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EA’s CEO got a $38 million bonus thanks to Battlefield 6’s success—but of course many devs were laid off anyway
Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson received a $38.7 million bonus, driven largely by the commercial success of Battlefield 6, according to a fiscal report EA is required to file as a publicly traded company. The disclosure has drawn criticism because EA laid off hundreds of staff across several studios that worked on the game just months after its launch, despite it becoming a huge commercial hit, raising questions about how the financial rewards of the game's success were distributed.
Battlefield 6 launched in October 2025 and has sold over 20 million copies, making it the best-selling game of that year. Despite this, EA cut jobs at DICE, Criterion, Motive and Ripple Effect in March 2026. The same fiscal report shows EA Entertainment president Laura Miele earned $13.7 million and CFO Stuart Canfield $11.3 million in stock awards and bonuses, on top of their salaries, while EA said at the time of the layoffs it was making "select changes" to align teams with community priorities.
In short
- EA CEO Andrew Wilson got a $38.7m bonus after Battlefield 6's success.
- EA laid off staff at studios behind the game in March 2026.
- Battlefield 6 sold over 20 million copies, becoming 2025's best-seller.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A CEO’s bonus can reasonably reflect the company’s performance and the executive’s role in setting strategy, and a successful release may be only one factor in a broader compensation plan. Even a major hit does not guarantee that every studio or role remains necessary as priorities and future projects change; restructuring can be intended to keep the business viable and support later investment.
The case against
When a game becomes a major commercial success, layoffs at studios that helped make it can seem to leave the people who created that value with little share in its rewards. A very large executive bonus alongside job cuts raises fair questions about whether compensation and restructuring decisions recognise employees’ contributions and distribute gains responsibly, especially when the company describes the changes as aligning teams with community priorities.
Explained simply
Electronic Arts is one of the world's largest video game publishers. It released Battlefield 6 in October 2025, and the game became hugely successful, selling over 20 million copies and becoming the year's best-selling game. CEO Andrew Wilson received a bonus of $38.7 million, primarily attributable to the game's commercial performance.
Battlefield 6 was developed by hundreds of employees across several EA studios, including DICE, Criterion, Motive and Ripple Effect. In March 2026, just months after the game's successful launch, EA announced layoffs affecting staff at these same studios, stating the changes would align teams with community priorities.
The contrast between the executive bonus and the layoffs has raised questions about how the financial rewards of a successful product are distributed within a large corporation. In this case, the game's commercial success directly increased compensation for senior leadership, whilst many of the developers and artists who created the game faced job losses.