EA APP games not working

EA APP starts and seems to work with Proton 8.0-2 at first. But after downloading a game from the library, it's not possible to run it. As I remember, I required Experimental to install EA APP as external program at first and needed to switch to 8.0-2 afterwards.

When switching to Proton 7.0-6 (which seems to be the only working stable version for Ubisoft games), the APP window UI will render as black (with invisible buttons clickable), which is useless, as is 8.0-2 ultimately, since EA games like Crysis 3 won't start with it.

After switching back to 8.0-2, the downloaded and "installed" EA game is then vanished from EA APP, and stays so, even after switching back to 8.0-2.

In addition, the Steam client will grey out and block the Proton version drop down box, once EA APP (or any externally installed game/program for that matter) was launched, until Steam was completely closed and restarted.

Originally posted by @stixholder in https://github.com/ValveSoftware/Proton/issues/6617#issuecomment-1543262465

UPDATE: after switching to Proton 8.0-5 (and possibly some system updates involved), the "EA App" will now start after showing buttons "Start App" and "Repair" (repair what/how?) - at least, until the next "Update" has taken place. Let's see.

Proton 9.0-1 or Experimental did not work. After switching back "of course" I have to completely re-download all games, due to EA's incompetence of recognizing the games already installed under their corresponding prefixes, unlike the "UbisoftConnectLauncher" can and will.

Crysis 3 will now run (again), but after the latest re-download, I get "greeted" with a request for "Administrator rights" every time the game is started - EA WTF ?!?

That being said, it shows, how (Online-)DRM is evil, because it forms a barrier for alternative platforms, by locking everything into a wall, that may not even build up (i. e. run) and force-binding all walled content into a single environment (optimized for the DRM tooling), which may not even be compatible to single titles.

What do you get in turn? Maybe undocumented updates, wanted or not. Often additional technical and security issues. Mostly, painstaking personal profiling, loss of privacy, a patronizing regime of enforced rules, lengthy startups and a bloated UX.

Also, it mostly prevents any different approaches and self-employed workarounds to solve technical issues with platforms.

Which in turn may result in a complete or partly dysfunctional game portfolio of the corresponding vendor - for Linux, as well as for other, even legacy Windows platforms.

Of course, this more or less holds true for all Online-DRM vendors, unless perhaps, to what may be possible, if you get access to DRM-free game installers, e. g. from GOG.

Start by reproducing the EA App and downloaded-game failures with the listed Proton versions, recording whether the UI renders, installed games remain visible, and Crysis 3 launches. Check whether the Steam client's Proton selector remains disabled after launching an externally installed program. Done requires a narrowly isolated, reproducible symptom with logs or a confirmed working version.