Stories
The Story of Video Gaming Company Electronic Arts (EA)
With the advent of computers and consoles, gaming took the world by storm. It evolved into a multibillion dollar industry with different companies releasing franchises and breakthrough games every year. Gaming pushes the human boundaries as to what is possible and with multiple exciting technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality, the industry is set for a massive change in the future. However, the gaming industry had humble beginnings and this is the story of one of the industry giants, Electronic Arts (EA.)
Beginnings
Electronic Arts was founded in 1982 by Trip Hawkins, an Apple employee, who left his job and began his own company. Initially, the company was named Amazin’ Software. After the release of Apple’s Macintosh personal computer (PC,) the market for PCs was thrown open.
Trip Hawkins met with Don Valentine, the founder of the venture capital firm Sequoia Capital, to discuss financing options for his new venture. Don Valentine convinced Trip Hawkins to resign from Apple and provided a spare office for Hawkins to use. Hawkins spent seven months with his first employee, Rich Melmon (also a former Apple employee,) to refine their business plan. Hawkins continued to hire former Apple and Atari workers till his team outgrew the office Sequoia Capital provided and moved to a bigger office in San Mateo.
Naming of Electronic Arts
The name Amazin’ Software was disliked by the rest of the team. Trip Hawkins believed developing software was an art form and called the developers ‘software artists,’ leading the team to consider ‘SoftArt’ for the company’s name. However, there was another company by the name Software Arts and owing to the similarities in names, the idea was dropped. Electronic Arts and Electronic Artists are some of the names which were floated around at the time and the popular sentiment was towards Electronic Artists. Electronic Artists was a tribute to the film company United Artists, but an employee insisted filmmakers were the real artists, leading to which everyone agreed to Electronic Arts.
Growth of EA
Trip Hawkins was determined to sell directly to buyers and the policy of dealing directly with retailers gave EA better margins and real time market awareness. Game developers were given due credit in games as well as in magazines. The album cover box type packaging like the packaging for games we see now was pioneered by EA. Game development became in house and EA released their first game, Skate or Die! At the same time, they worked with external developers as well. Owing to Trip Hawkins’s obsession to develop a sports game, a contract was signed with football coach John Madden, which led to the development of the popular video game franchise Madden NFL.
Over the decades, EA continued developing games for various platforms like the PlayStation, Nintendo consoles and PCs. EA also acquired its license to develop Star Wars games after LucasArts was shut down by Disney.
EA also released multiple successful franchises like Need for Speed, FIFA, Madden, Star Wars, Battlefield, NBA Live, Medal of Honor and The Sims.
EA changed the way games are perceived and is always on the forefront of innovation. A recent bad publicity incident due to its microtransactions in Star Wars: Battlefront II hurt their image badly, but they quickly bounced back with the game Apex Legends, a battle royale game like Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG.) EA, based on the revenue generated by it, is currently the second largest gaming company in the Americas and Europe, behind Activision Blizzard.
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
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