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


== Consumer impact summary ==
==Consumer impact summary==
{{Placeholder box|Overview of concerns that arise from the company's conduct regarding (if applicable):
The company has been widely criticized for anti-consumer behavior, including:
* User Freedom
 
* User Privacy
* Forced obsolescence (cutting off 32-bit Origin support, blocking access to games players bought)
* Business Model
 
* Market Control}}
* Predatory monetization (sports game lootboxes and Star Wars Battlefront II, overpriced DLC)
* Restrictive DRM (SecuROM, Denuvo) that restricts game access and modding
* Exclusive licensing deals that lead to monopolies in sports genres
* Studio closures and buyouts resulting in orphaned franchises
 
Though EA did something right by open-sourcing older Command & Conquer games in 2025, its history of putting profits ahead of player experience continues to dismantle consumer trust.


==Incidents<!--Page to reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Electronic_Arts  Extra note: Incidents will be split into 2 sections: Standard incidents: self-explanatory Anti-consumer practices: practices that are in fact anti-consumer.-->==
==Incidents<!--Page to reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Electronic_Arts  Extra note: Incidents will be split into 2 sections: Standard incidents: self-explanatory Anti-consumer practices: practices that are in fact anti-consumer.-->==


===Origin shutdown===
===Origin shutdown===
On April 17, 2025, EA will shut down its 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 switched to using 64-bit hardware, the [[end-of-life]] 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.
On April 17, 2025, EA will shut down its Origin client,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nelson |first=Will |title=EA is ditching Origin, which means you could lose access to your games |url=https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=PCGamesN}}</ref> which was the final option for 32-bit hardware to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have already switched to using 64-bit hardware, the [[end-of-life]] 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===
{{Hatnote|See also: [[EA lootbox controversies]]}}
{{Hatnote|See also: [[EA lootbox controversies]]}}
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>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 by 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]] directly instructed EA to stop because of 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 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}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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}}</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.


Line 33: Line 38:


===DRM===
===DRM===
EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore]],'' which was directly because of EA's use of [[SecuROM]], and was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online [[digital rights management]] (DRM).<ref name=":0">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM</ref> Some releases of ''Mass Effect'' also used SecuROM, and would instill excessive limits, such as a three-install limit that both could not be refunded by uninstalling and could only be increased through customer-service calls, and a recurring-validation system that required that the game have its activation code run every 10 days.<ref>http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/83689-Mass-Effect-Spore-To-Use-Recurring-Validation</ref> While its use of SecuROM died off in the mid-2010s, the company merely switched to DRM that has been far worse for consumers, [[Denuvo]]. One significant EA title that has used this DRM is ''Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.'' <!-- Need to add more examples later here -->
EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore]],'' which was directly because of EA's use of [[SecuROM]], and was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online [[digital rights management]] (DRM).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Modern Vintage Gamer |date=25 Nov 2019 |title=SecuROM - The PC CD-ROM DRM that broke games {{!}} MVG |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8ltfyqD3lM |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Some releases of ''Mass Effect'' also used SecuROM, and would instill excessive limits, such as a three-install limit that both could not be refunded by uninstalling and could only be increased through customer-service calls, and a recurring-validation system that required that the game have its activation code run every 10 days.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chalk |first=Andy |date=8 May 2008 |title=Mass Effect, Spore To Use Recurring Validation |url=https://www.escapistmagazine.com/Mass-Effect-Spore-To-Use-Recurring-Validation/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=The Escapist}}</ref> While its use of SecuROM died off in the mid-2010s, the company merely switched to DRM that has been far worse for consumers, [[Denuvo]]. One significant EA title that has used this DRM is ''Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.'' <!-- Need to add more examples later here -->


===''Spore''===
===''Spore''===
{{Hatnote|Further reading: ''[[Spore]]''}}<!-- I believe there is far more controversy to document inside a dedicated article. I also recommend mentioning Darkspore and Spore Adventures, since both of these are directly affected by what EA does with Spore itself. -->
{{Hatnote|Further reading: ''[[Spore]]''}}<!-- I believe there is far more controversy to document inside a dedicated article. I also recommend mentioning Darkspore and Spore Adventures, since both of these are directly affected by what EA does with Spore itself. -->
''Spore'' retains a historical 1.7+ million pirated copies,<ref>https://www.ncesc.com/gaming-pedia/how-many-times-was-spore-pirated/</ref><ref>https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/</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</ref> mostly thanks to a free [[Steam]] key exploit. This has led to various problems for legitimate consumers who merely 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 using an alphanumeric password, and needed a CD key to redeem on the user's EA account.<ref>https://support.gog.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002333209-Spore-How-to-get-access-to-online-features?product=gog</ref> This has brought concern among the community, leading to community-developed tools to circumvent these server problems.<ref>https://sporecommunity.com/</ref>
''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}}</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}}</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)]</ref> mostly thanks to a free [[Steam]] key exploit. This has led to various problems for legitimate consumers who merely 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 using an alphanumeric password, and needed a CD key to redeem on the user's EA account.<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]</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]</ref>


===License exclusivity===
===License exclusivity===
With various [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]], 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 its way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Its exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL and NFL, has resulted in an antitrust lawsuit against it.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf</ref> This lawsuit ended in a $600K settlement, but did not resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusive 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> NCAA players brought additional lawsuits against EA, alleging that it was not authorized to use their likeness in its games. These suits were also settled out of court.<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 [[Intellectual property|intellectual properties]], from ''Star Wars''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dolen |first=Rob |date=15 Jan 2021 |title=EA No Longer Has Exclusive Rights to Star Wars, But Is It Too Late? |url=https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Game Rant}}</ref> to the NFL, EA has forced its way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Its exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL and NFL, has resulted in an antitrust lawsuit against it.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf</ref> This lawsuit ended in a $600K settlement, but did not resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusive deals.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kuchera |first=Ben |date=13 Jun 2008 |title=Lawsuit flags EA for illegal procedure on football monopoly |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/06/lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Kravets |first=David |date=28 Jun 2016 |title=EA punts, gives $600k to former football star in Madden NFL rights flap |url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=ArsTechnica}}</ref> NCAA players brought additional lawsuits against EA, alleging that it was not authorized to use their likeness in its games. These suits were also settled out of court.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Eder |first=Steve |date=26 Sep 2016 |title=E.A. Sports Settles Lawsuit With College Athletes |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0 |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=The New York Times}}</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, which pioneered the RTS genre with the ''Command & Conquer'' series, was shut down about five years after its purchase by EA, and its notable franchise was left abandoned years later, with 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 its habit of buying and closing studios has thinned since 2008, it similarly closed Visceral Games, the developer of ''Dead Space,'' in 2017.<ref>https://www.engadget.com/2017/10/17/ea-shuts-down-visceral-games/</ref>
In order for EA to hold its high position, it has been known to buy out its competition.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stebbins |first=Samuel |last2=Comen |first2=Evan |last3=Sauter |first3=Michael B. |last4=Stockdale |first4=Charles |date=1 Feb 2018 |title=Bad reputation: America’s Top 20 most-hated companies |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2018/02/01/bad-reputation-americas-top-20-most-hated-companies/1058718001/ |url-status=deviated |archive-url=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/ |archive-date=30 Dec 2019 |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Usa Today}}</ref> Often, this has led to the detriment of the companies they buy out,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hsu |first=Tiffany |date=4 Apr 2012 |title=Electronic Arts: ‘Worst company in America’? Consumerist says yes |url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> and by extension, the media which they release. A historical example, Westwood Studios, which pioneered the RTS genre with the ''Command & Conquer'' series, was shut down about five years after its purchase by EA, and its notable franchise was left abandoned years later, with entries either delisted or broken after GameSpy-based DRM were broken circa 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maiberg |first=Emanuel |date=8 Apr 2014 |title=Reddit compiles terrifying list of games affected by GameSpy shutdown |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/reddit-compiles-terrifying-list-of-games-affected-by-gamespy-shutdown/ |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=PCGamer}}</ref> While its habit of buying and closing studios has thinned since 2008, it similarly closed Visceral Games, the developer of ''Dead Space,'' in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fingas |first=Jon |date=18 Oct 2017 |title=EA shuts down the studio behind 'Dead Space' |url=https://www.engadget.com/2017-10-17-ea-shuts-down-visceral-games.html |url-status=live |access-date=31 Mar 2025 |website=endgadget}}</ref>


==Positive incidents==
==Positive incidents==
Line 49: Line 54:
===Release of Command & Conquer source code (2025)===
===Release of Command & Conquer source code (2025)===
{{Hatnote|Main article: [[EA releases source code of classic command and conquer titles]]}}
{{Hatnote|Main article: [[EA releases source code of classic command and conquer titles]]}}
In February 2025, EA worked with C&C community members to open source four Command & Conquer games under the GPL license, in a move widely celebrated by the gaming community.<ref>https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43197131</ref><ref>https://news.itsfoss.com/ea-open-source-cc-games/</ref>
In February 2025, EA worked with C&C community members to open source four Command & Conquer games under the GPL 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}}</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}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
<references />
<references />
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Revision as of 20:15, 31 March 2025

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

Electronic Arts (EA) is a former video-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 its EA Sports division (Madden, FIFA, etc.), and its Battlefield series.

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

Consumer impact summary

The company has been widely criticized for anti-consumer behavior, including:

  • Forced obsolescence (cutting off 32-bit Origin support, blocking access to games players bought)
  • Predatory monetization (sports game lootboxes and Star Wars Battlefront II, overpriced DLC)
  • Restrictive DRM (SecuROM, Denuvo) that restricts game access and modding
  • Exclusive licensing deals that lead to monopolies in sports genres
  • Studio closures and buyouts resulting in orphaned franchises

Though EA did something right by open-sourcing older Command & Conquer games in 2025, its history of putting profits ahead of player experience continues to dismantle consumer trust.

Incidents

Origin shutdown

On April 17, 2025, EA will shut down its Origin client,[1] which was the final option for 32-bit hardware to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have already switched to using 64-bit hardware, the end-of-life 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 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.[2][3][4] It was not until several weeks after the backlash that EA would tone down these lootboxes by changing loot pools.[5][6] Lootboxes remained within the title until Disney directly instructed EA to stop because of gambling concerns.[7]

DRM

EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title Spore, which was directly because of EA's use of SecuROM, and was one of the earlier known titles to introduce always-online digital rights management (DRM).[8] Some releases of Mass Effect also used SecuROM, and would instill excessive limits, such as a three-install limit that both could not be refunded by uninstalling and could only be increased through customer-service calls, and a recurring-validation system that required that the game have its activation code run every 10 days.[9] While its use of SecuROM died off in the mid-2010s, the company merely switched to DRM that has been far worse for consumers, Denuvo. One significant EA title that has used this DRM is Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.

Spore

Further reading: Spore

Spore retains a historical 1.7+ million pirated copies,[10][11] directly related to EA's use of SecuROM.[8] In more recent years, Spore's server access was locked down to EA accounts,[12] mostly thanks to a free Steam key exploit. This has led to various problems for legitimate consumers who merely wanted to play the iconic game and its sibling Darkspore, since according to guides,[12] users could only have a singular install of the game on any device, were required to have an EA account using an alphanumeric password, and needed a CD key to redeem on the user's EA account.[13] This has brought concern among the community, leading to community-developed tools to circumvent these server problems.[14]

License exclusivity

With various intellectual properties, from Star Wars[15] to the NFL, EA has forced its way into holding what is essentially an artificial monopoly over large genres of the industry. Its exclusive licenses with various football organizations, such as the AFL and NFL, has resulted in an antitrust lawsuit against it.[16] This lawsuit ended in a $600K settlement, but did not resolve the primary problems caused by EA's exclusive deals.[17][18] NCAA players brought additional lawsuits against EA, alleging that it was not authorized to use their likeness in its games. These suits were also settled out of court.[19][20]

Buyouts and closures

In order for EA to hold its high position, it has been known to buy out its competition.[21] Often, this has led to the detriment of the companies they buy out,[22] and by extension, the media which they release. A historical example, Westwood Studios, which pioneered the RTS genre with the Command & Conquer series, was shut down about five years after its purchase by EA, and its notable franchise was left abandoned years later, with entries either delisted or broken after GameSpy-based DRM were broken circa 2014.[23] While its habit of buying and closing studios has thinned since 2008, it similarly closed Visceral Games, the developer of Dead Space, in 2017.[24]

Positive incidents

Release of Command & Conquer source code (2025)

Main article: EA releases source code of classic command and conquer titles

In February 2025, EA worked with C&C community members to open source four Command & Conquer games under the GPL license, in a move widely celebrated by the gaming community.[25][26]

References

  1. ↑ Nelson, Will. "EA is ditching Origin, which means you could lose access to your games". PCGamesN. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ Dingman, Hayden (10 Oct 2017). "How loot boxes are turning full-priced PC games into pay-to-win games of chance". PCWorld. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Purchese, Robert (10 Oct 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 has a loot crate problem". Robert Purchese. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ Fahey, Rob (13 Oct 2017). "Thinking outside the loot box". Games Industry. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ↑ Machkovech, Sam (1 Nov 2017). "Star Wars: Battlefront II changes its loot box plans… but is it enough?". ArsTechnica. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ↑ O'Connor, James (13 Oct 2017). "After beta controversy, DICE has better clarified the 'loot crate' and progression systems in Star Wars Battlefront 2". VG247. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ Needleman, Sarah E.; Fritz, Ben (17 Nov 2017). "Electronic Arts Pulls Microtransactions From 'Star Wars Battlefront II' After Fan Backlash". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Modern Vintage Gamer (25 Nov 2019). "SecuROM - The PC CD-ROM DRM that broke games | MVG". YouTube. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ↑ Chalk, Andy (8 May 2008). "Mass Effect, Spore To Use Recurring Validation". The Escapist. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ↑ Molina, Andres (21 Jun 2024). "How many times was Spore pirated?". ncesc.com. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ Van der Sar, Ernesto (13 Sep 2008). "Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM". TorrentFreak. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 How to Connect to Spore Servers (Steam/GOG/EA App)
  13. ↑ Spore - How to get access to online features
  14. ↑ Spore Community Hub
  15. ↑ Dolen, Rob (15 Jan 2021). "EA No Longer Has Exclusive Rights to Star Wars, But Is It Too Late?". Game Rant. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110510050257/http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_documents/0611_nfl_ea_wm.pdf
  17. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (13 Jun 2008). "Lawsuit flags EA for illegal procedure on football monopoly". ArsTechnica. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  18. ↑ Kravets, David (28 Jun 2016). "EA punts, gives $600k to former football star in Madden NFL rights flap". ArsTechnica. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ↑ Eder, Steve (26 Sep 2016). "E.A. Sports Settles Lawsuit With College Athletes". The New York Times. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ↑ http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money
  21. ↑ Stebbins, Samuel; Comen, Evan; Sauter, Michael B.; Stockdale, Charles (1 Feb 2018). "Bad reputation: America's Top 20 most-hated companies". Usa Today. Archived from the original on 30 Dec 2019. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.
  22. ↑ Hsu, Tiffany (4 Apr 2012). "Electronic Arts: 'Worst company in America'? Consumerist says yes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ↑ Maiberg, Emanuel (8 Apr 2014). "Reddit compiles terrifying list of games affected by GameSpy shutdown". PCGamer. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ↑ Fingas, Jon (18 Oct 2017). "EA shuts down the studio behind 'Dead Space'". endgadget. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ↑ "EA Open Sources Command and Conquer: Red Alert, along with other games". HackerNews. Feb 2025. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  26. ↑ Rudra, Sourav (28 Feb 2025). "Unbelievable! EA Open Sources 4 Command & Conquer Games". It's FOSS News. Retrieved 31 Mar 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
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