I think these numbers can be misleading and in opposite directions. They sound bigger than they really are considering that these new users don't even nescessarily use a PC for gaming - or at all for that matter. Even taken at face value though they also belie how massive the user base will inevitably become over the next year to two - just considering EA published titles.
Yep. From what I understand my old battlefield 2142 account (which I only played for about a week) counts as an origin account. They are just trying to make it seem like "everyone is doing it so you should too." But I'll never use origin.
Hah my coworker was complaining about Origin today - every time she plays the Sims 3 the update software whines at her to install Origin. Considering that title alone sold 4.5 PC copies by january 2010 and continues to pull in revenue by pumping out expansion packs. Also consider all those users who downloaded the KOA:Registering demo for their consoles and registered to get those free bonus items. My roomate is now a registered Origin user and doesn't own a PC (granted you can play games on a mac just fine, but I don't think a 6 year old portable counts as a likely platform for future purchases).
No they're not forcing people to actually complete an Origin registration in any case I saw myself, but they're casting a wide net and pulling in plenty of people who aren't just unlikely to purchase products through it but quite a few who probably couldn't use almost any of them if they wanted to.
It just seems that 9.3 million registered users is pretty underwhelming considering the sales totals for the Sims 3, Battlefield, and their other large sellers which encourage frequent updates (and so also include frequent reminders to install and register Origin if your profile information is not complete enough to count). The statement about the old-as-hell battlefield account being rolled into Origin also makes me wonder how many of those registered users actually use it as opposed to begrudgingly clicked "ok" or "accept" as it told them that's what they were now.
Of course the sheer size of EA and its best-selling titles (the Sims series in total has sold something like 150 units between the main titles, expansions and the themed stuff packs) and the battlefield sieries is not rediculously far behind that with units-sold tacking less out of proportion with individual purchasers. Assuming people don't suddenly decide that they're not addicted to the Sims or Battlefield games then they probably will have something approaching the actively purchasing user base of Steam in about 2 years.
Until they actually get out enough of their own new products to start drawing in the kinds of users publishers care about (the ones who bought games AFTER becoming registered users) they've got to make it sound like they might have more of those than they do to build up a library of 3rd party titles. If they take too long developing this content library and growing a comparable active user base (considering an inactive one sucks for multiplayer games or games with significant online components as EA believes all games should have) then it is going to get a longer lasting reputation as the barely second-tier option to steam for publishers and gamers.
