Origin Waives Distribution Fees for Crowd-Funded Games

90-Day Global Offer Will Help Developers Reach Millions Of Gamers Worldwide

Posted by Staff
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) announced today a program to waive distribution fees on Origin™ for any developer that has a successfully crowd-funded, ready-to-publish downloadable PC game. Origin will provide distribution services free of charge for 90 days after the game's launch, giving new crowd-funded games a chance to reach the growing Origin audience of more than 12 million registered users worldwide.

"The public support for crowd-funding creative game ideas coming from small developers today is nothing short of phenomenal," said David DeMartini, Senior Vice President of Origin at EA. "It's also incredibly healthy for the gaming industry. Gamers around the world deserve a chance to play every great new game, and by waiving distribution fees on Origin we can help make that a reality for successfully crowd-funded developers."

Via websites like Kickstarter, crowd-funding has emerged as an exciting new method for entrepreneurs with creative game ideas to gather financial support to start their development ventures. Origin can help ready-to-publish games quickly reach a global audience of millions of PC and online gamers, ready for purchase, download and play.

"Crowd-funded projects are like the 'people's choice awards' -- a way for gaming fans to express what they want to buy and play," said Jane Jensen, President, Pinkerton Road. "It's great to see a big publisher like EA acknowledging that and opening up distribution opportunities for these games."

"I have had a long relationship with EA and it is great to see them recognize and support the crowd-funded games model," said Brian Fargo, CEO, inXile Entertainment. "Having Origin waive their distribution fees for 90 days for fan funded games is a major economic bonus for small developers. We look forward to bringing Wasteland 2 to the Origin audience."

The Origin offer will be available to fully-funded, complete and ready-to-publish games designed for digital download to PC platforms. Developers will provide ongoing support for their games. Developers can visit www.origin.com/publishing to contact Origin for more information about the program.

Origin offers fast and safe game downloads for many of the industry's most popular PC titles, including Mass Effect™3, Battlefield 3™, Star Wars®: The Old Republic™, FIFA 12, Batman: Arkham City, Saints Row: The Third and Rift™. In addition, Origin features provide a more dynamic and convenient play experience for the gamer. Beyond the fast download capability, automatic log-in and built-in customer service, Origin in-game overlay and chat features make for a more lively social experience, and cloud saves let gamers save and continue games from any computer, anytime, anywhere. Live streaming demos on Origin also allow gamers to try some games before they buy.

For more information about Origin, please visit http://www.origin.com. For more information on EA and assets including images, please visit http://info.ea.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones, tablets and social networks. EA has more than 220 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2012, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.1 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster brands such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™ and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.

Origin, The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. Mass Effect is a trademark of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. Battlefield and Battlefield 3 are trademarks of EA Digital Illusions CE AB. STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. John Madden, NFL and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Electronic Arts
John Reseburg, 650-628-3601
jreseburg@ea.com

Source: Electronic Arts Inc.
Companies: