EA's Origin app, launched in 2011, aimed to rival Steam as a digital storefront for EA's PC games. The mandatory Origin requirement for *Mass Effect 3* in 2012 highlighted its ambition, but Origin never truly gained widespread popularity. A clunky user experience and frustrating logins led many PC gamers to avoid it.
Despite this, EA persevered, only to now replace Origin with the equally criticized EA app. This transition comes with significant caveats. Players who exclusively used Origin and haven't migrated their accounts risk losing access to purchased games, including titles like *Titanfall*. Furthermore, the EA app only supports 64-bit operating systems, leaving 32-bit users behind. While Steam also dropped 32-bit support in early 2024, the vast majority of users have transitioned to 64-bit systems in recent years. If you're running Windows 11, you're fine; 64-bit support has been around for nearly two decades. A simple RAM check (32-bit systems max out at 4GB) can quickly determine if you're affected.
The discontinuation of 32-bit support raises concerns about digital ownership. Losing access to a game library due to hardware changes is frustrating, and this isn't unique to EA; Valve has also dropped 32-bit support for Steam. The issue is further complicated by increasingly prevalent invasive digital rights management (DRM) solutions like Denuvo, which often require deep system access and impose arbitrary limitations.
A solution for preserving legitimately purchased digital games is to support GOG, a DRM-free platform. Games purchased on GOG can be played on any compatible hardware indefinitely. While this opens the door to piracy, it hasn't stopped new titles from releasing on the platform, with *Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2* an upcoming example.
