EA Vancouver

Type| Division
Industry| Video games
Predecessors|

* Distinctive Software
* EA Black Box

Founded| 1991; 35 years ago (1991) (as EA Canada)
Headquarters|

Burnaby, British Columbia

Canada

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)

Number of employees

| 1,300
Parent| EA Sports
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.[1] 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.

## Contents

* 1 Premises
* 2 History
* 2.1 Distinctive Software
* 2.1.1 Unlimited Software and lawsuit
* 2.2 EA Canada
* 3 Games developed
* 3.1 By Distinctive Software
* 3.2 By EA Canada
* 3.3 EA Sports
* 3.4 EA Sports BIG
* 4 See also
* 5 References
* 6 External links

## 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

Distinctive Software, Inc.

Industry| Video games
Fate| Merged into EA Canada
Successor| EA Canada
Founded| 1982; 44 years ago (1982)
Defunct| 1991 (1991)
Headquarters|

Burnaby, British Columbia

Canada

Key people

| Don Mattrick
Jeff Sember
Paul Lee
Tarrnie Williams
Bruce McMillan
Products| Test Drive series
4D Sports series

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.[2] Mattrick (age 17) and Jeff Sember approached Sydney Development Corporation, who agreed to publish Evolution in 1982.[3] 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 US$10 million and became EA Canada, which is where the most EA Sports branded games are developed.[4][2]

#### 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.[5]

### 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.[6]

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.[7]

## Games developed

### By Distinctive Software

Game | Published | Publisher | Platform

|
|
|

4D Sports Boxing | 1991 | Mindscape/Electronic Arts | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Mac
4D Sports Tennis | 1990 | Mindscape | MS-DOS
Accolade Comics | 1987 | Accolade | Apple II, C64
Ace of Aces | 1987 | Accolade | Atari 8-bit, C64, MS-DOS
After Burner | 1988 | Sega | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS
Altered Beast | 1990 | Sega | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS
Bill Elliott's NASCAR Challenge | 1990 | Konami | Amiga, handheld, Mac, NES, MS-DOS
Castlevania | 1990 | Konami | C64, MS-DOS
Champions Forever Boxing | 1992 | NEC | TG-16
Dick Tracy: The Crime-Solving Adventure | 1991 | Walt Disney Computer Software | Amiga, MS-DOS
Grand Prix Circuit | 1988 | Accolade | Amiga, Apple IIGS, C64, MS-DOS
Fight Night | 1985 | Accolade | Apple II, Atari 8-bit, C64
Hardball! | 1985 | Accolade | Apple IIGS, C64
Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge | 1991 | Electronic Arts | MS-DOS
Metal Gear | 1990 | Ultra Games | C64
Mission: Impossible | 1991 | Konami | MS-DOS
Out Run | 1989 | Sega | C64, MS-DOS
Pipe Dream | 1990 | Bullet-Proof Software | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS, NES
Stunts (4D Sports Driving) | 1990 | Broderbund/Mindscape | Amiga, MS-DOS
Super C | 1990 | Konami | Amiga, MS-DOS
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | Ultra Games/Konami | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS
Software:Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Manhattan Missions | 1991 | Konami | MS-DOS
Test Drive | 1987 | Accolade | Amiga, C64, MS-DOS
Software:The Cycles: International Grand Prix Racing | 1989 | Accolade | C64, MS-DOS
Software:The Duel: Test Drive II | 1989 | Accolade | Amiga, Apple IIGS, C64, MS-DOS
Software:The Simpsons: Bart's House of Weirdness | 1992 | Konami | MS-DOS
Software:Top Gun: Guts and Glory | 1993 | Konami | Game Boy
Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? | 1991 | Konami | NES

### By EA Canada

Year  | Title  | Platform(s)

|
|

1998  | ReBoot | PlayStation
2011  | FIFA 12 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Fight Night Champion | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
NBA Jam: On Fire Edition
NHL 12
2012  | FIFA 13 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360
FIFA Street | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Grand Slam Tennis 2
NHL 13
SSX
UEFA Euro 2012 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2013  | FIFA 14 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 14 | PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
2014  | 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
EA Sports UFC | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
FIFA 15 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 15 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
2015  | EA Sports UFC | Android, iOS
FIFA 16 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 16 | PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
2016  | EA Sports UFC 2 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
FIFA 17 | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
FIFA Mobile | Android, iOS, Windows Apps, Windows Phone
NHL 17 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2017  | FIFA 18 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 18 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2018  | EA Sports UFC 3
FIFA 19 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One
NHL 19 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2019  | FIFA 20 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
NHL 20 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2020  | EA Sports UFC 4
FIFA 21 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Stadia
NHL 21 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One
2021  | FIFA 22 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Stadia
NHL 22 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
2022  | FIFA 23 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
NHL 23 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
2023  | EA FC 24 | Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
NHL 24 | PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X
EA Sports UFC 5 | PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X

### EA Sports

Games developed for publishing by EA Sports:

* 3 on 3 NHL Arcade
* 2002 FIFA World Cup
* 2006 FIFA World Cup
* 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa
* 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil
* EA Sports UFC
* EA Sports UFC 2
* EA Sports UFC 3
* EA Sports UFC 4
* EA Sports UFC 5
* FIFA International Soccer
* FIFA Soccer 95
* FIFA Soccer 96
* FIFA 97
* Software:FIFA: Road to World Cup 98
* FIFA 99
* FIFA 2000
* FIFA 2001
* FIFA Football 2002
* FIFA Football 2003
* FIFA Football 2004
* FIFA Football 2005
* FIFA 06
* FIFA 07
* FIFA 08
* FIFA 09
* FIFA 10
* FIFA 11
* FIFA 12
* FIFA 13
* FIFA 14
* FIFA 15
* FIFA 16
* FIFA 17
* FIFA 18
* FIFA 19
* FIFA 20
* FIFA 21
* FIFA 22
* FIFA 23
* EA Sports FC 24
* FIFA Street (2012)
* FIFA Manager 06
* FIFA Online
* FaceBreaker
* Fight Night Round 4
* Fight Night Champion
* Grand Slam Tennis
* Celebrity Sports Showdown
* Cricket 07
* John Madden Football '93 (Super NES)
* Knockout Kings
* Madden NFL 07 (Wii)
* MVP 06 NCAA Baseball
* NBA Live 95
* NBA Live 96
* NBA Live 97
* NBA Live 98
* NBA Live 99
* NBA Live 2000
* NBA Live 2001
* NBA Live 2002
* NBA Live 2003
* NBA Live 2004
* NBA Live 2005
* NBA Live 06
* NBA Live 07
* NBA Live 08
* NBA Live 09
* NBA Live 10
* NCAA March Madness 98
* NCAA March Madness 99
* NCAA March Madness 2000
* NCAA March Madness 2001
* NCAA March Madness 2002
* NCAA March Madness 2003
* NCAA March Madness 2004
* NCAA March Madness 2005
* NCAA March Madness 06
* NCAA March Madness 07
* NCAA March Madness 08
* NCAA Basketball 09
* NCAA Basketball 10
* NHL '94
* NHL 95
* NHL 96
* NHL 97
* NHL 98
* NHL 99
* NHL 2000
* NHL 2001
* NHL 2002
* NHL 2003
* NHL 2004
* NHL 2005
* NHL 06
* NHL 07
* NHL 08
* NHL 09
* NHL 10
* NHL 11
* NHL 12
* NHL 13
* NHL 14
* NHL 15
* NHL 16
* NHL 17
* NHL 18
* NHL 19
* NHL 20
* NHL 21
* NHL 22
* NHL 23
* NHL 24
* Rugby 2005
* Rugby 06
* SSX (2012)
* Total Club Manager 2005
* Triple Play 96
* Triple Play 2000
* UEFA Champions League 2006–2007
* UEFA Euro 2004
* UEFA Euro 2008
* UEFA Euro 2012
* World Cup 98

### EA Sports BIG

Games developed for publishing by EA Sports BIG:

* Def Jam Vendetta
* FaceBreaker
* FIFA Street (2005)
* FIFA Street 2
* FIFA Street 3
* Freekstyle
* NBA Street
* NBA Street Vol. 2
* NBA Street V3
* NFL Street
* NFL Street 2
* NFL Street 3
* NFL Tour
* Sled Storm
* SSX (2000)
* SSX Tricky
* SSX 3
* SSX On Tour
* SSX Blur

|

## See also

* Project Ragtag, assisted in development

## References

1. ↑ "Electronic Arts". EA. 2013-05-09. https://jobs.ea.com/locations/canada/vancouver/.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Zinn, Jacob (September 5, 2014). "EA Canada pushes boundaries in Burnaby". Burnaby Now. https://www.burnabynow.com/business/ea-canada-pushes-boundaries-in-burnaby-1.1344456.
3. ↑ Kyllo, Blaine (January 28, 2009). "Case: Vancouver's video game family tree [C"]. The Georgia Straight. https://www.straight.com/article-198534/video-game-family-tree.
4. ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; Electronic Arts To Buy Distinctive". The New York Times. June 18, 1991. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/06/18/business/company-news-electronic-arts-to-buy-distinctive.html.
5. ↑ Dannenberg, Ross (May 30, 2005). "Case: Accolade v. Distinctive (N.D.Cal. 1990) [C"]. http://www.patentarcade.com/2005/05/case-accolade-v-distinctive-ndcal-1990.html.
6. ↑ "Electronic Arts closing Bellevue game studio". 22 October 2002. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141129031710/http://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Electronic-Arts-closing-Bellevue-game-studio-1098967.php.
7. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (August 15, 2011). "EA acquires mobile game developer Bight Games". VentureBeat. https://venturebeat.com/business/ea-acquires-mobile-game-developer-bight-games/.

## External links

* Official website
* EA Vancouver at MobyGames
* EA Vancouver at MobyGames

* v
* t
* e

Electronic Arts

Employees|

| Founder|

* Trip Hawkins

|

Current|

* Larry Probst (Executive Chairman)
* Andrew Wilson (CEO)
* Mike Verdu

Former|

* Louis Castle
* Bing Gordon
* Frank Gibeau
* Jeff Green
* Ralph Guggenheim
* Amy Hennig
* Robin Hunicke
* Greg Kasavin
* Aaron Loeb
* Don Mattrick
* Peter Moore
* Jade Raymond
* John Riccitiello
* John Schappert
* Mark Skaggs
* Patrick Söderlund
* Will Wright
* Joe Ybarra
* Neil Young

Subsidiaries|

| Current|

* BioWare
* Criterion Games
* DICE
* EA Gothenburg
* EA Mobile
* EA Montreal
* EA Singapore
* EA Sports
* EA Tiburon
* EA Vancouver
* Firemonkeys Studios
* GameFly
* Industrial Toys
* Maxis
* Motive Studios
* PopCap Games
* Respawn Entertainment

|

Defunct|

* Bullfrog Productions
* Danger Close Games
* EA Black Box
* EA Bright Light
* EA Chicago
* EA Pacific
* EA Phenomic
* EA Salt Lake
* Kesmai
* Mythic Entertainment
* NuFX
* Origin Systems
* Pandemic Studios
* Playfish
* Visceral Games
* Westwood Studios

Franchises|

| EA Sports|

* Cricket
* F1
* FIFA
* Fight Night
* Madden NFL
* MVP Baseball
* NASCAR
* NBA Live
* NCAA Basketball
* NCAA Football
* NHL
* PGA Tour
* Triple Play
* SSX
* UFC

|

Other|

* Alice
* Army of Two
* Battlefield
* Bejeweled
* Bookworm
* Boom Blox
* Burnout
* Command & Conquer
* Crysis
* Dead Space
* Dragon Age
* Dungeon Keeper
* Feeding Frenzy
* Mass Effect
* Medal of Honor
* Midnight Star
* Mirror's Edge
* Need for Speed
* Peggle
* Plants vs. Zombies
* Rock Band
* Shank
* SimCity
* Skate
* Star Wars
* Spore
* System Shock
* The Sims
* Titanfall
* Ultima
* Unravel
* Wing Commander
* Zuma

Related|

* EA Access
* Origin
* Pogo.com
* RenderWare
* Frostbite
* Ignite
* List of acquisitions
* List of games
* Criticism of Electronic Arts

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