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}}[[wikipedia:Electronic_Arts|Electronic Arts]] (EA) was a game developer and now publisher founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins. It is well known for its simulator titles under the Sim series (The Sims, SimCity, MySims, etc.), titles published under their EA Sports division (Madden, FIFA, etc.), and their Battlefield series.
}}[[wikipedia:Electronic_Arts|Electronic Arts]] (EA) was a game developer and now publisher founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins. It is well known for its simulator titles under the Sim series (The Sims, SimCity, MySims, etc.), titles published under their EA Sports division (Madden, FIFA, etc.), and their Battlefield series.


EA is notoriously known for its predatory microtransactions, addiction towards DLC, and more anti-consumer actions. <!--Editor's note: When we add that ranking system, I'd say they would rank pretty high in consumer unfriendliness.-->
EA has received criticism for its reliance on microtransactions, its focus on DLC, and other business practices that some consumers perceive as excessively unfavorable, AKA predatory and anti-consumer. <!--Editor's note: When we add that ranking system, I'd say they would rank pretty high in consumer unfriendliness.-->


== Controversial practices<!--Page to reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Electronic_Arts--> ==
==Controversial practices<!--Page to reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Electronic_Arts-->==


=== Origin Shutdown ===
===Origin Shutdown===
In April 17, 2025, EA will shut down their Origin client<ref>https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down</ref>, which was the last bastion for 32-bit hardware to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have already transitioned to using 64-bit hardware, the death of 32-bit support means that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and users who previously did not need to upgrade their 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or run the libraries that they paid for.
In April 17, 2025, EA will shut down their Origin client<ref>https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down</ref>, which was the final option for 32-bit hardware to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have already transitioned to using 64-bit hardware, the EOL of 32-bit support means that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and users who previously did not need to upgrade their 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or run the libraries that they paid for.


=== Lootboxes ===
===Lootboxes===
  See also: [[EA Lootbox Controversies]]
  See also: [[EA Lootbox Controversies]]
Multiple games published by EA in recent years have pulled significant controversy over what is essentially legal gambling. This is most commonly seen in EA sports titles and their "Ultimate Team" mode, which has players using in-game currency that can be purchased with real-world money, to buy card packs to potentially get good player cards. This predatory monetization method most notably introduced controversy within the modern release of Star Wars Battlefront 2, wherein the most powerful character in-game could only be obtained via this loot box system.<ref>https://www.pcworld.com/article/3231668/gaming/loot-boxes-ruining-gaming.html</ref><ref>http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-09-star-wars-battlefront-2-has-a-loot-crate-problem</ref><ref>http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-10-12-thinking-outside-the-loot-box</ref> It was not until fan backlash that EA would tone down these lootboxes in this one game via changing loot pools.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/star-wars-battlefront-ii-changes-its-loot-box-plans-but-is-it-enough/</ref><ref>https://www.vg247.com/2017/10/13/after-beta-controversy-dice-has-better-clarified-the-loot-crate-system-in-the-final-version-of-star-wars-battlefront-2/</ref> Lootboxes remained within the title until [[Disney]] had to tell EA to stop directly due to gambling concerns.<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-arts-pulls-microtransactions-from-star-wars-battlefront-ii-after-fan-backlash-1510936871</ref> <!--Honestly deserving of an article considering the sheer insanity of EA here--><!--Concept section:
Multiple games published by EA in recent years have pulled significant controversy over what is essentially legal gambling. This is most commonly seen in EA sports titles and their "Ultimate Team" modes, which has players using in-game currency that can be purchased with real-world money, to buy card packs to potentially get high-value player cards. This monetization method considered by many to be "predatory" most notably introduced controversy within the modern release of Star Wars Battlefront 2, wherein the most powerful character in-game, Darth Vader, could only be obtained via this loot box system.<ref>https://www.pcworld.com/article/3231668/gaming/loot-boxes-ruining-gaming.html</ref><ref>http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-09-star-wars-battlefront-2-has-a-loot-crate-problem</ref><ref>http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-10-12-thinking-outside-the-loot-box</ref> It was not until several weeks after the backlash that EA would tone down these lootboxes via changing loot pools.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/star-wars-battlefront-ii-changes-its-loot-box-plans-but-is-it-enough/</ref><ref>https://www.vg247.com/2017/10/13/after-beta-controversy-dice-has-better-clarified-the-loot-crate-system-in-the-final-version-of-star-wars-battlefront-2/</ref> Lootboxes remained within the title until [[Disney]] had to tell EA to stop directly due to gambling concerns.<ref>https://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-arts-pulls-microtransactions-from-star-wars-battlefront-ii-after-fan-backlash-1510936871</ref> <!--Honestly deserving of an article considering the sheer insanity of EA here--><!--Concept section:
At the moment, The Sims 4 holds EA's record for game with the most DLC for sale, with a total of $519.97 for expansion DLC being sold at $40 a pop, and a grand total of $1064.45 for all DLC. Purchase of these DLCs are necessitated since compared to the previous entry in the series, The Sims 3, there is a lower amount of content in TS4's base game.
At the moment, The Sims 4 holds EA's record for game with the most DLC for sale, with a total of $519.97 for expansion DLC being sold at $40 a pop, and a grand total of $1064.45 for all DLC. Purchase of these DLCs are necessitated since compared to the previous entry in the series, The Sims 3, there is a lower amount of content in TS4's base game.


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https://snootysims.com/wiki/sims-4/sims-3-vs-sims-4-which-one-is-better/-->
https://snootysims.com/wiki/sims-4/sims-3-vs-sims-4-which-one-is-better/-->


=== DRM ===
===DRM===
EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title [[Spore]], which was directly due to EA's usage of [[SecuROM]], which was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online [[DRM]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM</ref> While their usage of [[SecuROM]] died off in the mid-2010s, they merely transitioned to a piece of DRM which has been far worse for consumers; [[Denuvo]]. Significant titles that used this DRM include Star Wars: Jedi Survivor,
EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title [[Spore]], which was directly due to EA's usage of [[SecuROM]], which was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online [[DRM]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM</ref> While their usage of [[SecuROM]] died off in the mid-2010s, they merely transitioned to a piece of DRM which has been far worse for consumers; [[Denuvo]]. Significant EA titles that used this DRM include Star Wars: Jedi Survivor. <!-- Need to add more examples later here -->


=== License exclusivity ===
===License exclusivity===
Various IP, from Star Wars<ref>https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/</ref>, to the NFL, EA has forced their way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Their exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL, NFL, and NCAA had gone on to necessitate an antitrust lawsuit against EA.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf</ref> This unfortunately only ended in a $600K settlement rather than resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusivity deals.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080612-lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly.html</ref><ref>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/</ref> EA had additional lawsuits from NCAA players who claimed that EA was not authorized to use their likeness in their games, these suits were additionally only settled.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0</ref><ref>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money</ref><!--Diminishing quality section here?-->
With various IP, from Star Wars<ref>https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/</ref>, to the NFL, EA has forced their way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Their exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL, NFL, and NCAA had gone on to necessitate an antitrust lawsuit against EA.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf</ref> This unfortunately only ended in a $600K settlement rather than resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusivity deals.<ref>https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080612-lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly.html</ref><ref>https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/</ref> EA had additional lawsuits from NCAA players who claimed that EA was not authorized to use their likeness in their games, these suits were additionally only settled.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0</ref><ref>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money</ref><!--Diminishing quality section here?-->


=== Buyouts and closures ===
===Buyouts and closures===
In order for EA to hold its high position, it has been known to buy out its competition<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20191230013406/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-americas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/</ref>. Often, this has led to the detriment of the companies they buy out<ref>https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html</ref>, and by extension, the media which they release. A historical example, Westwood Studios, who pioneered the RTS genre with the Command & Conquer series, was shut down about 5 years after their purchase by EA, and their notable franchise was left abandoned years later, and entries either delisted or broken after GameSpy-based DRM were broken circa 2014. While their habits of buying studios and soon after closing them have thinned since 2008, their closure of Visceral Games in 2017<ref>https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/17/ea-shuts-down-visceral-games/</ref> has made consumers question whether they would return to these old habits.
In order for EA to hold its high position, it has been known to buy out its competition<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20191230013406/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-americas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/</ref>. Often, this has led to the detriment of the companies they buy out<ref>https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html</ref>, and by extension, the media which they release. A historical example, Westwood Studios, who pioneered the RTS genre with the Command & Conquer series, was shut down about 5 years after their purchase by EA, and their notable franchise was left abandoned years later, and entries either delisted or broken after GameSpy-based DRM were broken circa 2014.<ref>https://www.pcgamer.com/reddit-compiles-terrifying-list-of-games-affected-by-gamespy-shutdown/</ref> While their habits of buying studios and soon after closing them have thinned since 2008, their closure of Dead Space developer Visceral Games in 2017<ref>https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/17/ea-shuts-down-visceral-games/</ref> has made consumers question whether they would return to these old habits.


== References ==
==References==
<references />
<references />

Revision as of 00:33, 22 January 2025

Electronic Arts
Basic information
Founded 1982
Type Public
Industry Video Games
Official website https://ea.com/

Electronic Arts (EA) was a game developer and now publisher founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins. It is well known for its simulator titles under the Sim series (The Sims, SimCity, MySims, etc.), titles published under their EA Sports division (Madden, FIFA, etc.), and their Battlefield series.

EA has received criticism for its reliance on microtransactions, its focus on DLC, and other business practices that some consumers perceive as excessively unfavorable, AKA predatory and anti-consumer.

Controversial practices

Origin Shutdown

In April 17, 2025, EA will shut down their Origin client[1], which was the final option for 32-bit hardware to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have already transitioned to using 64-bit hardware, the EOL of 32-bit support means that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and users who previously did not need to upgrade their 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or run the libraries that they paid for.

Lootboxes

See also: EA Lootbox Controversies

Multiple games published by EA in recent years have pulled significant controversy over what is essentially legal gambling. This is most commonly seen in EA sports titles and their "Ultimate Team" modes, which has players using in-game currency that can be purchased with real-world money, to buy card packs to potentially get high-value player cards. This monetization method considered by many to be "predatory" most notably introduced controversy within the modern release of Star Wars Battlefront 2, wherein the most powerful character in-game, Darth Vader, could only be obtained via this loot box system.[2][3][4] It was not until several weeks after the backlash that EA would tone down these lootboxes via changing loot pools.[5][6] Lootboxes remained within the title until Disney had to tell EA to stop directly due to gambling concerns.[7]

DRM

EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title Spore, which was directly due to EA's usage of SecuROM, which was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online DRM.[8] While their usage of SecuROM died off in the mid-2010s, they merely transitioned to a piece of DRM which has been far worse for consumers; Denuvo. Significant EA titles that used this DRM include Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.

License exclusivity

With various IP, from Star Wars[9], to the NFL, EA has forced their way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Their exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL, NFL, and NCAA had gone on to necessitate an antitrust lawsuit against EA.[10] This unfortunately only ended in a $600K settlement rather than resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusivity deals.[11][12] EA had additional lawsuits from NCAA players who claimed that EA was not authorized to use their likeness in their games, these suits were additionally only settled.[13][14]

Buyouts and closures

In order for EA to hold its high position, it has been known to buy out its competition[15]. Often, this has led to the detriment of the companies they buy out[16], and by extension, the media which they release. A historical example, Westwood Studios, who pioneered the RTS genre with the Command & Conquer series, was shut down about 5 years after their purchase by EA, and their notable franchise was left abandoned years later, and entries either delisted or broken after GameSpy-based DRM were broken circa 2014.[17] While their habits of buying studios and soon after closing them have thinned since 2008, their closure of Dead Space developer Visceral Games in 2017[18] has made consumers question whether they would return to these old habits.

References

  1. ↑ https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down
  2. ↑ https://www.pcworld.com/article/3231668/gaming/loot-boxes-ruining-gaming.html
  3. ↑ http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2017-10-09-star-wars-battlefront-2-has-a-loot-crate-problem
  4. ↑ http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-10-12-thinking-outside-the-loot-box
  5. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/star-wars-battlefront-ii-changes-its-loot-box-plans-but-is-it-enough/
  6. ↑ https://www.vg247.com/2017/10/13/after-beta-controversy-dice-has-better-clarified-the-loot-crate-system-in-the-final-version-of-star-wars-battlefront-2/
  7. ↑ https://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-arts-pulls-microtransactions-from-star-wars-battlefront-ii-after-fan-backlash-1510936871
  8. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM
  9. ↑ https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/
  10. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf
  11. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080612-lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly.html
  12. ↑ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/
  13. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0
  14. ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20191230013406/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-americas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/
  16. ↑ https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html
  17. ↑ https://www.pcgamer.com/reddit-compiles-terrifying-list-of-games-affected-by-gamespy-shutdown/
  18. ↑ https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/17/ea-shuts-down-visceral-games/
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