Bullfrog Productions, game featured: Populous, acquired by EA in 1995
Maxis, game featured: Sim City 2000, acquired by EA in 1997
Westwood Studios, game featured: Command and Conquer - Red Alert, acquired by EA in 1998
DreamWorks Interactive LLC, game featured: Medal of Honor, acquired by EA in 2000
Honorable mention to Mythic Entertainment/Bioware, acquired by EA in 2006
Song referenced: Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
These are fine examples, but all over 20 years old now! (Also I’m still salty about Origin Systems in 1992!)
But hey, EA has never stopped sucking! We can also lament recent purchases like legendary UK studio Codemasters (2021) or Respawn (2017). Respawn is especially funny since it was made by ex-Infinity Ward founders, who got bought again! I wonder what their next future-EA-acquisition project will be?
Very long time ago Electronic Arts (ECA at the time, with the cube, ball and pyramid logo) published amazing games.
I really really enjoyed my Racing Destruction Set or the Pinball Construction Set on the C64.
I’m just happy now I did pirate them and never gave them my money to cause what EA is now.
So in my eyes “ECA” is another company “EA” killed.
(40 years ago, when I was 15 - sue me, EA )
They are finally getting re-discovered by younger generations a bit more, but they are often missing from memes like this. Considering how groundbreaking their projects like Wing Commander and of course Ultima were, it is a true shame. They truly fell from the very top and slowly died thanks to EA. (And, admittedly, also in part mismanagement and not being able to overcome the prohibitive cost of physical media i.e. floppy disks and CDs properly)