EA went from 'worst company in America' to record profit on live services.

Electronic Arts entered 2012 as a cautionary tale: it posted net losses in fiscal 2009, 2010 and 2011, and in April 2012 readers of Consumerist voted it the 'Worst Company in America', beating Bank of America.

The board promoted sports-division head Andrew Wilson to CEO in September 2013. Wilson pushed the company toward digital live services — Ultimate Team modes in FIFA, Madden and NHL, mobile games, and titles run as ongoing services rather than one-time boxed releases.

The pivot worked. After near-breakeven fiscal 2014 ($8M net income), EA earned $875M in FY2015 and a record $1.16B in FY2016. Digital revenue reached $2.41B, about 55% of total revenue, and FIFA, Madden and NHL Ultimate Team live services grew 26% in the fourth quarter.

EA's own summary of the year: 'Leveraging our great portfolio of brands and live services has enabled us to break records across our key financial metrics.'

Net income rose from $8M (FY2014) to $875M (FY2015) and a record $1.16B (FY2016); digital revenue reached $2.41B, about 55% of total revenue.

Live services turned one-time game sales into recurring engagement and revenue.

The 2012 'worst company' vote forced a genuine cultural shift toward players.

Digital revenue was less exposed to used-game sales and retail discounting.

FIFA Ultimate Team proved the model could scale on the biggest brands.

When a product business loses trust, rebuild around recurring engagement: turn hits into live services, measure digital revenue, and let a few franchises carry the whole portfolio.

EA kept compounding the live-services model, and the FY2016 record became the base for a decade of growth. The company that was voted 'worst in America' in 2012 ended the decade as one of the industry's most consistently profitable publishers.