EA CEO Earned $38M Following Battlefield 6’s Success Amid Developer Layoffs

The video game industry is facing some tough times. Major publishers are making significant cuts, with Xbox planning to lay off over 3,000 employees. In a rare bright spot, the success of Battlefield 6 has been a major win for Electronic Arts, contributing to a record year for the company. However, this success comes with a dark cloud, especially for those who worked on the game. Following layoffs of Battlefield 6 developers, a recent financial document has revealed that EA CEO Andrew Wilson has seen a substantial financial gain.

According to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Wilson’s earnings for the last fiscal year totaled $38,649,984, primarily from stock awards, a non-equity incentive plan, and other compensation. This marks an increase of over $8 million compared to the previous year. Other top executives, including Stuart Canfield, Laura Miele, Mala Singh, and Jacob Schatz, earned $11.3 million, $13.7 million, $8.4 million, and $8.5 million, respectively.

EA reported $7.531 billion in net revenue for the last fiscal year, reflecting a 9% increase. Wilson noted in a financial report, “Driven by our talented teams and disciplined execution, we delivered a record FY26, highlighted by the incredibly successful launch of our iconic Battlefield franchise.”

Battlefield 6 achieved the largest launch in the franchise’s history and became the first title in the series to outsell a Call of Duty game released in the same year. It was the top-selling game in the U.S. in 2025, with over 20 million copies sold by December, according to analyst Rhys Elliott. Despite this success, EA laid off an unspecified number of developers in March across Criterion, Dice, Ripple Effect, and Motive Studios as part of a “realignment.”

In a statement at the time, an EA spokesperson mentioned, “We’ve made select changes within our Battlefield organization to better align our teams around what matters most to our community. Battlefield remains one of our biggest priorities, and we’re continuing to invest in the franchise, guided by player feedback and insights from Battlefield Labs.”

While the gaming industry grapples with challenges like hardware shortages, rising development costs, and a crowded release schedule, it’s disheartening to see that even successful titles lead to layoffs, with the financial benefits primarily going to executives. Although Battlefield 6 reportedly exceeded its budget, it seems the burden fell on the developers rather than the leadership.

In other news, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is in the process of acquiring EA in a $55 billion deal that also involves private equity fund Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners. The European Commission has recently approved the transaction, bringing it closer to completion.

EA certainly has reasons to celebrate the release of Battlefield 6.