Not a smart move, EA. Not a smart move.
Let's use an analogy real quick, shall we? Let's say, for argument's sake, that toast is a major commodity and you just invented "Super Toast". The specifics of why your toast is "super" don't really matter, but it's still damn good toast and everyone wants some of it.
Clearly you want to make money off of your toast that there's a lot of hype and expectation for, so now you just need to decide where to sell it. You could decide to sell it in a store with a lot of distribution strength and name-brand recognition to it, like Wal-Mart, but you don't do that. No, instead you sell your toast through Boyd's Toast, a store that's just been opened up by your crazy uncle Boyd that lives in that shed in Utah.
Now, there's one major reason why you screwed up. Selling solely through Boyd's Toast doesn't help you, it helps him. What's happening is that your product is currently being sold in far less market outlets than it can be, hurting your overall profit. Meanwhile, the faithful that really want "Super Toast" are coming to Boyd's Toast to buy it, meaning that the previously unheard of and otherwise un-noteworthy store is getting increased foot traffic because it's the only place customers can get it.
Alright, I'm going to abandon the silly toast comparison to make my point; with this move EA seems torn between what it wants more, a WoW Killer or a Steam Killer. They certainly can't have both given how entrenched their competition already is, but EA is gradually pissing away what chances ST:TOR has of being their "Wow Killer" by restricting digital access to Origin in a clumsy effort to make their new service's user base grow.
Will this give Origin a userbase and help it grow? Well, some, that's pretty much a given, but Ea will be lucky if this move gives them the user base of digital distribution runner-up Impulse, let alone Steam. Origin is really not what EA needs to be focusing their efforts on. Given the amount of money and resources they've lavished onto TOR's development, which is considerable, it's a game that EA needs to be successful at all costs if they want to even make their investment back, let alone make a profit, and making their be less outlets to buy the game isn't going to help their cause.
~V
Let's use an analogy real quick, shall we? Let's say, for argument's sake, that toast is a major commodity and you just invented "Super Toast". The specifics of why your toast is "super" don't really matter, but it's still damn good toast and everyone wants some of it.
Clearly you want to make money off of your toast that there's a lot of hype and expectation for, so now you just need to decide where to sell it. You could decide to sell it in a store with a lot of distribution strength and name-brand recognition to it, like Wal-Mart, but you don't do that. No, instead you sell your toast through Boyd's Toast, a store that's just been opened up by your crazy uncle Boyd that lives in that shed in Utah.
Now, there's one major reason why you screwed up. Selling solely through Boyd's Toast doesn't help you, it helps him. What's happening is that your product is currently being sold in far less market outlets than it can be, hurting your overall profit. Meanwhile, the faithful that really want "Super Toast" are coming to Boyd's Toast to buy it, meaning that the previously unheard of and otherwise un-noteworthy store is getting increased foot traffic because it's the only place customers can get it.
Alright, I'm going to abandon the silly toast comparison to make my point; with this move EA seems torn between what it wants more, a WoW Killer or a Steam Killer. They certainly can't have both given how entrenched their competition already is, but EA is gradually pissing away what chances ST:TOR has of being their "Wow Killer" by restricting digital access to Origin in a clumsy effort to make their new service's user base grow.
Will this give Origin a userbase and help it grow? Well, some, that's pretty much a given, but Ea will be lucky if this move gives them the user base of digital distribution runner-up Impulse, let alone Steam. Origin is really not what EA needs to be focusing their efforts on. Given the amount of money and resources they've lavished onto TOR's development, which is considerable, it's a game that EA needs to be successful at all costs if they want to even make their investment back, let alone make a profit, and making their be less outlets to buy the game isn't going to help their cause.
~V
