Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts is an American video game publisher and developer founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins in San Mateo, California, and now headquartered in Redwood City. One of the largest video game companies in the world, EA publishes some of the best-selling annual franchises in gaming including EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, and The Sims, alongside narrative franchises like Battlefield, Apex Legends, and the Star Wars Jedi series. The company generated over $7 billion in net revenue in fiscal year 2024.

EA Sports was huge in my house growing up. FIFA and Madden were the games everyone played, even people who did not consider themselves gamers. That kind of cultural reach is something very few publishers have ever managed.

Founding and the EA Sports Era

Trip Hawkins founded Electronic Arts with the vision of treating game developers as artists, a philosophy reflected in the early packaging which featured developer photos reminiscent of album covers. The company grew rapidly through the 1980s on the strength of its sports and action titles. The EA Sports brand launched in 1991, giving the sports lineup a distinct identity. FIFA International Soccer launched in 1993 and Madden NFL had already launched in 1988. Both became annual institutions, with FIFA eventually becoming one of the best-selling franchises in gaming history before a licensing dispute with FIFA led EA to rebrand the franchise as EA Sports FC in 2023. EA Sports also publishes NHL, NBA Live, UFC, and F1 under the same umbrella.

Acquisitions and Studios

EA has grown significantly through acquisitions across its history. Key studios under the EA umbrella include Respawn Entertainment, developer of Titanfall and Apex Legends, acquired in 2017 for $315 million. BioWare, developer of Mass Effect and Dragon Age, was acquired in 1998 and remains one of EA’s most creatively significant studios. Criterion Games, developer of the Burnout series and Need for Speed, has been part of EA since 2004. Maxis, developer of The Sims and SimCity, was acquired in 1997. Codemasters, developer of the F1 racing series, was acquired in 2021. EA has also closed significant studios over the years, including Visceral Games in 2017 and Maxis in 2015.

Battlefield and Apex Legends

Battlefield is EA’s flagship military shooter franchise, developed primarily by DICE in Stockholm. The series launched in 2002 and has sold hundreds of millions of copies across its entries. Battlefield 2042 in 2021 had a troubled launch and disappointed commercially, leading to a period of reassessment for the franchise. A new Battlefield is in development. Apex Legends, developed by Respawn and launched in February 2019, is a free-to-play battle royale that reached 25 million players in its first week and over 150 million registered players since. It remains one of EA’s most important live service games.

Star Wars and Licensed Games

EA held an exclusive license for Star Wars games from 2013 to 2023. During that period Respawn developed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order in 2019 and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor in 2023, both of which received strong critical and commercial reception. The license ended in 2023 and multiple studios outside EA are now developing Star Wars games. EA continues to publish Star Wars content including updates to existing titles.

EA Play and the Subscription Model

EA Play is EA’s subscription service, providing access to a catalog of EA titles, early access to new releases, and discounts on purchases. EA Play Pro on PC includes new EA releases on launch day. EA Play is also included with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, giving EA’s catalog a significant presence on Microsoft’s subscription service. EA’s annual sports titles including EA Sports FC and Madden are available through the subscription, which has become an important part of how EA retains players between annual releases.

Controversies

EA has been one of the more controversial publishers in the industry over the last decade, primarily around its monetization practices. The loot box systems in FIFA Ultimate Team and Star Wars Battlefront II attracted significant criticism and regulatory attention in multiple countries. The Battlefront II backlash in 2017, when the game’s progression system was revealed to require either extensive playtime or real money purchases to unlock characters, became one of the most discussed controversies in gaming history and prompted EA to remove paid loot boxes at launch. The company has faced ongoing criticism for perceived prioritization of recurring revenue mechanics over gameplay quality in its sports titles.