Electronic Arts Grows in Gen Z’s Estimation

While Electronic Arts (EA) just missed inclusion in our electronics industry snapshot’s top five growth brands by brand equity (9th this quarter with +1.2 growth), EA’s brand equity increase is even more impressive than it initially appears.

Using data from QuestBrand, Ad Age released the second quarterly Gen Z Brand Tracker in May, ranking the top 20 brands by brand equity growth among Gen Z consumers across all industries. With Gen Z respondents, EA ranked 5th, with a +10.5 increase in brand equity from Q4 2021 to Q1 2022.

Want to read more about emerging trends in the electronics industry? Check out our Electronics & Video Games: An Industry Snapshot report for more insights and brand rankings.

Part of the inspiration for this jump in equity among young users may be due to EA’s announcement that its popular soccer game FIFA will be rebranded to EA Sports FC in 2023. EA’s CEO Andrew Wilson reportedly told employees that the FIFA name could be holding the brand back, and he may have been correct.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has been mired in controversy for years, including high profile corruption scandals. In addition to cutting ties with controversy, this rebrand will allow EA to avoid high fees from FIFA to use their name. Most recently, FIFA was looking to collect $1 billion from EA every four years to use their license.

Fans of the game can rest assured that beloved aspects of gameplay will not be disrupted. EA reports that only the game name and World Cup content will change. All other aspects of the game will remain consistent post-rebrand.

EA also announced that separating from FIFA will allow more freedom for innovation and creativity to delight fans in the years ahead. This has already been one of the most successful gaming franchises to-date. We will see if the rebrand has any positive or negative effects going forward.

In addition to the rebrand, EA may be popular with Gen Z because they consistently make choices that align with Gen Z’s strong focus on social consciousness and inclusion. EA is regularly highly ranked on the Human Rights Campaign’s list of best places to work for LGBTQ+ equality and has been a vocal supporter of trans rights. EA also acted after Russia’s unpopular invasion of Ukraine, pulling Russia and Belarus from FIFA games.

So while EA missed the list of top 5 growth brands this quarter, they are clearly making strides with Gen Z, a key demographic for gaming manufacturers.