Electronic Arts: Difference between revisions

*User privacy: questionable; uses kernel-level anti-cheat in many games,<ref>{{Cite web |last=SEgopher |date=Sep 15, 2022 |title=The insanity of EA's anti-cheat system by a Kernel Dev |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/xf1cwr/the_insanity_of_eas_anticheat_system_by_a_kernel/ |access-date=Jun 1, 2025 |website=[[Reddit]] |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250803140044/https://old.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/xf1cwr/the_insanity_of_eas_anticheat_system_by_a_kernel/ |archive-date=3 Aug 2025}}</ref> DRM abuse, considerations for advertisements in games.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hollister |first=Sean |date=May 10, 2024 |title=EA is prototyping in-game ads even as we speak |url=https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/10/24153809/ea-in-game-ads-redux |access-date=Jun 1, 2025 |work=The Verge |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260124074306/https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/10/24153809/ea-in-game-ads-redux |archive-date=24 Jan 2026}}</ref>

EA has [[EA releases source code of classic command and conquer titles|released the source code of older Command & Conquer games]] in 2025. However, the company continues to have a history of little to no consumer rights.

Multiple games published by EA in recent years have garnered 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, in order 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 through this lootbox system.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dingman |first=Hayden |date=10 Oct 2017 |title=How loot boxes are turning full-priced PC games into pay-to-win games of chance |url=https://www.pcworld.com/article/407482/loot-boxes-ruining-gaming.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=PCWorld |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260122024918/https://www.pcworld.com/article/407482/loot-boxes-ruining-gaming.html |archive-date=22 Jan 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Purchese |first=Robert |date=10 Oct 2017 |title=Star Wars Battlefront 2 has a loot crate problem |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/star-wars-battlefront-2-has-a-loot-crate-problem |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Robert Purchese |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113073209/https://www.eurogamer.net/star-wars-battlefront-2-has-a-loot-crate-problem |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahey |first=Rob |date=13 Oct 2017 |title=Thinking outside the loot box |url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/thinking-outside-the-loot-box |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Games Industry |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260206121255/https://www.gamesindustry.biz/thinking-outside-the-loot-box |archive-date=6 Feb 2026}}</ref> It was not until several weeks after the backlash that EA would tone down these lootboxes by changing loot pools.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Machkovech |first=Sam |date=1 Nov 2017 |title=Star Wars: Battlefront II changes its loot box plans… but is it enough? |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/star-wars-battlefront-ii-changes-its-loot-box-plans-but-is-it-enough/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113052311/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/star-wars-battlefront-ii-changes-its-loot-box-plans-but-is-it-enough/ |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=O'Connor |first=James |date=13 Oct 2017 |title=After beta controversy, DICE has better clarified the 'loot crate' and progression systems in Star Wars Battlefront 2 |url=https://www.vg247.com/after-beta-controversy-dice-has-better-clarified-the-loot-crate-system-in-the-final-version-of-star-wars-battlefront-2 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=VG247 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250905064209/https://www.vg247.com/after-beta-controversy-dice-has-better-clarified-the-loot-crate-system-in-the-final-version-of-star-wars-battlefront-2 |archive-date=5 Sep 2025}}</ref> Lootboxes remained within the title until ''[[Disney]]'' directly instructed EA to stop because of gambling concerns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Needleman |first=Sarah E. |last2=Fritz |first2=Ben |date=17 Nov 2017 |title=Electronic Arts Pulls Microtransactions From ‘Star Wars Battlefront II’ After Fan Backlash |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-arts-pulls-microtransactions-from-star-wars-battlefront-ii-after-fan-backlash-1510936871 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=The Wall Street Journal |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251228182703/https://www.wsj.com/articles/electronic-arts-pulls-microtransactions-from-star-wars-battlefront-ii-after-fan-backlash-1510936871 |archive-date=28 Dec 2025}}</ref> <!--Honestly deserving of an article considering the sheer insanity of EA here--><!--Concept section:

''Spore'' retains a historical 1.7+ million pirated copies,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Molina |first=Andres |date=21 Jun 2024 |title=How many times was Spore pirated? |url=https://www.ncesc.com/gaming-pedia/how-many-times-was-spore-pirated/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ncesc.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250414054642/https://www.ncesc.com/gaming-pedia/how-many-times-was-spore-pirated/ |archive-date=14 Apr 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Van der Sar |first=Ernesto |date=13 Sep 2008 |title=Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM |url=https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=TorrentFreak |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260130152354/https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/ |archive-date=30 Jan 2026}}</ref> directly related to EA's use of [[SecuROM]].<ref name=":0" /> In more recent years, ''Spore'''s server access was locked down to EA accounts,<ref name=":1">[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=582350678 How to Connect to Spore Servers (Steam/GOG/EA App)] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260109104720/https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=582350678 Archived])</ref> mostly because of free [[Steam]] key exploit. This has led to various problems for legitimate consumers who wanted to play the iconic game and its sibling ''Darkspore,'' since according to guides,<ref name=":1" /> users could only have a singular install of the game on any device, were required to have an EA account (see also [[Forced account]]) using an alphanumeric password, and needed a CD key to redeem on the user's EA account. ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260109104720/https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=582350678 Archived])<ref>[https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002333209-Spore-How-to-get-access-to-online-features?product=gog Spore - How to get access to online features] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20250802014736/https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002333209-Spore-How-to-get-access-to-online-features?product=gog Archived])</ref> This has brought concern among the community, leading to community-developed tools to circumvent these server problems.<ref>[https://sporecommunity.com/ Spore Community Hub] ([http://web.archive.org/web/20260105100840/https://sporecommunity.com/ Archived])</ref>

EA has implemented a change to the anti-cheat of several games after release including: EA SPORTS WRC, Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare 2, Battlefield 2042, Battlefield V, and Battlefield 1. This change breaks the ability to play the game, even after purchase, on older [[Windows]] versions and alternative operating systems to Windows including Linux and [[SteamOS]]. EA refuses to give you a refund for these games.

On 3 July, 2025, EA announced that the Anthem servers would be sunset on 12 January, 2026. Since the game was designed to require connection to the Anthem servers, the game would become unplayable following the shutdown of the servers. According to the terms of service that all consumers must agree to in order to play the game, this action by EA to revoke the purchase from the consumer is legal and permissible so long as 30 days notice was provided.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ELECTRONIC ARTS USER AGREEMENT |url=https://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260118092421/http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/ |archive-date=18 Jan 2026|access-date=2025-08-16 |website=tos.ea.com}}</ref>

In February 2025, EA worked with C&C community members to open source four Command & Conquer games under the GPLv3 license, in a move widely celebrated by the gaming community.<ref>{{Cite web |date=Feb 2025 |title=EA Open Sources Command and Conquer: Red Alert, along with other games |url=https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43197131 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=HackerNews |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250708165349/https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43197131 |archive-date=8 Jul 2025}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rudra |first=Sourav |date=28 Feb 2025 |title=Unbelievable! EA Open Sources 4 Command & Conquer Games |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/ea-open-source-cc-games/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=It's FOSS News |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250811112138/https://news.itsfoss.com/ea-open-source-cc-games/ |archive-date=11 Aug 2025}}</ref> Despite this good measure, the only content available to consumers via these repositories is exclusively the code, and the only way to compile the source code continues to require ownership of a copy of the respective Command & Conquer in order to supply any assets. If any entry in the series were to be delisted again, their respective source code repository is rendered moot for anyone who did not already hold a license.