The four-prong business model of Electronic Arts is one that is fairly well known, having been executed many times within the past twenty years:
a) why worry about gameplay when you could focus on marketing?
b) why develop your own titles when you can buy out your competition?
c) risk is not acceptable
d) develop titles that have guaranteed sales to studios that will quickly churn out a mediocre (at best) product
Primarily known for the Ultima series, Origin was acquired by EA in 1992. The developer made their thoughts about EA plainly obvious in Ultima VII, the most recent title at the time. In it, per the Escapist (in an article I recommend to anyone reading this), murderers serving an evil entity attempting to destroy all of existence formed the EA logo. EA also happened to bring a frivolous suit, expensive to fight, against the company in order to put it in such financial constraints that EA's buyout would be a serious financial windfall. It then systematically crippled the company by rejecting attempts to create new intellectual property and refusing to let it release games that were in the same genre as other EA subsidiaries and expecting it to focus almost entirely on building up EA's early lead in the MMO market. The result? After eight years, the company was dead, its last project a combat flight sim culled from the Jane's franchise.
Products by the Diaspora: Master of Orion II, Everquest II, Star Wars: Galaxy, Tabula Rasa, System Shock, Wings of Glory, World of Warcraft: the Burning Crusade, and Deus Ex.
Resulting Studios: NCSoft Austin, Ion Storm Austin
1995-2004 - Bullfrog Productions
EA acquired Peter Molyneaux's studio just as Dungeon Keeper was entering the final stages of development. The studio behind Populous, Syndicate, Magic Carpet, and Theme Park went downhill quickly after that, and once Dungeon Keeper went out the door, Molyneaux followed, leaving the studio releasing its last game in 2001 and shuttered in 2004.
Resulting Studios: Lionhead
Maxis was an example of a hugely successful studio making a successful transition into EA's business model, thanks almost solely to the release of creator Will Wright's pipe dream, The Sims. While the studio was left continuing Wright's legacy without him in SimCity 4, Wright created a flagship for EA. Maxis has spent the better part of the last 15 years milking the Sims franchise for all it can, releasing packs of items for more than many full games sell for. Wright fully left his studio after 2008's Spore, after spending 11 years in the backdrop of the studio. EA is again revisiting SimCity in 2012, without any creative input from Wright.
Resulting Studio: None
Westwood and Blizzard had successfully carved out the RTS niche, with Westwood countering Blizzard's Warcraft with a much different Command and Conquer series, focusing on a futuristic arms race with little fantastical element and a much more fluid economic system. EA purchased Westwood during the development of Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, and promptly instituted deadlines that left the studio rushing games out the door, control that axed much of the studio's IP or farmed it out to third parties, and ushered most of the staff to creating new studios.
Products by the Diaspora: End of Nations, Star Wars: Empire at War, Panzer General: Allied Assault
Resulting Studios: Petroglyph
1999-2001 - Kesmai
A studio who pioneered the early MMO genre with the MUD Island of Kesmai and the graphical Air Warrior, EA gobbled them up presumably to add some experience to the Ultima Online team. They were promptly shredded in 2001. Many employees ended up at Lodestone games, and shortly after, filtered to my next entry, Mythic.
2006-2009 - Mythic
The hugely successful studio behind 1999's Dark Ages of Camelot announced its ambitious Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning in 2005. As Warhammer Online nears release, EA announces it is buying Mythic. In rapid succession, one of its founders, Marc Jacobs, leaves. EA merges the studio with Bioware in an attempt at polishing the hulking Star Wars: the Old Republic, an MMO that has rumored to be lacking much compared to other MMOs. Shortly afterwards, Mythic experienced massive layoffs. They're now set to work on free to play spinoffs of Warhammer Online, Ultima Online, and now The Old Republic, and Jacobs founded City State Entertainment.
2007-2009 - Pandemic
The creators of Battlezone II and the Star Wars: Battlefront series announced in early 2007 they were partnering with Bioware. Soon after, EA bought out both studios. While Bioware went on to bring out the Mass Effect trilogy (with EA's touch more and more evident in each game), Dragon Age (and that Dragon Age Action RPG some fan decided to make), and The Old Republic, Pandemic's only notable finished title was The Saboteur, a World War 2 spy title. Recently, leaked videos show a playable version of Star Wars: Battlefront III, which offers seamless transitions from space combat to on-world combat. The evident kiss of death, EA assigned Pandemic the movie tie-in game from the Dark Knight.
Resulting Studio:
Many employees are employed by 343, the Microsoft developer responsible for the continuation of the Halo franchise
Good luck to the Doctors. They're in good company, and just as with Will Wright and Marc Jacobs (as well as Molyneaux, if he can ever stop talking and let his team work), I can't wait to see what his next project is.
Man, EA has ruined so many good franchises. Depressing.
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