I didn't always feel sad when I started up Origin. Vaguely annoyed, perhaps, with the way it always defaults to "Store" instead of "My Games." Somewhat grumpy, when confronted with bugs. But lately, I feel a little pang of woe. And it's not really from Origin at all.
No, what makes me sad is seeing the big, splashy tile for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning hanging out right there in the middle. It's large, it's unavoidable, and it's tragic.
The other games I run through Origin are all Dragon Age or Mass Effect titles. And while plenty of fans have had their disappointments with those series, I've been satisfied with both. And even if I weren't, at least they remain alive and lively. BioWare teams are continuing to develop DLC and games in those worlds, and fans are continuing to bicker incessantly about their preferences, theories, and details.
But Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, after launching this February and putting out two fairly substantial bursts of DLC, is dead only four months later. The studio behind it had a very public collapse quickly followed by a total shutdown.
Suddenly, a big, colorful game world comes to a screeching halt. And every time I go to play Mass Effect 3 (which is kind of a lot), I see it right there. It seems now that the figure in the cover art is now resigned to his fate, rather than triumphant over his foe. And he stands as an everpresent reminder of future games that will never be.
Though in this case, where Origin creates a problem, it also provides a solution. As it turns out, there's a list view. And it seems I am callous enough to feel less sad on behalf of a game brought to a sudden halt when I don't have to stare it in the face. Well, Origin, I'm glad we've got that sorted out. Mass Effect 3, here I come.