EA Vancouver

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Canadian video game developer owned by Electronic Arts

title: "EA Vancouver" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1983-establishments-in-british-columbia", "electronic-arts-subsidiaries", "fifa-(video-game-series)", "need-for-speed", "test-drive", "video-game-companies-based-in-british-columbia", "companies-based-in-burnaby", "video-game-development-companies", "canadian-companies-established-in-1983", "video-game-companies-established-in-1983", "canadian-subsidiaries-of-foreign-companies"] description: "Canadian video game developer owned by Electronic Arts" topic_path: "geography/united-kingdom" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EA_Vancouver" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Canadian video game developer owned by Electronic Arts ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox company"]

FieldValue
nameEA Vancouver
logoEA Vancouver.png
logo_size170
typeDivision
predecessors
foundation(as EA Canada)
location_cityBurnaby, British Columbia
location_countryCanada
industryVideo games
productsNHL series (1991–present)
EA Sports FC series (2023–present)
FIFA series (1993–2022)
SSX series (2000–2012)
NFS series (1994–2000, see EA Black Box)
Skate series (2007–2010, see EA Black Box)
num_employees1,300
parentEA Sports
::

| name = EA Vancouver | logo = EA Vancouver.png | logo_size = 170 | type = Division | predecessors = | foundation = (as EA Canada) | location_city = Burnaby, British Columbia | location_country = Canada | industry = Video games | products = NHL series (1991–present) EA Sports FC series (2023–present) FIFA series (1993–2022) SSX series (2000–2012) NFS series (1994–2000, see EA Black Box) Skate series (2007–2010, see EA Black Box) | num_employees = 1,300 | parent = EA Sports ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ee/EA_-Electronic_Arts_Office-_Canada.jpg" caption="Former headquarters of Bight Games, later made an office of EA Canada, the property then sold off"] ::

EA Vancouver (formerly known as EA Burnaby, then EA Canada) is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened as Distinctive Software in January 1983, and is also Electronic Arts's largest and oldest studio. EA Vancouver employs approximately 1,300 people, and houses the world's largest video game test operation. It is best known for developing a lot of EA Sports and EA Sports BIG titles, including EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA), NHL, SSX, NBA Street, NFL Street, EA Sports UFC, and FIFA Street titles, as well as a number of NBA Live and NCAA Basketball titles between 1994 and 2009.

Premises

The campus consists of a motion-capture studio, twenty-two rooms for composing, fourteen video editing suites, three production studios, a wing for audio compositions, and a quality assurance department. There are also facilities such as fitness rooms, two theatres, a cafeteria, coffee bars, a soccer field, and several arcades.

History

Electronic Arts (EA), based in Redwood City, California, acquired Distinctive Software in 1991 for $11 million and renamed Distinctive Software to EA Canada. At the time of the business acquisition, Distinctive Software was noted for developing a number of racing and sporting games published under the Accolade brand.

Distinctive Software

| name = Distinctive Software, Inc. | logo = Distinctive Software logo.PNG | successor = EA Canada | defunct = | fate = Merged into EA Canada | key_people = Don Mattrick Jeff Sember Paul Lee Tarrnie Williams Bruce McMillan | industry = Video games | products = Test Drive series 4D Sports series | parent = | foundation = | location_city = Burnaby, British Columbia | location_country = Canada Distinctive Software, Inc. was a Canadian video game developer established in Burnaby, British Columbia, by Don Mattrick and Jeff Sember after their success with the game Evolution. Mattrick (age 17) and Jeff Sember approached Sydney Development Corporation, who agreed to publish Evolution in 1982. Distinctive Software was known in the late 1980s and early 1990s for their racing and sports video games, including the Test Drive series, Stunts, 4D Boxing, and Hardball II. In 1991, Distinctive was acquired by Electronic Arts in a deal worth million and became EA Canada, which is where the most EA Sports branded games are developed.

Unlimited Software and lawsuit

In 1989, programmers Pete Gardner and Amory Wong of Distinctive, under the pseudonym USI (Unlimited Software, Inc.), converted Sega's arcade game Out Run for MS-DOS. They used several software libraries they had developed for Test Drive II. Consequently, Accolade charged that Distinctive violated a working agreement, and sued. Accolade sought a preliminary injunction against the distribution and sale of Out Run. Distinctive Software argued that it had only used source code that did routine functions, such as clearing the video screen and that Accolade did not own a copyright on those functions. Accolade argued that their contract for Test Drive II gave them the ownership and copyright of the final product—the game—and the source code used to create it. Distinctive Software won; the court ruled that "the licensing agreement transfers to Accolade the copyright to the concept and design of the video game but not the underlying source code." The court also found that Accolade had failed to demonstrate that the balance of hardships was in its favour.

EA Canada

Since becoming EA Canada, EA Canada has developed many EA Games, EA Sports, and EA Sports BIG games.

EA Seattle, formerly Manley & Associates, was closed in 2002. Half the jobs were moved to EA Vancouver.

EA acquired Black Box Games in 2002 and Black Box Games became part of EA Canada under the name of EA Black Box. EA Black Box later became an independent EA studio in 2005. After its acquisition, EA Black Box became the home of several franchises, such as Need for Speed and Skate. The studio was later shut down in 2013, after a series of restructurings and layoffs within EA.

In 2011, EA Canada acquired Bight Games, a maker of freemium games.

Games developed

By Distinctive Software

::data[format=table] | Game||Published||Publisher||Platform | |---| | 4D Sports Boxing | | 4D Sports Tennis | | Accolade Comics | | Ace of Aces | | After Burner | | Altered Beast | | Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge | | Castlevania | | Champions Forever Boxing | | Dick Tracy: The Crime-Solving Adventure | | Grand Prix Circuit | | Fight Night | | Hardball! | | Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge | | Metal Gear | | Mission: Impossible | | Out Run | | Pipe Dream | | Stunts (4D Sports Driving) | | Super C | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Missions | | Test Drive | | The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing | | The Duel: Test Drive II | | The Simpsons: Bart's House of Weirdness | | Top Gun: Guts and Glory | | Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? | ::

By EA Canada

::data[format=table title=""]

YearTitlePlatform(s)
1998ReBootPlayStation
2011FIFA 12Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Fight Night ChampionPlayStation 3, Xbox 360
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
NHL 12
2012FIFA 13Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
FIFA StreetPlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Grand Slam Tennis 2
NHL 13
SSX
UEFA Euro 2012Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2013FIFA 14Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 14PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
20142014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
EA Sports UFCPlayStation 4, Xbox One
FIFA 15Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 15PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
2015EA Sports UFCAndroid, iOS
FIFA 16Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 16PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
2016EA Sports UFC 2PlayStation 4, Xbox One
FIFA 17Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
FIFA MobileAndroid, iOS, Windows Apps, Windows Phone
NHL 17PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2017FIFA 18Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 18PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2018EA Sports UFC 3
FIFA 19Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 19PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2019FIFA 20Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
NHL 20PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2020EA Sports UFC 4
FIFA 21Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Stadia
NHL 21PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2021FIFA 22Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Stadia
NHL 22PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
2022FIFA 23Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
NHL 23PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
2023EA FC 24Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
NHL 24PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
EA Sports UFC 5PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
::

EA Sports

Games developed for publishing by EA Sports:

EA Sports BIG

Games developed for publishing by EA Sports BIG:

References

References

  1. (2013-05-09). "Electronic Arts". EA.
  2. Zinn, Jacob. (September 5, 2014). "EA Canada pushes boundaries in Burnaby". [[Burnaby Now]].
  3. Kyllo, Blaine. (January 28, 2009). "Case: Vancouver's video game family tree [C]". The Georgia Straight.
  4. (June 18, 1991). "COMPANY NEWS; Electronic Arts To Buy Distinctive". [[The New York Times]].
  5. Dannenberg, Ross. (May 30, 2005). "Case: Accolade v. Distinctive (N.D.Cal. 1990) [C]".
  6. (22 October 2002). "Electronic Arts closing Bellevue game studio".
  7. Takahashi, Dean. (August 15, 2011). "EA acquires mobile game developer Bight Games". VentureBeat.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

1983-establishments-in-british-columbiaelectronic-arts-subsidiariesfifa-(video-game-series)need-for-speedtest-drivevideo-game-companies-based-in-british-columbiacompanies-based-in-burnabyvideo-game-development-companiescanadian-companies-established-in-1983video-game-companies-established-in-1983canadian-subsidiaries-of-foreign-companies