Electronic Arts: Difference between revisions

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*User freedom: limited; removed capability to play games on 32-bit systems via Origin, extensive abuse of DRM ([[SecuROM]], [[Denuvo]]), monopolization of game genres, orphaned content/game licenses, and more.

*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]]}}</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}}</ref>

*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]]}}</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>

*Business model: Game sales, [[microtransactions]], DLC, [[Non-fungible tokens|NFTs]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=Nov 3, 2021 |title=EA calls NFT and blockchain games 'the future of our industry' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-calls-nft-and-blockchain-games-the-future-of-our-industry/ |access-date=Jun 1, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}}</ref>

*Business model: Game sales, [[microtransactions]], DLC, [[Non-fungible tokens|NFTs]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=Nov 3, 2021 |title=EA calls NFT and blockchain games 'the future of our industry' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-calls-nft-and-blockchain-games-the-future-of-our-industry/ |access-date=Jun 1, 2025 |work=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260116010512/https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-calls-nft-and-blockchain-games-the-future-of-our-industry/ |archive-date=16 Jan 2026}}</ref>

*Market competition: Extensive; [[Nintendo]], [[Microsoft]]/[[Xbox]], [[Ubisoft]], [[Valve]]

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===Origin shutdown===

On April 17, 2025, EA shut down the 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 last option for 32-bit hardware owners to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have switched to 64-bit hardware, the discontinued support for 32-bit hardware signifies that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and others users of 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or play the games they have purchased, unless they upgrade to 64-bit hardware.

On April 17, 2025, EA shut down the 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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251121113702/https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down |archive-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref> which was the last option for 32-bit hardware owners to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have switched to 64-bit hardware, the discontinued support for 32-bit hardware signifies that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and others users of 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or play the games they have purchased, unless they upgrade to 64-bit hardware.

===Lootboxes===

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> <!--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 |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}}</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> <!--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.

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===DRM===

EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore (game)|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.x''

EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore (game)|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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251202160156/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/mass-effect-spore-to-use-recurring-validation/ |archive-date=2 Dec 2025}}</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.x''

===''Spore''===

{{Hatnote|Further reading: ''[[Spore (game)]]''}}

''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 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 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>

''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)]</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 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===

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 created an artificial monopoly over large genres and major IP 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>

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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251024210316/https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/ |archive-date=24 Oct 2025}}</ref> to the NFL, EA has created an artificial monopoly over large genres and major IP 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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251227210233/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/06/lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly/ |archive-date=27 Dec 2025}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208100019/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251221151143/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0 |archive-date=21 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money ([http://web.archive.org/web/20160507131507/http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money Archived])</ref>

===Buyouts and closures===

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>

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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251227051302/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html |archive-date=27 Dec 2025}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251213064431/https://www.pcgamer.com/reddit-compiles-terrifying-list-of-games-affected-by-gamespy-shutdown/ |archive-date=13 Dec 2025}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003042709/https://www.engadget.com/2017-10-17-ea-shuts-down-visceral-games.html |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref>

===Switching to in-house kernel-level anti-cheat after purchase===

Line 60:

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=https://archive.ph/dW0Zg |archive-date=21 Sep 2024 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=tos.ea.com}}</ref>

On 12 January, 2026, the servers were shut down to the dismay of many.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Kenneth |date=2026-01-13 |title=7 Years Later, BioWare's Anthem Is Dead But It'll Never Be Forgotten |url=https://kotaku.com/anthem-server-shutdown-final-hours-videos-clips-stream-2000659367 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Kotaku}}</ref>

On 12 January, 2026, the servers were shut down to the dismay of many.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Kenneth |date=2026-01-13 |title=7 Years Later, BioWare's Anthem Is Dead But It'll Never Be Forgotten |url=https://kotaku.com/anthem-server-shutdown-final-hours-videos-clips-stream-2000659367 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Kotaku |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260114200220/https://kotaku.com/anthem-server-shutdown-final-hours-videos-clips-stream-2000659367 |archive-date=14 Jan 2026}}</ref>

===Battlefield 6===

Line 70:

===Release of Command & Conquer source code (2025)===

{{Main|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>{{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> 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 Command & Conquer, meaning once users cannot purchase any Command & Conquer game, this source code repository is effectively useless.

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 |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 Command & Conquer, meaning once users cannot purchase any Command & Conquer game, this source code repository is effectively useless.

==References==

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 *User freedom: limited; removed capability to play games on 32-bit systems via Origin, extensive abuse of DRM ([[SecuROM]], [[Denuvo]]), monopolization of game genres, orphaned content/game licenses, and more.
-*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]]}}</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}}</ref>
+*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]]}}</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>
-*Business model: Game sales, [[microtransactions]], DLC, [[Non-fungible tokens|NFTs]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=Nov 3, 2021 |title=EA calls NFT and blockchain games 'the future of our industry' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-calls-nft-and-blockchain-games-the-future-of-our-industry/ |access-date=Jun 1, 2025 |work=PC Gamer}}</ref>
+*Business model: Game sales, [[microtransactions]], DLC, [[Non-fungible tokens|NFTs]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Colp |first=Tyler |date=Nov 3, 2021 |title=EA calls NFT and blockchain games 'the future of our industry' |url=https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-calls-nft-and-blockchain-games-the-future-of-our-industry/ |access-date=Jun 1, 2025 |work=PC Gamer |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260116010512/https://www.pcgamer.com/ea-calls-nft-and-blockchain-games-the-future-of-our-industry/ |archive-date=16 Jan 2026}}</ref>
 *Market competition: Extensive; [[Nintendo]], [[Microsoft]]/[[Xbox]], [[Ubisoft]], [[Valve]]
@@ Line 24: / Line 24: @@
 ===Origin shutdown===
-On April 17, 2025, EA shut down the 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 last option for 32-bit hardware owners to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have switched to 64-bit hardware, the discontinued support for 32-bit hardware signifies that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and others users of 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or play the games they have purchased, unless they upgrade to 64-bit hardware.
+On April 17, 2025, EA shut down the 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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251121113702/https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-sims-4/ea-origin-shut-down |archive-date=21 Nov 2025}}</ref> which was the last option for 32-bit hardware owners to run EA-published titles. While most consumers have switched to 64-bit hardware, the discontinued support for 32-bit hardware signifies that vintage enthusiasts, tech historians, and others users of 32-bit hardware are unable to either install or play the games they have purchased, unless they upgrade to 64-bit hardware.
 ===Lootboxes===
 {{Hatnote|See also: [[Microtransactions]]}}
-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:
+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}}</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.
@@ Line 38: / Line 38: @@
 ===DRM===
-EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore (game)|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.x'' <!-- Need to add more examples later here -->
+EA holds the record for most pirated game with the title ''[[Spore (game)|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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251202160156/https://www.escapistmagazine.com/mass-effect-spore-to-use-recurring-validation/ |archive-date=2 Dec 2025}}</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.x'' <!-- Need to add more examples later here -->
 ===''Spore''===
 {{Hatnote|Further reading: ''[[Spore (game)]]''}}<!-- 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>{{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 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 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>
+''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)]</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 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===
-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 created an artificial monopoly over large genres and major IP 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?-->
+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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251024210316/https://gamerant.com/ea-no-longer-star-wars-exclusive-publisher-lucasfilm-games-ubisoft-bethesda/ |archive-date=24 Oct 2025}}</ref> to the NFL, EA has created an artificial monopoly over large genres and major IP 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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251227210233/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2008/06/lawsuit-flags-ea-for-illegal-procedure-on-football-monopoly/ |archive-date=27 Dec 2025}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260208100019/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/06/ea-punts-gives-600k-to-former-football-star-in-madden-nfl-rights-flap/ |archive-date=8 Feb 2026}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251221151143/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/sports/ncaafootball/ea-sports-wont-make-college-video-game-in-2014.html?_r=0 |archive-date=21 Dec 2025}}</ref><ref>http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money ([http://web.archive.org/web/20160507131507/http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/dennis-dodd/23859858/ea-sports-settles-likeness-suits-thousands-of-current-former-players-eligible-for-money Archived])</ref><!--Diminishing quality section here?-->
 ===Buyouts and closures===
-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>
+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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251227051302/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2012-apr-04-la-fi-mo-electronic-arts-worst-company-consumerist-20120404-story.html |archive-date=27 Dec 2025}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251213064431/https://www.pcgamer.com/reddit-compiles-terrifying-list-of-games-affected-by-gamespy-shutdown/ |archive-date=13 Dec 2025}}</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 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251003042709/https://www.engadget.com/2017-10-17-ea-shuts-down-visceral-games.html |archive-date=3 Oct 2025}}</ref>
 ===Switching to in-house kernel-level anti-cheat after purchase===
@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 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=https://archive.ph/dW0Zg |archive-date=21 Sep 2024 |access-date=2025-08-16 |website=tos.ea.com}}</ref>
-On 12 January, 2026, the servers were shut down to the dismay of many.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Kenneth |date=2026-01-13 |title=7 Years Later, BioWare's Anthem Is Dead But It'll Never Be Forgotten |url=https://kotaku.com/anthem-server-shutdown-final-hours-videos-clips-stream-2000659367 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Kotaku}}</ref>
+On 12 January, 2026, the servers were shut down to the dismay of many.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last=Shepard |first=Kenneth |date=2026-01-13 |title=7 Years Later, BioWare's Anthem Is Dead But It'll Never Be Forgotten |url=https://kotaku.com/anthem-server-shutdown-final-hours-videos-clips-stream-2000659367 |url-status=live |access-date=2026-01-14 |website=Kotaku |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260114200220/https://kotaku.com/anthem-server-shutdown-final-hours-videos-clips-stream-2000659367 |archive-date=14 Jan 2026}}</ref>
 ===Battlefield 6===
@@ Line 70: / Line 70: @@
 ===Release of Command & Conquer source code (2025)===
 {{Main|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>{{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> 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 Command & Conquer, meaning once users cannot purchase any Command & Conquer game, this source code repository is effectively useless.
+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 |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 Command & Conquer, meaning once users cannot purchase any Command & Conquer game, this source code repository is effectively useless.
 ==References==
 <references />
 [[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]