What does it take to get a job with Electronic Arts? What is it like working at Electronic Arts? ACR takes a look:
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA) is a California-based interactive entertainment software company that has been in the business since 1982. This global company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software for video game systems, wireless devices, personal computers, and the Internet. According to the company website, as of 2010, EA had 27 titles that sold more than one million copies. Five titles sold more than five million copies and include FIFA 10, Madden NFL 10, Need for Speed SHIFT, The SIMS 3 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2.
As of March 31,2010, Electronic Arts had 8,000 employees working in offices worldwide. The company is based in Redwood City, CA. Other locations include Los Angeles CA., Orlando FL., Salt Lake City UT., Fairfax VA., Austin TX., Montreal Canada, Vancouver Canada, Edmonton Canada, the UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Romania, India, China, Korea, and Singapore.
Electronic Arts Jobs
Electronic Arts, like many electronic entertainment software companies, welcomes fresh talent. As of August 28, 2011, the company had dozens of job openings from animator to art director. The positions were available in Austin, Florida, and California. Just a few openings included:
- Animator
- Cinematic Animator
- VFX Artist
- Art Director
- Technical Artist
- Concept Artist
- Interactive Graphic Designer
- Contract Animator
The company offers a detailed description of each position and the skills EA is looking for. For example, the company offers the following information for animator positions:
EA looks for Animators who demonstrate a strong proficiency in animation packages including Maya; they possess an ability to learn and work with proprietary animation run-time integration tools; they are knowledgeable in the technical aspects of rigging and skinning characters for animation; they have an ability to animate the human form, giving the character weight, personality, mood, and believability; they are comfortable animating in realistic and stylized motion; and they can demonstrate a strong understanding of classic animation principles and fundamentals.
Game animation must be simple and expressive. The Animator should know how to reveal attitude, emotions, and mood through a character's movement and behavior, and be able to create memorable characters that will appeal to players. It's essential to have knowledge of the timing and appearance of human and animal movement as well as facial expressions. At EA, Animators usually possess a degree in Fine Arts or Computer Animation.
To apply for open positions, visit the official Electronic Arts website and click “Careers.”
Electronic Arts Salaries and Benefits
Salaries for Electronic Arts employees vary depending job responsibilities, skills, and education. The company does not list salaries on its website, but it does offer an extensive list of benefits. In addition, Glassdoor.com offers salary ranges as reported by EA employees. Just a few are:
- Game Designer: $53,000-$90,000
- Senior Game Designer: $74,000-$99,000
- Lead Artist: $101,000-$114,000
- Associate Producer: $64,000-$73,000
- Computer Graphic Artist (Hourly): $26-$45/hr.
Electronic Arts offers a number of benefits. Some are based on “the grade of the position” while others only require that you are a full-time employee. The company offers restricted stock units, a bonus plan, healthcare coverage, life insurance, income protection, retirement savings/pension, paid holidays, education assistance, traveler’s medical & security assistance, leave of absence, childcare, and more. For a complete list of benefits, see jobs.ea.com/about/benefits/.