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Greed Index

Who makes it · Developer and publisher

Electronic Arts

Based in Redwood City, California, United States Founded 1982

Electronic Arts is a large US video game publisher and developer behind EA Sports FC, Madden NFL, Apex Legends, Battlefield and The Sims. Most of its money comes from 'live services' such as extra in-game content and subscriptions rather than one-off game sales: in the year to March 2026 these brought in $5,383 million of its $7,531 million net revenue.

Track record CautionWorst badge: Penalties and ties
On the record 8dated events, each with a source
In the guide 5games it made or published

Track-record badges

What stands out, worst first

  • Loot-box action

    Loot-box enforcement

    Belgium's Gaming Commission found paid FIFA packs were gambling in 2018 and EA stopped selling FIFA Points there in 2019; a 2019 Dutch regulator order was revoked on appeal in 2022.
  • Crunch

    Crunch reports

    2005-2006: EA settled overtime class actions by artists ($15.6 million) and engineers ($14.9 million) amid reporting on long unpaid hours.
  • Large layoffs

    Large layoffs

    October 2026: EA announced the closure of BioWare amid about 400 reported job cuts; it had earlier disclosed cuts of about 6% of staff in March 2023 and about 5% in February 2024.
  • Shut down paid games

    Shut down games people paid for

    EA shut down the servers of online-only Anthem on 12 January 2026, after which the game could not be played.
  • Competition law

    Competition-law action

    Pecover v. Electronic Arts: EA paid $27 million under an antitrust class-action settlement over exclusive football licences, approved in May 2013.

Track record

What's on the record, newest first

  1. Labour

    Announced closure of BioWare amid about 400 job cuts

    EA said it would close BioWare, the studio behind Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and BioWare said early development on the next Mass Effect project was ending. Bloomberg reported that about 400 EA employees were being laid off.

    Shacknews
  2. Court case

    Brazilian first-instance court ordered R$20 million in loot-box damages, subject to appeal

    In public civil actions brought by the child-rights group ANCED, the 1st Children and Youth Court of Brazil's Federal District ordered Electronic Arts to pay R$20 million in collective moral damages over loot boxes, according to a technical note from Brazil's Ministry of Justice. The ministry listed Electronic Arts among the game developers and publishers ordered to pay; its note does not name the games involved. It is a first-instance ruling: the ministry said the rulings are still subject to appeal, so the case is pending.

    Brazil Ministry of Justice and Public Security (Technical Note 55/2026)
  3. Game preservation

    Announced shutdown of Anthem's servers, ending play for owners

    EA announced that it would shut down the servers for BioWare's online-only game Anthem (2019) on 12 January 2026 and stopped selling its premium currency the same day. EA said the game would no longer be playable after the shutdown because it was designed to be online-only and had no offline mode.

    Electronic Arts
  4. Regulator action

    Dutch gambling regulator ordered EA to stop selling FIFA packs; order later revoked

    The Netherlands Gambling Authority (Ksa) ordered EA to stop offering FIFA Ultimate Team packs without a gambling licence, under a penalty of €250,000 per week up to €5,000,000, and the District Court of The Hague upheld the order on 15 October 2020. On 9 March 2022 the Council of State, the highest administrative court, revoked the order, ruling that the packs were not a separate game of chance but part of a wider game. No penalty was upheld.

    Raad van State (Council of State, Netherlands)
  5. Regulator action

    Stopped selling FIFA Points in Belgium after gambling regulator's finding

    In April 2018 Belgium's Gaming Commission found that paid card packs in FIFA 18's Ultimate Team mode broke Belgian gambling law; EA said it disagreed. In January 2019 EA said that, after discussions with Belgian authorities, it would stop selling FIFA Points in Belgium by 31 January 2019, while stating that it did not agree with how the authorities had interpreted the law. Packs could still be earned through play.

    Electronic Arts
  6. Monetisation

    Switched off Star Wars Battlefront II purchases after player criticism of loot crates

    Hours before launch, EA and developer DICE turned off all in-game purchases in Star Wars Battlefront II after players objected that paid crates and crystals could speed up unlocking heroes and gameplay upgrades. When purchases returned in 2018, crates could no longer be bought and only cosmetic items were sold; gameplay items had to be earned by playing.

    Kotaku
  7. Court case

    Paid $27 million to settle antitrust class action over exclusive football licences

    A 2008 class action (Pecover v. Electronic Arts) alleged that EA obtained an illegal monopoly in American football games by winning exclusive licences from the NFL, the Collegiate Licensing Company and the Arena Football League; it covered buyers of Madden NFL, NCAA Football and Arena Football games after 2005. The parties settled, a federal court in California gave final approval in May 2013, and EA paid $27 million into a settlement fund.

    Electronic Arts (SEC Form 10-Q)
  8. Labour

    Settled overtime class actions brought by artists and engineers

    EA agreed to pay $15.6 million to settle a class action by computer graphic artists who said they had been wrongly classed as exempt from overtime pay, and reclassified about 200 entry-level staff as eligible for overtime. In May 2006 a California court gave preliminary approval to a $14.9 million settlement of a similar suit by engineers (Hasty v. Electronic Arts). The AP reported that EA was among game companies criticised for demanding long hours without extra pay.

    Associated Press (via NBC News)

Settlements are often made without an admission of wrongdoing; we say so where it matters. Follow each source for the full detail.

Games in the guide

What Electronic Arts made or published

Each game's money rating is its own: it comes from how that game makes money, not from the company's record.

Last checked 2 November 2026. Sources: www.ea.com, www.sec.gov, www.nbcnews.com, www.sec.gov, www.sec.gov, kotaku.com, www.ea.com, kotaku.com, www.ea.com, uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl, data.rechtspraak.nl, kotaku.com, www.ea.com, www.ea.com, www.ea.com, www.eurogamer.net, www.eurogamer.net, variety.com, www.sec.gov, www.sec.gov, shacknews.com, www.gov.br. Spotted something wrong or missing? Send a correction.