EA Listed as 5th Most Hated Company, According to Wall Street

2017 was only the latest year that Electronic Arts that brought a ton of negative press to the powerhouse publisher. With their pay-to-win mentality, shaded business practices regarding their games, and their seizing of beloved studios has all accumulated into one nasty year for the team over at EA. So much so, that a new ranked list from Wall Street shows that they are the listed at the 5th 'Worst Company' in the world. Bright side, at least they didn't get the number one spot like they have in the past.

It's not Electronic Arts' first rodeo of being the 'Most Hated,' and it's not just one facet of public image that contributes. According to Wall Street, the contributing factors for 2017 included the insane ride that was the Star Wars Battlefront II loot box controversy, the closure of Visceral Games and other smaller studios, and more. They even ranked higher than the Trump Organization - which, not speaking politically, has seen its own fair share of insanity.

EA is known for purchasing many smaller studios in the "hopes" of accomplishing great things only to shut them down and absorb the hard work to create something else. This business practice is not uncommon for them and with each closure, and each highly anticipated project's cancellation, their reputation only continues to build underneath a glaring spotlight.

That's not to say EA hasn't tried to rectify this in the past. They do have a phenmonal program for youth interested in becoming game developers while they are still in high school, and CEO Andrew Wilson has done much to try to lessen the blow of the online game takeover with the decision to take online passes out of the equation. Still, it's not enough and it certainly won't be enough while the company's CFO continues to make statements that seemingly makes him appear out of touch with the current gaming market.

It's much more than just a simple microtransaction problem, contrary to popular belief, and it proves once more that Electronic Arts needs to get back in touch with gamers as a whole if they hope to repair their image.

(via USA Today)