EA is just an easy target because they're the biggest kid on the block so to speak. They're actually a lot better than most video game companies both in terms of the quality of their products and their business practices.

such as ?

and acit blizz
take 2
nintendo
sony
and ms
are not exactly small either but thats neither here nor there

if thats your only example then forget i asked
cause not everybody gives a toss about drm free

Mass Effect was published by Microsoft. EA then bought Bioware and published the sequels. You can spot the difference by looking at sharp increase in selling crucial story chunks as DLC.

The other ones I do remember people congratulating them for. I always thought they all sucked, from Mirror's Edge to Dante's Inferno, but I know a lot of people don't share that opinion.

as usual
but i am more interested in when the decline started
when did they become reviled and turn from a "respected" third party with a decent track record
to the evil empire ?

You might not care about DRM free, but it is a business practice that's good for the customer.

EA also has a surprisingly high level of quality control. Madden and FIFA games might not be all that revolutionary all the time, but they're always fun games that outsell their competitors.

EA is/was infamous for killing off beloved studios. We all loved Westwood and its Dune, C&C and other titles; then came EA and it got killed; we all loved Bullfrog and its Dungeon Keeper, Syndicate & Theme Park titles; them came EA and killed it. They killed off a lot of Studios that made incredible games during the golden age of gaming and as soon as somebody assumed that should be a lesson; they wont do it again "Bam" Origin bit the dust (the good gaming company; not the lousy online-verification). And its not even that EA was responsible for all the great games; a big deal where usually released before EA or in the nearly finished stages so EA could not influence them anymore (i.e. Dragon Age Origins). EA just jumped in because "Yeay, popular = money" just to find out that its not that simple. Again and again.

While the others are most likely also involved in shameful schemes none of them are imprinted as "the killer of my favorite franchises" in the collective mind of at least 2 very spreading generation of gamers.

I personally am happy to know that some sane persons still must work there that are indeed interested to make EA a good name again (see gog releases of EA games). I do think they must have learned their lessons; they won't do it again.

;)

Blizzard is always doing its own thing; Take 2.. they still around?; Nintendo does what Nintendo does, but I heard they are very draconian about upholding certain quality standards; Sony its a Sony and MS is the devil... but they did a few VERY solid games back a decade or so ago.

oh you mean not because they are good for EA's bottom line and sell like gang busters each and every year ?
and they dont out sell the comeptitors for the same reason call of duty sells the same thing each year

and considering how massive steam is
i dare say a lot of people dont care much about drm

just saying

regardless this thread is not here to discuss EA's relative merits comapred to the other companies or discuss drm
but why they are regarded as da debil

Road Rash 3 in 1995...that's when I started hating EA.

take 2 distributed gta 5
they are golden for a while
they also own rockstar so yeah take 2 si still relevant after acti blizz and EA they are the nr 3

I actually like EA. *hides in the shadows*
Not their decisions, no, but the games.
But I have to admit I'd love to see studios like Bioware distribute their games themself.

you monkey

I also recall having issues with as early as the 90's. While they certainly have released some good games, they were never all that great.

When EA was voted "worst company in America" it had the best reviewed games of the year. EA isn't a bad company, it's just constantly under attack by internet trolls.

It would be cool if Bioware made enough money to do that, but as of now they're better off being a subsidiary.