Could EA games be coming back to Steam?

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By Matt Hanson
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What’s in store?

(Image credit: EA)

It looks like EA could be bringing its games back to Steam, several years after the gaming titan stopped selling its titles on Valve’s online store, instead selling them through its rival Origin game store.

Twitter user @RobotBrush discovered that a test application for running Origin games on Steam had been used, potentially indicating that EA could allow people to buy and run its games through Steam, while still needing to use the Origin launcher – similar to how Ubisoft games work on Steam, with you still needing the Uplay game launcher to run the titles.

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While this could be an old program, it does hint that EA could be looking to allow its games back on Steam.

Further evidence appears to show older EA games, which were once available on Steam but then removed, seeing activity again. For example, SteamDB, which tracks user behavior in Steam, shows that someone played Saboteur, an EA game that released in 2009. It’s no longer available on Steam, but according to SteamDB, it was played on Steam between October 20 and 21.

Dragon Age 2, another EA game that was once on Steam but was then removed, has also seen a flurry of recent activity, receiving database and package updates.

Coming back

EA has a huge catalogue of immensely popular games, including sports titles such as FIFA, strategy games like The Sims 4 and action RPGs like Mass Effect. If those huge names – along with upcoming titles like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order – come back to Steam, it could be a real win for Valve.

EA would also benefit, as more ways to buy its games should mean more revenue – EA may have found that sales aren’t quite as strong on its Origin store compared to Valve’s all-conquering Steam store.

This is all just rumor at the moment, but we’ll be keeping a close eye on Steam to see if any EA games turn up soon.

Via TheNerdMag

Matt Hanson
Matt Hanson
Managing Editor, Core Tech

Matt is TechRadar's Managing Editor for Core Tech, looking after computing and mobile technology. Having written for a number of publications such as PC Plus, PC Format, T3 and Linux Format, there's no aspect of technology that Matt isn't passionate about, especially computing and PC gaming. Ever since he got an Amiga A500+ for Christmas in 1991, he's loved using (and playing on) computers, and will talk endlessly about how The Secret of Monkey Island is the best game ever made.