After 14 years, EA will retire its controversial Origin game distribution app for Windows, the company announced. Origin will stop working on April 17, 2025. Folks still using it will be directed to install the newer EA app, which launched in 2022.

Due to clunky UX and frustrating login processes, many PC gamers chose to outright avoid using Origin as much as possible. Despite this, EA persisted, but has now finally decided to outright replace Origin with the equally clunky EA app.

EA is closing Origin on April 17, 2025, switching to the EA App due to Microsoft's 32-bit abandonment. Games and accounts will transfer to the EA App seamlessly, including saved data and cloud storage. Transitioning to the EA App won't require redownloading games, with potential benefits for publishers seeking control.

EA has, of course, long since replaced Origin with the EA App, which isn't much better. From mid-April, any PC users still using Origin will need to switch in order to continue accessing their library of games and gameplay data.

For a long time, EA games could only be purchased, downloaded, and played digitally via EA Origin (at least on PCs). Eventually, some titles became available on Steam. Now, EA is altogether discontinuing Origin, which will be effective April 17, 2025.

Now, however, EA has said Origins will no longer be available come 17th April. The reason for the shut down is that “Microsoft has stopped supporting 32-bit software”. As such, users will have to download the EA app but the publisher notes that this requires a 64-bit version of Windows and, naturally, hardware that supports 64-bit software.

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced the end of Origin, its 14-year-old game launcher. The company will sunset Origin this April, forcing gamers with EA titles to open them via the newer EA app.