Why did EA—the company originally founded with artistic aspirations—later 'go bad'?

On BioWare’s official news page, Anthem-related updates may forever end at February 24, 2021—the termination of the '2.0 Development Plan' serves as a metaphor for the game’s core theme: a god created an unfinished world, then vanished without a trace. Players condemned Anthem’s marketing campaign as a scam, and EA was once again branded 'the worst company in the industry.' Since acquiring BioWare, EA has repeatedly replaced personnel and leadership like the Ship of Theseus—gradually losing its original identity. Today, hearing 'EA' likely conjures images of countless defunct studios, shelved game franchises, and a ruthlessly profit-driven corporate image. Impeccably dressed executives never appear before players; everything is subordinated to maximizing profit. Yet revisiting EA’s origins might surprise many young people today. For Art In 1982, Trip Hawkins—then Apple’s Director of Computer Marketing—resigned to co-found a video game company with his college friends. During early planning, he proposed registering the company as 'Amazin’ Software,' but employees mocked the name as uninspiring. After consulting a PR firm, Hawkins settled on 'Electronic Arts'—a direct translation of 'electronic art,' reflecting their founding ambition: to treat games as art. At the time, few shared this view. Games were rarely taken seriously—neither commercially nor culturally—and public attention focused instead on productivity and educational software. EA, by contrast, showed no sign of mercenary pragmatism. Consider Atari in the late 1970s: CEO Ray Kassar viewed game developers as little more than assembly-line workers—comparable, at best, to designers of towel patterns—not artists at all. Consequently, Atari games bore no credits; several programmers demanding raises quit in protest and founded Activision. The ensuing rivalry indirectly triggered the 1983 North American video game crash—a story for another time. Back to EA: What was their stance? Hawkins believed that attracting the finest game developers would inevitably yield the finest games—both in creation and distribution. Studying Hollywood and publishing industries, he conceived the idea of 'software artists.' The company’s vision was to craft deeply engaging games for 28-year-olds—not, like others, simplistic titles aimed at 13-year-old students. How unconventional was early EA? Its office environment tells the story. Toys and collectibles cluttered desks and hallways; employees held Friday meetings over beer; some even smoked weed on the rooftop.

EA: A Versatile Powerhouse of the Gaming World

What comes to mind when you see these words together? An undisputed success story—wealthy, handsome, high-achieving! Think of today’s Apple: staying there long-term surely promises steady promotions and salary hikes—life’s golden ticket! Yet the protagonist of our story, Trip Hawkins, chose not to walk that safe, comfortable path. At age 27, he left Apple to pursue his passion for games. It was precisely his restless spirit and bold pursuit of dreams that gifted the world a gaming empire—Electronic Arts (EA). Since its founding in 1982, EA has grown at astonishing speed into one of the world’s largest game companies. Over its 35-year history, EA resembles a Pac-Man—constantly absorbing other studios, expanding relentlessly, and ultimately forging an unshakable gaming empire. Yet as the saying goes, 'What goes around comes around.' EA’s journey has hardly been smooth sailing. Its unchecked expansion and relentless profit-seeking gradually eroded player trust, worsening its reputation over time. Through thirty-five years of turbulence—moments of unparalleled glory and strategic missteps alike—we now invite you to explore EA’s evolution, and uncover the lesser-known stories behind this versatile powerhouse of the gaming world. 1982–1991: Ten Years of Accumulation, Building from Scratch Rewind to 1982, and we must first introduce Hawkins—a somewhat 'willful' young man. As noted earlier, though still young, he was already an undeniable success story. Yet upon witnessing the surging popularity of the electronic gaming market, his dormant passion for games reignited. He resigned from Apple in April—and by May, co-founded EA with college friends including Bing Gordon. For the company’s first six months, all funding came from Hawkins’ personal finances. Indeed, money truly does buy freedom. As founder and first CEO, Hawkins stepped down in 1991—but during those pre-IPO years, he and his team laid the essential groundwork for EA’s future triumphs. In talent policy, Hawkins cultivated a culture of 'learning through doing,' instituted regular promotion systems, fostered self-improvement among staff, and nurtured generations of outstanding professionals. In sales strategy, he pioneered an independent publishing model—uncommon at the time—by paying developers partial upfront fees in exchange for full rights to their games, establishing EA’s foundation as the world’s largest independent publisher. Moreover, Hawkins’ personal passion for sports and simulation games profoundly shaped EA’s subsequent dominance in those genres. During this era, EA released or published numerous titles—but its earliest three releases—Pinball Construction Set, Archon, and M.U.L.E.—not only earned the company its first $1.8 million, but also exerted lasting influence on its future content direction and collaborative practices.