EA Launcher won't allow offline play on steam deck.
Due to absolutely nothing other than choices EA is intentionally making, single player games which run absolutely beautifully on the Steam Deck (Jedi Fallen Order, Mass Effect Legendary) won't run on the Deck if you don't have an active internet connection.
There is NO fig leaf of "we don't officially support" available here. The games work great. Deck is actually the BEST way to play the ME:Legendary, the gyro controls work beautifully.
It's simply that the EA launcher wants to be connected to the internet. A choice EA is intentionally making. An anti-consumer choice that shows that they care not even a little bit about their players.
EA, I can't submit a support ticket about this because your support site is terribly broken, but PLEASE convey the message to someone up the chain that I will buy no further games from you until this is fixed. I play on my laptop and my deck both, in places where I do not have a good, or any, internet. Single player games MUST work in offline mode. It worked reasonably well on deck with the old launcher, long as you got online once in a while, but the new launcher seems to have made it impossible. But hey, at least I don't have to type my password in every time I launch the game now, so I guess there's that?
I do not require support. Nothing is failing to work as intended. The only thing failing here is somebody in the EA decision making structure. If there's a way we can get their attention, please let us know. Comments on this post? change.org petition with a million signatures? Everyone opening a support ticket? What will it take to get someone to make a pro-consumer decision over there?
Until that day though, I shall remain sad, because I wanted to give you money and play Jedi Survivor. But not until I can successfully launch it in offline mode on my Deck.
