Difference between revisions of "Electronic Arts"

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{{Company
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{{CompanyBob
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| logo=Ealogo.svg
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| logo=EA2020.svg
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| width=300
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| founded=1982-05-28
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| founded=May 28, 1982
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| defunct=
 
| tseries=T-50
 
| tseries=T-50
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| headquarters= Redwood City, California
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| headquarters=[[wikipedia:San Mateo, California|1450 Fashion Island Blvd., San Mateo, California 94404, United States]]{{magref|egrn|8|26}}
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| headquarters2=[[wikipedia:Redwood City, California|209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City, California 94062, United States]]{{fileref|E32001 Directory.pdf|page=83}}
 
}}
 
}}
 +
'''Electronic Arts''' (エレクトロニック・アーツ), also known as '''EA''', is an American video game developer, publisher, and distributor.
  
−
'''Electronic Arts''' (EA) is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible for its games. Originally, EA was a home computing game publisher. In the late 1980s, the company began developing games in-house and supported consoles by the early 1990s. EA later grew via acquisition of several successful developers. By the early 2000s, EA had become one of the world's largest third-party publishers. EA's refusal to support the [[Dreamcast]] in favor of preparing titles for the [[PlayStation 2]] is seen by some as a contributing factor to the console's failure.
+
==History==
 +
Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible for its games. Originally, EA was a home computing game publisher, however in the late 1980s, the company began developing games in-house and began to support consoles by the early 1990s. EA later grew via acquisition of several successful developers, and by the early 2000s, EA had become one of the world's largest third-party publishers.
  
−
At the 2011 Tokyo Game Show, Sega announced it would be partnering with EA to release ''FIFA 12 World Class Soccer'', ''Battlefield 3'', ''Shadow of the Damned'', ''The Sims 3 Pets'', ''Need for Speed: The Run'', ''Mass Effect 3'', and ''SSX'' in Japan, making this the first time EA worked with Sega since the Saturn (with the exception of [[NASCAR Arcade|one 2000 game]]).
+
Electronic Arts is one of the most significant third-party publishers for [[Sega]] consoles - the [[Sega Mega Drive]] being EA's main console of choice for the first half of the 1990s. Initially EA had planned to avoid direct contact with Sega{{magref|vgce|19|82}}, reverse-engineering the Mega Drive which later formed a barganing chip for securing a better deal for EA as a third-party developer than rival firms. EA would go on to make huge gains on consoles, particularly when it came to sports games (starting with ''[[John Madden Football]]'' in 1990), and supported the Mega Drive until 1997 - well after others had abandoned the system.
  
−
==Softography==
+
Success in the sports genre led to EA establishing a sub-brand, "Electronic Arts Sports Network" in 1991, which would adorn most of its sports games until 1993. However, similarities in the name caught the eye of US sports television channel [[wikipedia:ESPN|ESPN]], who sued EA for trademark infringement. The two parties settled out of court, with EA renaming its brand "EA Sports" and ESPN giving advertising space for EA Sports games. Curiously EA and ESPN would sign a 15-year deal in 2005 allowing for ESPN graphics to appear in EA Sports games (with ESPN having previously worked with [[Sega]] in its ''2K'' series of sports titles).
−
{{Multicol|
 
−
===[[Mega Drive]]===
 
−
* ''[[Populous]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Battle Squadron]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Budokan: The Martial Spirit]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[John Madden Football]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Lakers versus Celtics and the NBA Playoffs]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Sword of Sodan]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[Will Harvey's Zany Golf]]'' (1990)
 
−
* ''[[688 Attack Sub]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Blockout]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Bulls vs Lakers and the NBA Playoffs]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Centurion: Defender of Rome]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Dark Castle]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[F-22 Interceptor]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[The Faery Tale Adventure]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[The Immortal]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[James Pond: Underwater Agent]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[James Pond II: Codename RoboCod]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[John Madden Football '92]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[The Killing Game Show]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[King's Bounty]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[M-1 Abrams Battle Tank]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Marble Madness]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Might and Magic: Gates to Another World]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[NHL Hockey]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[PGA Tour Golf]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Rings of Power]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Road Rash]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Shadow of the Beast]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Starflight]]'' (1991)
 
−
* ''[[Crüe Ball]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[John Madden Football '93]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[John Madden Football '93: Championship Edition]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Jordan vs Bird]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[The Legend of Galahad]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[LHX Attack Chopper]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Lotus Turbo Challenge]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[NHLPA Hockey '93]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[PGA Tour Golf II]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Power Monger]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Risky Woods]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Road Rash II]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Rolo to the Rescue]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Shadow of the Beast II]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Team USA Basketball]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego?]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Aquatic Games starring James Pond]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[B.O.B.]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Bill Walsh College Football]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Blades of Vengeance]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Bulls versus Blazers and the NBA Playoffs]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[F-117 Night Storm]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA International Soccer]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Haunting Starring Polterguy]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[James Pond 3: Operation Starfish]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Jungle Strike|Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Lotus II: RECS]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL '94]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Mutant League Football]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[NHL '94]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Super Baseball 2020]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[TechnoClash]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Tony La Russa Baseball]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Virtual Pinball]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Zool: Ninja of the "Nth" Dimension]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Bill Walsh College Football 95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Elitserien 95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[General Chaos]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[IMG International Tour Tennis]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL '95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Mario Andretti Racing]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[MLBPA Baseball]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Mutant League Hockey]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Live 95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Showdown]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Normy's Beach Babe-O-Rama]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[PGA European Tour]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[PGA Tour Golf III]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Rugby World Cup 95]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Sesame Street: Counting Cafe]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Shaq Fu]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Skitchin']]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Syndicate]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Urban Strike|Urban Strike: The Sequel to Jungle Strike]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Australian Rugby League]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Coach K College Basketball]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[College Football USA 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Elitserien 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[La Russa Baseball '95]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Live 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[PGA Tour 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Road Rash 3: Tour De Force]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Theme Park]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Toughman Contest]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Triple Play 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[College Football USA 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Live 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 97 (Mega Drive)|NHL 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Triple Play: Gold Edition]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Road to World Cup 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Live 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 98 (Mega Drive)|NHL 98]]'' (1997)
 
  
−
===[[Master System]]===
+
EA supported the [[Sega Saturn]], but its refusal to support the [[Dreamcast]] in favor of preparing titles for the [[PlayStation 2]] is seen by some as a contributing factor to the console's failure. At the 2011 Tokyo Game Show, Sega announced it would be partnering with EA to release ''FIFA 12 World Class Soccer'', ''Battlefield 3'', ''Shadow of the Damned'', ''The Sims 3 Pets'', ''Need for Speed: The Run'', ''Mass Effect 3'', and ''SSX'' in Japan, making this the first time EA worked with Sega since the Saturn (with the exception of [[NASCAR Arcade|one 2000 game]]).
−
* ''[[Championship Hockey]]'' (1992)
 
−
* ''[[Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[Road Rash]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA International Soccer]]'' (1996)
 
  
−
===[[Game Gear]]===
+
==Packaging==
−
* ''[[Championship Hockey]]'' (1992)
+
[[File:EA cartridge VS default European cartridge.png|thumb|280px|]]
−
* ''[[Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf]]'' (1993)
+
Electronic Arts are unusual in that they produced their own Mega Drive cartridges, boxes and manuals from factories in Taiwan and Puerto Rico (on a much greater scale than the likes of [[Accolade]] and [[Codemasters]] who also took manufacturing into their own hands). EA originally packaged its North American games in cardboard boxes, moving to the "standard" clamshell design in 1991. In Europe it began with much larger and "stickier" clamshell designs before conforming with its rivals around the same period. EA cartridges, however, never changed, being taller, less larger (fitting on any region of the system) and iconically having square with a yellow "tab" on the left hand side (colours varied in Japan) which serves no practical purpose.
−
* ''[[Road Rash]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA International Soccer]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[PGA Tour Golf]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 96]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Jungle Strike|Jungle Strike: The Sequel to Desert Strike]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL '95]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[MLBPA Baseball]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 95]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[PGA Tour Golf II]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Shaq Fu]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Urban Strike|Urban Strike: The Sequel to Jungle Strike]]'' (1995)
 
  
−
===[[Mega CD]]===
+
EA's Saturn PAL games also differ from their competitors, opting for larger clamshell packaging while others were forced to deal with Sega's cardboard/plastic hybrid solution.
−
* ''[[Bill Walsh College Football]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[NHL '94]]'' (1993)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA International Soccer: Championship Edition]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Power Monger]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Wing Commander]]'' (1994)
 
−
* ''[[Road Rash]]'' (1995)
 
  
−
===[[32X]]===
+
==Magazine articles==
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 96]]'' (1995)
+
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
−
* ''[[Toughman Contest]]'' (1995)
 
  
−
===[[Sega Saturn]]===
+
==Softography==
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 96]]'' (1995)
+
{{CompanyHistoryAll|Electronic Arts}}
−
* ''[[Theme Park]]'' (1995)
 
−
* ''[[Andretti Racing]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Soccer 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Hi-Octane]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Magic Carpet]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Live 97]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[The Need for Speed]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Road Rash]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Senryaku Shogi]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Shockwave Assault]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels]]'' (1996)
 
−
* ''[[Battle Stations]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Croc: Legend of the Gobbos]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Crusader: No Remorse]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Darklight Conflict]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Die Hard Trilogy]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[FIFA Road to World Cup 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Independence Day]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Madden NFL 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[NASCAR 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 97 (Saturn)|NHL 97]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Rabbit]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Soukyugurentai]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Soviet Strike]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Warcraft II: The Dark Saga]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[NHL 98 (Saturn)|NHL 98]]'' (1997)
 
−
* ''[[Battle Garegga]]'' (1998)
 
−
* ''[[NBA Live 98]]'' (1998)
 
  
−
===[[Hikaru]]===
+
==Gallery==
−
* ''[[NASCAR Arcade]]'' (2000)
+
<gallery>
−
|cols=3
+
EA logo older.svg|Original logo
−
}}
+
Ealogo.svg|Logo used from 2000 to 2020
 +
EASN logo.png|Electronic Arts Sports Network logo
 +
EASports logo 1993.svg|EA Sports logo (1993)
 +
</gallery>
  
−
[[Category:Third-Party Development Companies]]
+
==References==
 +
{{NECRetro}}
 +
<references />

Latest revision as of 06:23, 14 April 2024

Electronic Arts (エレクトロニック・アーツ), also known as EA, is an American video game developer, publisher, and distributor.

History

Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible for its games. Originally, EA was a home computing game publisher, however in the late 1980s, the company began developing games in-house and began to support consoles by the early 1990s. EA later grew via acquisition of several successful developers, and by the early 2000s, EA had become one of the world's largest third-party publishers.

Electronic Arts is one of the most significant third-party publishers for Sega consoles - the Sega Mega Drive being EA's main console of choice for the first half of the 1990s. Initially EA had planned to avoid direct contact with Sega[3], reverse-engineering the Mega Drive which later formed a barganing chip for securing a better deal for EA as a third-party developer than rival firms. EA would go on to make huge gains on consoles, particularly when it came to sports games (starting with John Madden Football in 1990), and supported the Mega Drive until 1997 - well after others had abandoned the system.

Success in the sports genre led to EA establishing a sub-brand, "Electronic Arts Sports Network" in 1991, which would adorn most of its sports games until 1993. However, similarities in the name caught the eye of US sports television channel ESPN, who sued EA for trademark infringement. The two parties settled out of court, with EA renaming its brand "EA Sports" and ESPN giving advertising space for EA Sports games. Curiously EA and ESPN would sign a 15-year deal in 2005 allowing for ESPN graphics to appear in EA Sports games (with ESPN having previously worked with Sega in its 2K series of sports titles).

EA supported the Sega Saturn, but its refusal to support the Dreamcast in favor of preparing titles for the PlayStation 2 is seen by some as a contributing factor to the console's failure. At the 2011 Tokyo Game Show, Sega announced it would be partnering with EA to release FIFA 12 World Class Soccer, Battlefield 3, Shadow of the Damned, The Sims 3 Pets, Need for Speed: The Run, Mass Effect 3, and SSX in Japan, making this the first time EA worked with Sega since the Saturn (with the exception of one 2000 game).

Packaging

EA cartridge VS default European cartridge.png

Electronic Arts are unusual in that they produced their own Mega Drive cartridges, boxes and manuals from factories in Taiwan and Puerto Rico (on a much greater scale than the likes of Accolade and Codemasters who also took manufacturing into their own hands). EA originally packaged its North American games in cardboard boxes, moving to the "standard" clamshell design in 1991. In Europe it began with much larger and "stickier" clamshell designs before conforming with its rivals around the same period. EA cartridges, however, never changed, being taller, less larger (fitting on any region of the system) and iconically having square with a yellow "tab" on the left hand side (colours varied in Japan) which serves no practical purpose.

EA's Saturn PAL games also differ from their competitors, opting for larger clamshell packaging while others were forced to deal with Sega's cardboard/plastic hybrid solution.

Magazine articles

Main article: Electronic Arts/Magazine articles.

Softography

Hikaru

Master System

Mega Drive

Game Gear

Mega-CD

32X

Saturn

Dreamcast

IBM PC

GameCube

Gallery

  • Original logo

  • Logo used from 2000 to 2020

  • Electronic Arts Sports Network logo

  • EA Sports logo (1993)

References

Necretro-round.svg
NEC Retro has more information related to Electronic Arts
  1. ↑ Electronic Gaming Retail News, "January 1992" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 26
  2. ↑ E3 2001 Directory, page 83
  3. ↑ VideoGames & Computer Entertainment, "August 1990" (US; 1990-0x-xx), page 82
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