Electronic Arts facts for kids
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The EA headquarters building at Redwood City, California in May 2011
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | May 27, 1982 in San Mateo, California, US |
| Founder | Trip Hawkins |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | See list of Electronic Arts games |
| Revenue |  US$7.42 billion (2023) |
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Operating income
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US$1.13 billion (2023) |
| US$802 million (2023) |
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| Total assets |  US$13.4 billion (2023) |
| Total equity | US$7.29 billion (2023) |
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Number of employees
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c. 12,900 (2022) |
| Divisions | EA Entertainment EA Sports |
| Subsidiaries | See § Company structure |
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American company that makes and publishes video games. Its main office is in Redwood City, California. Trip Hawkins, a former employee of Apple, started the company in May 1982. EA was a leader in the early home computer game industry. They called their game designers and programmers "software artists."
EA first published games and some other software made by outside people or groups. In 1987, they released their first game made internally, Skate or Die!. Later, EA started buying game studios, like Distinctive Software, which became EA Canada in 1991.
Today, EA creates and publishes many popular game series. These include Battlefield, Need for Speed, The Sims, and Star Wars games. They also make many sports games under the EA Sports brand, such as FC, Madden NFL, and NHL. EA also owns famous game studios like DICE, BioWare, and Respawn Entertainment.
Contents
History of Electronic Arts
Early Years: Trip Hawkins and Founding (1982–1991)
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Trip Hawkins worked at Apple Inc. starting in 1978. By 1982, the home computer market was growing fast. In February 1982, Hawkins met with Don Valentine to get funding for his new company. Valentine encouraged Hawkins to leave Apple and use Sequoia Capital's office space to start his business. Hawkins officially started the company on May 27, 1982, investing his own money.
For several months, Hawkins worked on his business plan for Electronic Arts. He hired former Apple colleagues, Dave Evans and Pat Marriott, as producers. Jeff Burton from Atari joined for international business. By November, the company had 11 employees and moved to a new office in San Mateo, California.
Hawkins first named the company "Amazin' Software," but his early employees didn't like it. They changed the name to Electronic Arts in November 1982. Hawkins believed software was an art form and called developers "software artists." The name "Electronic Arts" was chosen to honor film studios like United Artists.
EA hired employees from top tech companies like Apple and Atari. Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, even joined their board. EA decided to sell games directly to stores. This gave them higher profits and helped them become well-known.
In the early days, EA promoted its game developers. Games were sold in square boxes that looked like album covers. EA called developers "artists" and gave them photo credits in games and magazine ads. They also shared a lot of their profits with developers, which made EA an attractive company to work for.
In the mid-1980s, EA strongly supported the Amiga home computer. They released popular non-game software like Deluxe Paint (1985). This drawing program became very famous on the Amiga. EA also created the Interchange File Format, which became a standard for sharing files on the Amiga.
Sometimes, working with outside developers was hard because they missed deadlines. In 1987, EA released Skate or Die!, their first game made completely in-house. This led EA to start buying successful companies and creating yearly game series. Trip Hawkins loved sports games, so he signed a deal with football coach John Madden. This led to the popular annual Madden NFL games.
In 1989, EA published Populous, a pioneering "god game" developed by Bullfrog Productions. In 1990, Electronic Arts started making games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Before this, they only licensed their computer games to other console publishers.
Growth and Success into the New Millennium (1991–2007)
In 1991, Larry Probst became EA's new CEO, taking over from Trip Hawkins. Hawkins then started The 3DO Company, which made the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer game console. EA was a main partner for the 3DO console. However, the 3DO was very expensive compared to other consoles. When Sony's PlayStation came out in 1995, it was cheaper and more powerful. EA stopped supporting 3DO and focused on the PlayStation instead.
In 1995, Electronic Arts won an award for best software publisher. As the company grew, they built a new headquarters in Redwood Shores, California, which opened in 1998. In 1999, EA changed its logo and started using different brands for its games. EA Games was for main publishing, EA Sports for sports titles, and EA Sports Big for fun, arcade-style sports games.
EA began to focus on digital games and online services. They bought the popular online gaming site Pogo.com in 2001. In 2004, EA gave a large donation to the University of Southern California to help develop game production courses. In 2006, EA bought Mythic Entertainment, known for Warhammer Online.
After a rival game, ESPN NFL 2K5, competed with EA's Madden NFL, EA made big deals. They signed exclusive agreements with the NFL and ESPN. This gave EA special rights to use NFL and ESPN content in their sports games. They also made a deal with the Collegiate Licensing Company for college football content.
EA's success came from making games for many different platforms and creating popular series that updated every year. These included Madden, FIFA, and NHL. In 2006, EA decided to focus more on creating new game ideas. That same year, Nokia and EA partnered to bring EA mobile games to Nokia phones.
John Riccitiello Era (2007–2013)
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In February 2007, John Riccitiello became the new CEO of EA. He had worked at EA before and then returned. In June 2007, Riccitiello reorganized EA into four main groups, called "labels." Each label would be responsible for its own game development and publishing. The goal was to let these groups work more independently, make decisions faster, and create better games.
In 2007, EA announced it would bring some of its big games to Mac computers. These included Battlefield 2142 and Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. These games used special technology to run on Intel-based Macs.
In 2008, Electronic Arts tried to buy another game company, Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two's board rejected EA's offer. EA later dropped its offer. In May 2008, EA bought Hands-On Mobile Korea, a mobile game developer.
In November 2008, EA combined its Casual Label with The Sims Label. This was because casual games were popular across many different types of players. EA also announced job cuts and facility closures due to a difficult economic period.
In February 2009, EA cut about 1,100 jobs and closed 12 facilities. This was partly due to the Great Recession and because they didn't release any huge games that quarter. In May 2009, EA Redwood Shores studio changed its name to Visceral Games. In June 2009, EA merged its BioWare and Mythic studios to focus on role-playing and online multiplayer games.
In October 2010, EA bought Chillingo, a company that published iPhone and iPad games. Chillingo had published Angry Birds and Cut the Rope. However, EA did not get the rights to these specific games.
In June 2011, EA launched Origin, an online store for selling PC games directly to players. This was a competitor to Valve's Steam. For a while, EA stopped releasing new games on Steam, selling them only through Origin. In July 2011, EA bought PopCap Games, known for Plants vs. Zombies and Bejeweled.
Andrew Wilson Era and Modern Gaming (2013–2022)
In September 2013, Andrew Wilson became the new CEO of EA. In April 2013, EA reorganized again, which included some job reductions. In May 2013, EA got an important deal from Disney. This gave EA the exclusive right to make games based on the Star Wars universe until 2023. EA then assigned new Star Wars projects to several of its studios.
In April 2015, EA announced it would shut down some free-to-play games like Battlefield Heroes. EA's stock value grew steadily. In July 2015, it reached an all-time high. This was partly because of the highly anticipated Star Wars Battlefront game.
At E3 2015, EA announced it would invest more in smaller, unique games like Unravel. In December 2015, EA created a new division called Competitive Gaming Division. This group focuses on creating competitive gaming experiences and organizing ESports events. In May 2016, EA formed Frostbite Labs, a new division working on virtual reality and "virtual humans."
In October 2017, EA closed Visceral Games. This studio had been working on a Star Wars game. The closure was likely due to concerns about the game's single-player focus and slow development.
EA faced some discussion about how it used microtransactions in Star Wars Battlefront II. Players and journalists complained about "loot boxes" that gave random items and made it harder to unlock characters. EA changed the system to be fairer, removing "pay to win" elements and lowering costs. This controversy led to discussions worldwide about whether loot boxes are a form of gambling.
In January 2018, EA announced eMLS, a new competitive league for FIFA 18. They also partnered with ESPN to broadcast Madden NFL competitive matches. In February 2019, EA's stock value dropped after Battlefield V sold fewer copies than expected. However, stocks quickly rose with the surprise release of Apex Legends, which gained 25 million players in just one week.
In October 2019, EA announced it would start releasing games on Steam again. This began with Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order. EA also brought its subscription service, EA Access, to Steam. In December 2020, EA bought Codemasters, a British company known for racing games, for $1.2 billion. This acquisition was completed in February 2021.
In January 2021, Disney announced new Star Wars games from other developers, meaning EA's exclusive license was likely not extended. However, EA still has a non-exclusive license and plans more Star Wars titles. EA's Star Wars games had sold over 52 million copies and made over $3 billion in revenue. In February 2021, EA announced it would return to making college sports games with EA Sports College Football. They also bought Glu Mobile, a mobile game developer, for $2.1 billion.
In June 2021, EA confirmed a data breach where game and engine code was stolen. EA assured that no player data was taken. Hackers tried to get money from EA by releasing small parts of the stolen data. EA also bought Playdemic Studios, known for mobile games, for $1.4 billion.
Recent Changes (2023–Present)
In January 2023, EA stopped development on Apex Legends Mobile and Battlefield Mobile. This led to the closure of Industrial Toys studio. In March 2023, EA announced it would reduce its workforce by 6%, affecting about 775 employees.
In June 2023, EA reorganized the company into two main groups: EA Sports and EA Entertainment. Both groups report directly to CEO Andrew Wilson. Laura Miele became president of EA Entertainment, and Cam Weber became president of EA Sports.
In February 2024, EA announced further job cuts, affecting 5% of its global workforce. They also canceled a Star Wars first-person shooter game. EA stated they would focus more on their own game series instead of licensed ones.
Games by Electronic Arts
Since 1983, Electronic Arts has published and developed many games. They also released some productivity software in their early years.
How Electronic Arts is Organized
As of April 2021, EA's biggest purchase was Glu Mobile for $2.4 billion. EA has acquired many companies over the years, with most being based in the U.S. Many of these companies have either closed or merged into other EA studios.
Since June 2023, EA is organized into two main parts: EA Entertainment and EA Sports.
EA Entertainment
This division focuses on a wide range of games.
- BioWare in Edmonton, Canada; acquired in 2007.
- Criterion Games in Guildford, England; acquired in 2004.
- DICE in Stockholm, Sweden; acquired in 2006.
- EA Mobile in Los Angeles, California; founded in 2004. This includes studios like Glu Mobile and Firemonkeys Studios.
- Maxis in Redwood City, California; acquired in 1997. They make games like The Sims.
- Motive Studio in Montreal, Canada; founded in 2015.
- PopCap Games in Seattle, Washington; acquired in 2011. They make games like Plants vs. Zombies.
- Respawn Entertainment in Sherman Oaks, California; acquired in 2017. They make games like Apex Legends.
EA Sports
This division focuses on sports games.
- Codemasters in Southam, England; acquired in 2021. They make racing games.
- EA Orlando in Orlando, Florida; acquired in 1998. They make Madden NFL.
- EA Vancouver in Burnaby, Canada; acquired in 1991. They make EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA).
EA Labels
EA Sports
This label publishes all of EA's sports games. It was first called Electronic Arts Sports Network in 1991. Popular series include FC, Madden NFL, and NHL.
EA All Play
EA All Play focuses on mobile games. Since 2012, it has published digital titles like The Simpsons and Tetris. It also includes digital versions of Hasbro board games like Scrabble.
EA Competitive Gaming Division
The EA Competitive Gaming Division (CGD) was started in 2015. Its goal is to create and organize global eSports competitions for EA's biggest games. These include FIFA, Madden NFL, and Battlefield.
SEED
SEED stands for Search for Extraordinary Experiences Division. It was introduced in 2017 as a technology research group. SEED uses advanced tools like deep learning to help create more immersive and engaging games.
Partnerships and Initiatives
EA Partners Program (1997–Present)
The EA Partners program helps publish and distribute games made by other game developers. It started in 1997. This program allows EA to work with independent studios.
Some notable games published through EA Partners include:
- Alice: Madness Returns by Spicy Horse
- Brütal Legend by Double Fine Productions
- Crysis series by Crytek
- Rock Band series by Harmonix
EA Originals Label (2017–Present)
EA Originals is a special label within EA's Partners program. It helps support independent video game developers. EA provides money for development. Once EA gets its investment back, the independent studio receives all extra profits. The studio also keeps the rights to their game and has creative control.
This program was announced at the 2016 E3 Conference. It was inspired by the success of Unravel in 2015. The first game supported by this program was Fe by Zoink, released in 2018. Other games include A Way Out and It Takes Two by Hazelight Studios.
| Year | Title | Developer | Platform(s) |
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| 2016 | Unravel | Coldwood Interactive | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| 2018 | Fe | Zoink | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| A Way Out | Hazelight Studios | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One | |
| 2019 | Unravel Two | Coldwood Interactive | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| Sea of Solitude | Jo-Mei Games | ||
| 2020 | Rocket Arena | Final Strike Games | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One |
| 2021 | It Takes Two | Hazelight Studios | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch |
| Knockout City | Velan Studios | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | |
| Lost in Random | Zoink | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S | |
| 2023 | Wild Hearts | Omega Force | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |
| Immortals of Aveum | Ascendant Studios | ||
| 2024 | Tales of Kenzera: Zau | Surgent Studios | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S |
| TBA | RustHeart | Glowmade |
Images for kids
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The EA headquarters building at Redwood City, California in May 2011
See also
In Spanish: Electronic Arts para niños
