Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by former Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the designers and programmers responsible for its games as "software artists". EA published numerous games and some productivity software for personal computers, all of which were developed by external individuals or groups until 1987's Skate or Die! The company shifted toward internal game studios, often through acquisitions, such as Distinctive Software becoming EA Canada in 1991.
The EA headquarters building at Redwood City, California in May 2011
Founder Trip Hawkins in 2013
EA headquarters in October 2007
John Riccitiello at Web Summit 2017
The video game industry is the tertiary and quaternary sectors of the entertainment industry that specialize in the development, marketing, distribution, monetization and consumer feedback of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide.
The expo floor at the 2010 Game Developers Conference
The Magnavox Odyssey was released in 1972 as the first home video game console.
The Nintendo Entertainment System, released in 1985, revived the American video game industry after the video game crash of 1983.
GameStop video game store at the Isokatu street in Oulu