In what is becoming increasingly common for EA published efforts, the re-imagining of Syndicate – a cyberpunk-themed shooter – will require an Origin install.  That means regardless of where you buy it from, loading up EA’s digital distribution client is a prerequisite. This joins the already released Battlefield 3 and upcoming Mass Effect 3.

We can’t say we’re surprised. EA is leveraging exclusives to attract users, much like Valve does with its own titles on Steam. Additionally, in a bid to compete with the latter, recently Origin has begun teaming up with third-parties to expand its distribution portfolio. On the surface, these efforts seem to be working well – Origin has amassed 9.3 million users since launch, but it’s not clear how many represent active accounts.

Follow this author on Twitter.