Redwood City
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. The company was established in 1982 by Trip Hawkins. EA is considered as one of the pioneers of the gaming industry.
EA is known for Battlefield, Need for Speed, The Sims, Medal of Honor, Command & Conquer, Dead Space, Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Army of Two, Apex Legends, and Star Wars. Furthermore, they are responsible for popular EA Sports series like FIFA, Madden NFL, NBA Live, NHL, PGA, and UFC series.
History
In the 1980s and 1990s, EA focused on publishing and developing popular sports simulation titles and games like "Madden NFL" and "FIFA." In 1991, they established EA Vancouver, a key development studio.
The late 1990s saw EA's expansion into new markets with acquisitions, including Maxis, known for "SimCity," and BioWare, famous for the "Mass Effect" and "Dragon Age" series.
In the 2000s, they acquired studios like DICE and Criterion Games and continued to dominate the sports game genre with titles like "NBA Live" and "NHL." They expanded into mobile gaming with the acquisition of Chillingo in 2010.
EA further solidified its presence in the gaming industry in the 2010s by acquiring popular franchises like "Star Wars" and game developers such as Respawn Entertainment. The company continued to diversify its portfolio and studios, including the establishment of Motive Studio and Full Circle.
Subsidiaries
Under the umbrella of EA Entertainment, the company has various studios and subsidiaries in different locations:
BioWare in Edmonton, Canada, was acquired in October 2007.
BioWare Austin in Austin, Texas, was acquired in October 2007.
Cliffhanger Games in Seattle, Washington, was founded in May 2021 and led by Kevin Stephens, formerly the vice president of Monolith Productions.
Criterion Games in Guildford, England, was acquired in August 2004.
Criterion Cheshire in Cheshire, England.
DICE in Stockholm, Sweden, was acquired in October 2006.
Frostbite Labs in Stockholm, Sweden, and Vancouver, Canada, was founded in May 2016.
EA Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was founded in September 2008.
EA Chillingo in Macclesfield, England, was acquired in October 2010, with reduced staff in 2017 mainly for mobile publishing support.
EA Galway in Galway, Ireland.
EA Korea Studio in Seoul, South Korea, was founded in 1998.
EA Mobile in Los Angeles, California, was founded in 2004.
EA Capital Games in Sacramento, California, was acquired in 2011. Previously known as BioWare Sacramento from 2011 to 2014.
EA Redwood Studios in Redwood City, California, was founded in 2016.
Firemonkeys Studios in Melbourne, Australia, was acquired in July 2012.
Glu Mobile in San Francisco, California, was acquired in April 2021.
Playdemic in Manchester, England, was acquired by EA in June 2021 from WarnerMedia.
Slingshot Games in Hyderabad, India.
Tracktwenty Studios in Helsinki, Finland, was founded in 2012.
Full Circle in Vancouver, Canada, which opened in 2021.
Maxis in Redwood City, California, was acquired in July 1997.
Maxis Texas in Austin, Texas, opened in 2019 and working on a new IP.
Maxis Europe in multiple locations in Europe, opened in 2021.
Motive Studio in Montreal, Canada, was founded in July 2015.
Motive Studio Vancouver in Burnaby, Canada, was founded in June 2018.
Pogo Studios in New York City, was acquired in March 2001.
PopCap Games in Seattle, Washington, was acquired in July 2011.
PopCap Shanghai in Shanghai, China, was acquired in July 2011.
PopCap Hyderabad in Hyderabad, India, was acquired in July 2011.
Respawn Entertainment in Sherman Oaks, California, was acquired in December 2017. Respawn Vancouver and Respawn Wisconsin were established in 2020 and 2023, respectively.
Ridgeline Games in Seattle, Washington, was founded in October 2021, led by Marcus Lehto, former creative director of Bungie.
Ripple Effect Studio in Los Angeles, California, established in May 2013, formerly a subsidiary of DICE called DICE Los Angeles. It became an independent company and was renamed in 2021.
Codemasters in Southam, England, founded in October 1986, and acquired by EA in February 2021.
Codemasters Birmingham in Birmingham, England.
Codemasters Kuala Lumpur in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Codemasters India in Pune, India.
Slightly Mad Studios in London, England, was founded in 2009, and acquired by Codemasters in November 2019.
EA Cologne in Cologne, Germany.
EA Gothenburg in Gothenburg, Sweden, was founded in March 2011, formerly named Ghost Games from November 2012 to January 2020.
EA Madrid in Madrid, Spain, founded in October 2018.
EA Orlando in Orlando, Florida, was acquired in April 1998.
EA Romania in Bucharest, Romania, was acquired in 2006.
EA Vancouver in Burnaby, Canada, was acquired in 1991.
Metalhead Software in Victoria, British Columbia, was acquired in May 2021.
Current employees
| Name | Position | Join Date |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Wilson | Chairman & CEO | 2000 |
| Stuart Canfield | EVP & Chief Financial Officer | 2003 |
| Laura Miele | President of EA Entertainment, Technology & Central Development | 1996 |
| David Tinson | EVP and Chief Experiences Officer | 2003 |
News
- 2023-08-17 Austria Orders EA to Pay for FIFA Ultimate Team Packs
- 2023-09-07 EA Reveals New Plan for Growth
- 2023-09-13 Project Rene Details Revealed
- 2023-09-14 Stig Asmussen Left EA
- 2023-09-26 SAG-AFTRA Members to Strike
- 2023-10-06 Apex Legends Global Series Year 4 Details Revealed
- 2023-10-11 Disney Might Acquire Electronic Arts
- 2023-11-02 EA Reveals Q2 Report
- 2023-11-08 Gaming Giants Faces Addiction Lawsuit
- 2023-11-30 Electronic Arts Partners with Skyesports
- 2023-12-05 EA to Lay off Codemasters Team
- 2024-02-27 EA Shuts Down EA Sports MLB Tap Sports and F1 Mobile Racing
- 2024-02-28 EA to Make New Battle Royale Title
- 2024-02-29 EA to Fire 5% of Employees
- 2024-03-20 Connie Booth Joins Electronic Arts
- 2024-04-02 College Football 25 Might Come Soon
- 2024-04-10 Motive Moves to Battlefield
- 2024-04-12 EA Play Price to Increase