Ben Gibson 
EA have announced that their titles will be making their way back to Steam in a new partnership, which kicks off with the launch of Jedi: Fallen Order on November 15th, which is now available for pre-purchase. EA’s subscription service, EA Access, will also be making it’s way to Valve’s platform “starting next spring”. Whilst there is currently no definitive catalogue of games that will be available, EA have confirmed a few titles, including Apex Legends and Battlefield V, that will be available next year. Both of these titles will feature cross play between Steam and Origin players.
The rationale behind EA’s decision appears to have been concern about the number of services available for gamers, and the worry that this will cause players to fragment into their chosen services. In an interview with GamesIndustry.biz, EA’s Senior Vice President Mike Blank stated:
“Since the time we removed our games from Steam, there’s been this dramatic increase in the number of gaming services, which you would think would be really good for players. But I think in many cases, it’s the exact opposite. It creates more difficulty for players, and providing player choice — from my perspective and speaking on behalf of EA — is really critical. It’s an opportunity to make it possible for people to play where they want, to reduce that fragmentation and make it more frictionless… Reducing that fragmentation is really important. It’s the most player-first thing we can do.”
