Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American company that creates and sells video games. It is based in Redwood City, California. EA was started in May 1982 by Trip Hawkins, who once worked at Apple. The company helped shape the early home computer game industry and called the people who designed and programmed its games "software artists." Before 1987, EA published games and some productivity software made by outside individuals or groups. In 1987, EA released "Skate or Die!" and then began creating games internally, often by buying other companies, such as Distinctive Software, which became EA Canada in 1991.

In the 21st century, EA develops and publishes games from well-known series, including Army of Two, Battlefield, Command & Conquer, Dragon Age, Dead Space, Mass Effect, Medal of Honor, Need for Speed, Plants vs. Zombies, The Sims, Skate, SSX, and Star Wars. It also makes games for sports, such as College Football, Dirt Rally, FC–FIFA, Madden NFL, NASCAR, NBA Live, NHL, PGA, UFC, and WRC. Since 2022, EA’s computer games are available on its own platform, the EA App, which is a digital store for PCs and competes with platforms like Steam and the Epic Games Store. EA also owns and runs major game studios, including BioWare, Battlefield Studios (which includes Criterion Games, DICE, Motive Studio, and Ripple Effect Studios), and Respawn Entertainment.

In September 2025, EA announced plans to become a private company through a leveraged buyout. The Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners will buy EA for $55 billion, which includes $20 billion in debt and equity. If completed, this would be the largest leveraged buyout in history. The deal is expected to finish by June 2026, after getting approval from regulators and shareholders. A report in Brazil showed that PIF would own 93.4% of EA, Silver Lake would own 5.5%, and Affinity would own 1.1%.

History

Trip Hawkins worked at Apple Inc. from 1978. At that time, Apple had about 50 employees. Over the next four years, the market for home personal computers grew very quickly. By 1982, Apple completed its first public sale of company shares (called an IPO) and became a large and successful company with more than 1,000 employees. In February 1982, Hawkins met with Don Valentine of Sequoia Capital to talk about funding his new company, Amazin' Software. Valentine encouraged Hawkins to leave Apple, where he worked as Director of Product Marketing, and let him use Sequoia Capital's extra office space to start the company. On May 27, 1982, Hawkins officially created the company with a personal investment of about US$200,000.

For more than seven months, Hawkins worked on his business plan for Electronic Arts. With help from his first employee, Rich Melmon, who had also worked with him at Apple, Hawkins wrote the plan mostly on an Apple II computer in Sequoia Capital's office in August 1982. During this time, Hawkins also hired two former Apple employees, Dave Evans and Pat Marriott, as producers, and a Stanford MBA classmate, Jeff Burton from Atari, for international business development. The business plan was improved again in September and shared publicly on October 8, 1982. By November, the company had 11 employees, including Tim Mott, Bing Gordon, David Maynard, and Steve Hayes. After outgrowing the office space provided by Sequoia Capital, the company moved to a new office in San Mateo that overlooked the San Francisco Airport landing path.

When Hawkins created the company, he originally named it Amazin' Software. However, his early employees disliked the name, so the company changed its name to Electronic Arts in November 1982. Hawkins planned a meeting at the Pajaro Dunes, a location where the company had held similar meetings before. Hawkins had the idea of treating software as an art form and calling developers "software artists." The latest version of the business plan suggested the name "SoftArt." Hawkins and Melmon knew the founders of Software Arts, the creators of VisiCalc, and wanted their permission to use the name. Dan Bricklin did not want the name used because it sounded too similar to Software Arts. However, the name idea was still liked by others. Hawkins had recently read a popular book about the film studio United Artists and admired its reputation. He said everyone had a vote, but they would lose it if they fell asleep.

Hawkins liked the word "electronic," and employees had considered names like "Electronic Artists" and "Electronic Arts." When Gordon and others supported "Electronic Artists" as a tribute to United Artists, Steve Hayes disagreed, saying, "We're not the artists, they [the developers] are…" This comment shifted support toward "Electronic Arts," which was chosen unanimously later in 1982. Hawkins hired employees from Apple, Atari, Xerox PARC, and VisiCorp, and convinced Steve Wozniak to join the company's board of directors. Hawkins wanted to sell directly to buyers. This approach, combined with his focus on new game brands, made sales more difficult because retailers preferred known brands from existing partners. Larry Probst, a former CEO, joined as VP of Sales in late 1984 and helped grow the company. Selling directly to retailers gave EA higher profits and better visibility, advantages that helped the company outperform early competitors.

Promoting developers was a key part of EA's early strategy. Games were sold in square packages designed like album covers, such as those for 1983's M.U.L.E. and Pinball Construction Set. Hawkins believed this packaging would save costs and express an artistic feel. EA often called developers "artists" and gave them credit in games and full-page magazine ads. Their first ad, with the slogan "We see farther," was the first video game ad to feature software designers. EA shared large profits with developers, which helped build the company's reputation.

The Amiga will change the home computer industry. It is the first home computer with everything needed for entertainment, education, and productivity. The software we are making for the Amiga will be amazing. We believe the Amiga, with its powerful features, will help Electronic Arts and the entire industry grow.

In the mid-1980s, EA aggressively promoted products for the Amiga, a home computer introduced in 1985. Commodore, the company that made the Amiga, gave EA development tools and prototype machines before the Amiga's launch. EA published notable non-game titles for the Amiga, including Deluxe Paint (1985), which became a famous software program for the platform. Jerry Morrison, an EA employee, created the Interchange File Format, a way to store images, animations, sounds, and documents together that worked with other software. This format became a standard for the Amiga. Other Amiga programs from EA included Deluxe Music Construction Set, Instant Music, and Deluxe Paint Animation. Some of these, like Deluxe Paint, were later released on other platforms. For the Macintosh, EA created a black-and-white animation tool called Studio/1 and a series of painting tools called Studio/8 and Studio/32 (1990).

Relationships between EA and external developers sometimes became difficult when developers missed deadlines or did not follow EA's creative ideas. In 1987, EA released Skate or Die!, its first game made entirely by the company. EA continued to publish games from outside developers while testing its own development methods. This led to EA buying successful companies and creating annual versions of games to reduce costs. Because Trip Hawkins was very interested in making realistic sports games, he signed a contract with football coach John Madden, leading to the development of the annual Madden NFL games.

In 1988, EA released F/A-18 Interceptor, a flight simulator game for the Amiga with advanced graphics for the time. Another important Amiga game, Populous (1989), was made by Bullfrog Productions. It was one of the first games in the "god games" genre. In 1990, EA began making console games for the Nintendo Entertainment System, after previously allowing other companies to use its computer games on consoles.

On March 26, 1990, EA completed its first public sale of company shares at the NASDAQ stock exchange and became a publicly traded company with the symbol "ERTS," starting at a split-adjusted price of $0.52. The symbol was later changed to "EA" on December 20, 2011.

In 1991, Trip Hawkins left his role as EA's CEO and was replaced by Larry Probst. Hawkins later founded the now-defunct 3DO Company but remained EA's chairman until July 1994. In October 1993, 3DO created the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, which was the most powerful game console at the time. Once a critic of game consoles, Hawkins designed a console that did not require a first-party license to be sold and aimed to appeal to the

Games

Since 1983, Electronic Arts has published and created games, game collections, and some productivity software. The company released its first game, Skate or Die!, in 1987.

Company structure

As of April 2021, Electronic Arts' largest acquisition was the purchase of Glu Mobile for $2.4 billion. Out of the 39 companies Electronic Arts has acquired, 20 are located in the United States, 5 in the United Kingdom, 6 in Continental Europe, and 8 in other regions. Most of these companies and studios are no longer active, with some combined into other organizations. Of the six companies in which Electronic Arts owns a share, two are still active in the United States, while three others are no longer active. In 2004, Electronic Arts bought a 19.9% share in Ubisoft, a company based in France. By 2010, Electronic Arts sold a remaining 14.8% share in Ubisoft. As of June 2023, the company is divided into two main groups: EA Entertainment Technology & Central Development (also called EA Entertainment, previously EA Games) and EA Sports.

• BioWare in Edmonton, Canada; acquired in October 2007. BioWare Austin in Austin, Texas; acquired in October 2007.
• Battlefield Studios; established in 2024. Criterion Games in Guildford, England; acquired in August 2004. Criterion Cheshire in Cheshire, England. DICE in Stockholm, Sweden; acquired in October 2006. Frostbite Labs in Stockholm, Sweden and Vancouver, Canada; founded in May 2016. Motive Studio in Montreal, Canada; founded in July 2015. Motive Studio Vancouver in Burnaby, Canada; founded in June 2018. Ripple Effect Studios in Los Angeles, California; established in May 2013, previously a part of DICE called DICE Los Angeles, and later became an independent company named Ripple Effect Studios in 2021. Some employees were originally from Danger Close Games.
• EA Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; founded in September 2008.
• EA Galway in Galway, Ireland.
• EA Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden; founded in March 2011. From March 2011 to November 2012, the studio was called EA Gothenburg. From November 2012 to January 2020, the studio was called Ghost Games, then returned to its original name.
• EA Korea Studio in Seoul, South Korea; founded in 1998.
• EA Mobile in Los Angeles, California; founded in 2004. EA Capital Games in Sacramento, California; acquired in 2011. From 2011 to 2014, the studio was called BioWare Sacramento. EA Redwood Studios in Redwood City, California; founded in 2016. Firemonkeys Studios in Melbourne, Australia; acquired in July 2012. Glu Mobile in San Francisco, California; acquired in April 2021. PlayFirst in Delaware; acquired by Glu in September 2014. Playdemic in Manchester, England; acquired by Electronic Arts in June 2021 from WarnerMedia. Slingshot Games in Hyderabad, India. Tracktwenty Studios in Helsinki, Finland; founded in 2012.
• Full Circle in Vancouver, Canada; opened in 2021.
• Maxis in Redwood City, California; acquired in July 1997. Maxis Texas in Austin, Texas; opened in 2019 and working on a new project. Maxis Europe in multiple locations in Europe; opened in 2021.
• Pogo Studios in New York City; acquired in March 2001.
• PopCap Games in Seattle, Washington; acquired in July 2011. PopCap Shanghai in Shanghai, China; acquired in July 2011. PopCap Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India; acquired in July 2011.
• Respawn Entertainment in Sherman Oaks, California; acquired in December 2017. Respawn Vancouver; established in 2020 in Vancouver. Respawn Wisconsin; established in 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin.

• Codemasters in Southam, England; founded in October 1986, acquired by Electronic Arts in February 2021. Codemasters Birmingham in Birmingham, England. Codemasters Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
• EA Cologne in Cologne, Germany.
• EA Madrid in Madrid, Spain; founded in October 2018.
• EA Orlando in Orlando, Florida; acquired in April 1998.
• EA Romania in Bucharest, Romania; acquired in 2006.
• EA Vancouver in Burnaby, Canada; acquired in 1991.
• Metalhead Software in Victoria, British Columbia; acquired in May 2021.

• BioWare Montreal in Montreal, Canada; founded in March 2009, merged into Motive Studio in August 2017.
• BioWare San Francisco in San Francisco, California; founded as EA2D, renamed in August 2011, and closed in March 2013.
• Bullfrog Productions in Guildford, England; acquired in January 1995, closed in 2001.
• Cliffhanger Games in Seattle, Washington; led by Kevin Stephens, formerly vice-president of Monolith Productions, founded in May 2021, closed in May 2025.
• Codemasters Cheshire in Cheshire, England; merged with Criterion Games in May 2022.
• Danger Close Games in Los Angeles, California; acquired in February 2000, closed in June 2013.
• EA Baltimore in Baltimore, Maryland; founded in 1998, closed in 2002.
• EA Black Box in Burnaby, Canada; acquired in June 2002 as Black Box Games, later renamed EA Black Box, closed in April 2013.
• EA Bright Light in Guildford, England; founded in 1995 as EA UK, renamed in 2008, closed in October 2011.
• EA Chicago in Hoffman Estates, Illinois; founded in February 2011 as BioWare Victory, renamed in November 2012, closed in October 2013.
• EA Chicago in Hoffman Estates, Illinois; founded in 1998 as EA Redwood Shores, renamed in 2009, closed in October 2017.
• EA Chicago in Hoffman Estates, Illinois; founded in 1998 as EA Redwood Shores, renamed in 2009, closed in October 2017.
• EA Chicago in Hoffman Estates, Illinois; founded in 1998 as EA Redwood Shores, renamed in 2009, closed in October 2017.
• EA Chicago in Hoffman Estates, Illinois; founded in 1

Partnership and initiatives

EA Partners' co-publishing program was focused on publishing and distributing games created by outside developers. The program started as EA Distribution in 1997 and was led by Tom Frisina, who previously worked at Accolade and Three-Sixty. He helped those companies find third-party developers to support their publishing efforts. Frisina's early partners included Looking Glass Studios, MGM Interactive (which had the rights to the James Bond property), DreamWorks Interactive, and later DICE. In the last two cases, these studios were later bought by EA and became part of the EA DICE family. In 2003, EA's president, John Riccitiello, wanted to rename the EA Distribution label to attract more independent developers and increase revenue. The label was rebranded as EA Partners in 2003, but Riccitiello left EA the next year, which changed the program's direction.

Oddworld Inhabitants, which had signed with EA Partners for its next games, faced challenges because EA Partners was hesitant to support games it did not own the rights to and preferred to develop games internally. This changed in 2005 when EA and Valve signed a deal for EA Partners to distribute The Orange Box. This partnership showed EA Partners needed to be more flexible to handle different publishing opportunities. A similar shift happened when EA partnered with Harmonix to distribute Rock Band, which required close collaboration with MTV Games to create plastic instrument controllers for the games. Over the next few years, EA Partners formed partnerships with several studios, including Namco Bandai, Crytek, Starbreeze Studios, id Software, Epic Games, People Can Fly, Double Fine Productions, Grasshopper Manufacture, Spicy Horse, and Realtime Worlds. While many partnerships were successful, the program had two notable issues. First, it was linked to Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, developed by 38 Studios, which relied heavily on loans from Rhode Island's state funds. The game failed commercially, and EA Partners did not support a sequel, leaving 38 Studios unable to repay its loans. Second, The Secret World by Funcom initially used a subscription model but later switched to free-to-play to increase revenue, which also affected EA Partners.

In April 2013, EA announced a large layoff of 1,000 employees, and many reporters claimed EA Partners was being shut down due to poor performance. However, the program remained active as EA refocused its efforts. The label was inactive for several years, but in 2018, EA Partners and EA Originals were moved to the Strategic Growth group. In March 2019, EA Partners was revived with a publishing deal with Velan Studios, which released Knockout City under the EA Originals label.

Important publishing and distribution agreements include:
• Alice: Madness Returns – Spicy Horse
• APB – Realtime Worlds
• Brütal Legend – Double Fine Productions
• Bulletstorm – Epic Games
• Crysis series – Crytek
• DeathSpank – Hothead Games
• Fuse – Insomniac Games
• Hellgate: London – Flagship Studios
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning – 38 Studios, Big Huge Games
• Rock Band series – Harmonix, MTV Games
• The Secret World – Funcom
• Shadows of the Damned – Grasshopper Manufacture
• Shank series – Klei Entertainment
• Syndicate – Starbreeze Studios
• Warp – Trapdoor

EA Originals is a part of EA Partners that helps support independently developed video games. EA provides funding for development, and once the costs are recovered, all additional revenue goes to the studio that created the game. The studio also retains ownership of the intellectual property and has creative control over the project. The program was introduced at EA's 2016 E3 Conference and built on the success of Unravel by Coldwood Interactive in 2015. The first game supported by the program was Fe by Zoink, released in 2018. It was followed by A Way Out by Hazelight Studios, Unravel Two by Coldwood Interactive, and Sea of Solitude by Jo-Mei Games.

In 2019, during EA's EA Play event, EA announced three new titles. These included Lost in Random by Zoink and an unnamed project by Hazelight Studios. It was also announced that Glowmade would join the initiative with a game called RustHeart. In June 2020, Hazelight Studios' project was revealed as It Takes Two, which was released in 2021 and received high praise from critics.

In February 2023, Jeff Gamon, general manager of EA Partners, stated the label would invest in larger games, though the deals would be less generous than those for smaller projects. Gamon confirmed EA would continue supporting smaller and niche games. One such title, Wild Hearts, developed by Koei Tecmo's Omega Force, was released in 2023 under the Originals label. Immortals of Aveum was also released the same year.

In December 2023, EA announced Tales of Kenzera: Zau under the Originals label. In December 2024, EA announced Split Fiction under the Originals label, marking its third collaboration with Hazelight Studios.

Criticism and controversies

Since the mid-2010s, Electronic Arts has been involved in many controversies. These include the company's purchases of other businesses, accusations of unfair treatment of customers in its games, and lawsuits claiming EA acted unfairly to stop competition when signing contracts related to sports.