Love it or hate it, if you want to play Dead Space 3, Crysis 3, or SimCity on a PC or Mac, you are going to have to download EA’s Origin platform.
It’s been only one month since EA released the “Alpha” version of its Origin platform for the Mac, and today EA officially released the client for Macs. We’ll have to assume that means the weeks-long alpha and beta tests went well, or that no one downloaded the alpha and the publisher decided it was good enough for the few people who would actually use it. Either way, Mac gamers can now download EA games such as The Sims 3, Dragon Age II, and, um, The Sims 3 expansion packs. There are other games available, of course, but nothing that isn’t already available through the Mac App Store.
“Our vision with Origin is to connect your gaming universe online, and today we’re taking a major step in expanding our service to reach Mac-based gamers worldwide,” said Michael Blank, VP of production for Origin at EA. “In delivering great game content, connecting the Origin service across PC, Mac and iOS devices, and offering great value to gamers with dual-platform play on select EA titles, Origin is making it easier than ever before for gamers to connect and play anytime, anywhere.”
So, maybe Mac gamers won’t get to download Crysis 3, but they shouldn’t worry too much. SimCity will (probably) be released on Origin for Mac in the near future.