Difference between Electronic Arts, Activision and Ubisoft
Video games continue to do booming business decades after they were first introduced, although they exist in radically different forms nowadays. Among the vanguards of this new generation of video games are Electronic Arts, Activision and Ubisoft, all of which we take a look at in this comparison article.
Profile
Electronic Arts is a video game developer that is also involved in marketing, publishing and distributing its own titles. The company was founded on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins. Electronic Arts was one of the first entrants into the home computer game industry, and it was one of the first companies to showcase the efforts of its designers and programmers.
Activision is a U.S. based video game developer that also publishes its own titles. The company was founded on October 1, 1979, and it made its mark by being the first independent video game developer and distributor in the world. Among the company’s first entries were a series of Atari 2600 video console cartridges, which were released in the United States in July 1980. The games were released in the United Kingdom in August of the same year. At present, Activision is one of the largest video game publishers in the world, and it was judged one of the top U.S. game publishers in 2007.
Ubisoft Entertainment is a French owned company that is involved in computer software and video game development and publishing. The company’s headquarters can be found in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France, although it has studios in many countries all over the world.
Market Performance
In the first decade of the 2000s, Electronic Arts was recognized as the largest third-party game publisher in the world. By 2008, the company’s annual revenue reached more than $4 billion.
Activision later merged with the Vivendi Games division on July 9, 2008, with the resulting company being named Activision Blizzard. Partly as a result of this merger, Activision is now the biggest third party video game publisher in the world.
Ubisoft became the third-largest video game publisher in Europe in 2008 and it was also the fourth largest in the U.S that same year. The company made as much as €453 million in 2002 to 2003, and it managed to boost its earnings to €508 million by the following fiscal year. At present, the company has earnings of €1.058 billion yearly, which is a record for the company.
Notable Games
Among the most popular games of Electronic Arts are Harry Potter Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, The Sims, Battlefield and the later releases of Command & Conquer.
Activision has made its mark with titles such as Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon.
As for Ubisoft, notable titles include Ghost Recon, Beyond Good & Evil, the Imagine series and Far Cry 3.
Similarities and Differences
Electronic Arts
- A video game developer also involved in marketing, publishing and distributing its own titles
- One of the first entrants into the home computer game industry
Activision
- Among the company’s first entries were a series of Atari 2600 video console cartridges
- Known for titles such as Call of Duty, Guitar Hero, Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon
Ubisoft
- Involved in computer software and video game development and publishing
- Notable titles include Ghost Recon, Beyond Good & Evil, the Imagine series and Far Cry 3
