EA Origins Renamed to "EA Desktop App"

EA Origins has been going for the past nine years... not exactly "strong", but consistently and more-or-less harmlessly, occasionally getting a moment in the limelight with the odd giveaway of some dope older game. But today, all of that ends: EA Origins is no more.

...that is to say, EA has renamed it. To "EA Desktop App". Thrilling stuff.

As to why they're making this radical move to give their app an even more boring name, EA SVP, strategic growth Mike Blank told GamesIndustry.biz the overhaul is intended...
 

"to create a more frictionless, fast, socially-oriented experience for our players, where it becomes the best place for them to connect with the people they want to play with in the games they want to play."

I wasn't exactly aware that calling their service "Origin" created friction within their community but hey, they did the market research, not me.

To accompany this new minimalistic name, they're simplifying and streamlining the app itself so it takes people fewer clicks to access the games they want, while boosting clarity across the board. This is part of an ongoing effort across the company to promote play across the board, breaking down the barriers that would prevent people from getting invested in their games.
 

"All of that is signaled by creating a common and consistent brand that is centered around EA and what EA stands for, and what signals it is this inflection about how EA stands for bringing your players together around the games they want to play on the platforms they want to play on. So yeah, it's not just a name change. It really signals an ethos that is critically important to us and that we know that's important to our players."

Might take more than a little rebranding to make people more excited to play your games, EA, but hey: at least you're not Ubisoft. You got that going for you.