Help! I've mangled my Origin account and wrecked my Sims 4 game

[Beebo Brink]

As mentioned in another thread, I've been trying to download just a base Sims 4 game to my laptop without much success. Origin provides no easy way to prevent the DLCs from downloading too. So I tried buying a new copy of the base game on a Steam sale ($5), and long story short, that didn't work out well either, so I gave up entirely and filed for a refund.

Unfortunately, having no gaming background, I didn't realize that this purchase would superglue my EA/Origin account to Steam. I should have used an entirely different EA Account, but again, I really didn't understand the ramifications of using my established Sims 4 account. Today I tried to play Sims 4 from my desktop, only to find that Origin was ignoring the base game I bought many years ago and was trying to connect to the new Steam copy instead. I can't get the game to load normally -- apparently I need to login in to Steam and then download the game files all over again on this computer? -- and I'm afraid that once Steam refunds my purchase, I'll lose that connection entirely.

Rather than keep blundering about and making things worse, can anyone advise me how I can untangle this mess? The Google results I got say that there's no easy way to disconnect the accounts and EA support in making that request is spotty. Are there any workarounds I could use?

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

Don't have any direct experience with this, but I'm good at looking for help; lots of practice. Try this: Disconnect origin from STEAM

If it doesn't work, let me know and I'll keep poking.

 

[Beebo Brink]

Okay, this seems to be more recent than the other

Don't have any direct experience with this, but I'm good at looking for help; lots of practice. Try this: Disconnect origin from STEAM

If it doesn't work, let me know and I'll keep poking.

I tried that link first earlier this evening, but the consensus at that time (summer 2020) is that this simply wasn't possible. I'm now looking at this set of instructions, that are from Nov 2020:
Steam Link Guide - How to Unlink Your Origin Account From Steam

I'm reading and re-reading, to make sure I understand it and take it step-by-step.

 

[Jolene Benoir]

Oh, no! I'm sorry for my part in this. Everything I am reading says EA support will need to be contacted.

Unbelievable. First they have it so you cannot pick and choose which packs to install, now they make it so you cannot swap out ID's on the fly on Steam and that the Steam base game overrides the built in Origin version. It's not like EA is some fly-by-night operation.

ETA: What do you see if you go to the site below and scroll down to the bottom (Connections)?

https://myaccount.ea.com/cp-ui/aboutme/index?gameId=ebisu

 

[Beebo Brink]

Oh, no! I'm sorry for my part in this. Everything I am reading says EA support will need to be contacted.

Well, you clearly told me that I would need a second EA account for this, and I blithely ignored your instructions, so really, it's on me. I had no idea I was going down a one-way street or I would have paid a bit more attention. All this gamer stuff....

Yes, I can see my Steam link on the Connections section. The panel will show you the connection, but there's no way to delete it. Which makes NO SENSE AT ALL. But there it is. The current wait time for EA support is 99mins, so I think I'll try them tomorrow morning.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

That's EA for you. If it were any other game, I'd prolly have stopped when Maxis was bought by EA [which was, iirc, before The Sims came out, but I'd already gotten hooked by other Sims- titles, so....

 

[Beebo Brink]

Success!!

I was up at 7:30am this morning and got ahold of EA support in about 20mins. They unlinked my Steam account, which STILL didn't release my Sims game, but after uninstalling/re-installing Origin and then flipping some switch somewhere, my game files were finally verified and restored.

I've continued my Knitting save. So many things left to knit!

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

Glad you were able to get that mess fixed!

I'm a little concerned, though. I have an Origin account, which has my Sims 4 install plus the EPs I bought. I also have a Steam account. What are the chances of the two somehow intermingling on me?

 

[Jolene Benoir]

Glad you were able to get that mess fixed!

I'm a little concerned, though. I have an Origin account, which has my Sims 4 install plus the EPs I bought. I also have a Steam account. What are the chances of the two somehow intermingling on me?

It appears that it would only happen if you were to buy the base game over on Steam and then sign in with your EA ID. Apparently, they've made the steam base game take precedence. All around weirdness with EA.