EA and Valve made a blockbuster announcement earlier today, revealing the companies will be partnering together to bring EA games to Steam, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Apex Legends. The announcement comes just days after rumors began circulating that EA was looking to return parts of its games library back to Steam after a middling performance on Origin as a distribution service, but consumers and critics alike expected the games that would return would be older titles rather than the latest releases.

EA's Origin distribution service hasn't been bad, but it has also failed to really gain the sort of traction the company had hoped for when it launched. It wasn't helped by the fact that one of the titles that was supposed to make Origin a must-own service, Anthem, flopped miserably upon release. EA also has EA Access, its subscription service that gives those willing to pay a sizeable library of games to choose from alongside other member benefits. Still, neither service can rival the reach that Valve's Steam platform has, even as it struggles with the up-and-coming Epic Games Store to maintain its share of the digital distribution market.

Related: Almost Half of EA's Sales Are Now Digital

That's why EA and Valve's announcement, while still a surprise, isn't completely shocking. The companies announced that the new partnership would begin with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order coming to Steam on November 15 - the same day it launches on every other platform. For other games, however, fans will need to wait. EA announced in its blog post that titles like The Sims 4 and Unravel 2 will come over the next few months, while multiplayer integration will be a slower process, with games such as Apex LegendsFIFA 20, and Battlefield V becoming available next year.

Interestingly, multiplayer games will give players the option to play together with both Origin and Steam users, circumventing a potential issue in regards to playerbases. EA Access itself will also be coming to Steam next spring. It will become Steam's first gaming subscription service, and Steam will in turn become the fourth platform that features the ability to subscribe to an EA service. It's unclear whether there will be any benefits tied strictly to subscribing through Steam, but the partnership will surely offer up some possibilities that wouldn't have existed otherwise.

It's a big move for EA and Valve, and both companies needed it. For EA, it's increased exposure to a games library that felt a little underplayed thanks to being hosted on services that weren't as big as Steam or the Epic Games Store. For Valve, it's a much-needed PR victory as the company continues to get criticized for the way it runs Steam, and it should be a major boon in the struggle against the Epic Games Store as digital distribution continues to become more competitive.

Next: Steam Indie Sales Are Down 70% This Year, Average Revenue By 47%

Source: EA Blog