to ignore it.

rehevkor · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 23:43 Post subject:

Sure EA sucks but this is hardly a deal with the devil. Origin is a distribution channel like any other, it's not like they sold their soul to them. It's not like EA are publishing the game. It's not like we'll see EA all over the opening cinematic.

Steam and GOG charge for their distribution services too btw..

TorontRayne · Posted: Sat May 19, 2012 23:50 Post subject:

Yeah, I mean it's not a big deal really, but when I see EA - I basically think of Satan. I don't know why.

It's all good though.
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Banned from the Order Achievement (-20p)

Walpknut · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 1:19 Post subject:

So, is origin less of a Malware now?
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ericjones · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 1:37 Post subject:

The amount of anger, threats and hitling over at the Wasteland 2 forums is ridiculous.

I can't see why this is not good, if not great, news for everyone. More distribution channels, increased sales, healthy Origin on Steam competition and more exposure for the game.

I don't like EA more than most of you. I also don't like Steam having what is basically monopoly on the digital distribution of games.

lava3d · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 6:17 Post subject:

Some people on Wasteland 2 forum really need therapy. I guess Mass Effect 3 ending really did a number on them. Twisted Evil

They say "Steam is good, Origin is bad", it's the same shit.

I don't give a damn if Fargo decides to distribute this game from trunk of his car on some flea market, if it sells well and they get more money for future projects...

God is Dog backwards · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 8:52 Post subject:

Thinking about it, of course it would have been distributed on Origin. I think what tastes nasty is the way EA is using Wasteland 2 (with BF's consent) to give itself positive PR. And the way in the press release, BF is praising EA in a way that seems to really contradict the tone of his kickstarter campaign. That's what feels wrong.

Crni Vuk · Orderite Joined: 26 Nov 2008 Posts: 13507 Status: Offline

origin is worse then steam though.

Kilus · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 10:35 Post subject:

Sub-Human · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 12:18 Post subject:

Don't care. Just another possible source of money for InXile.

Brother None · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 12:43 Post subject:

God is Dog backwards · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 13:16 Post subject:

Crni Vuk · Orderite Joined: 26 Nov 2008 Posts: 13507 Status: Offline

egalor · Posted: Sun May 20, 2012 16:54 Post subject:

The only issue I'm having with Origin, is the language issue: I usually only get the localized version installed, without any option to change it. Steam does not have this problem, but other than that I cannot care less whether it's Steam or Origin, as I intend to play a game, and not one of these clients.

BTW, having a flame war on the WL2 forums after first concrete details would arrive - was obvious and inevitable. There are always malcontents following the development of any game, and now their unhappiness is multiplied by the fact that they invested not only a significant amount of their money, but also a good deal of hope related to the game.

Stay sure, however: we are yet to see the worst part of it (even someone demanding a money back), especially after the vision doc arrives, and that would be just barely a start. It's just inevitable, and I'm more than sure that InXile is well aware of that. Let's see how they live through this, without losing too many followers.