EA Boss, Andrew Wilson, Earns $38.5M as Company Faces Layoffs Amid a Major Buyout

It has been confirmed via a 10K-Filing by EA to the US Securities and Exchange Commission that CEO Andrew Wilson has earned $38.6 million in the fiscal year 2026. This payout comes after a year of strong performances from EA's biggest franchises, advancements in AI technology, and waves of layoffs that affect teams working on Battlefield and Skate. It has also happened amid the moment in which EA is preparing to be taken private through a major buyout deal backed by outside investors.

Why Andrew Wilson's Pay Went Up

EA's annual financial filing shows that Andrew Wilson's compensation rose sharply because the company hit several goals tied to its biggest games. Battlefield 6 launched last October to strong reviews. EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) met its player and retention targets, and Skate reached its early-access milestones. EA has also recently pushed for more use of generative AI within its studio's development cycles, forming new partnerships with external AI companies and setting internal AI adoption targets.

All of this has been counted as a strategic success, leading to Wilson receiving a $28 million stock award on top of his already substantial $1.3 million annual salary. In addition to the stock award, Wilson was also granted $6.5 million in bonus compensation. This comes amid layoffs and uncertainty about the future among EA's studios.

As noted by Chris Kerr at Game Developer, these earnings represent a significant increase over his $30.5 million in the 2025 fiscal year and are over $10 million more than Wilson's earnings in 2024. The compensation on top of base pay is worth noting, as in 2025 it was recommended that Wilson use private air travel for all business AND personal trips - how very Swift!

Layoffs Across EA's Studios

Despite the strong performance of its major franchises, EA made major workforce reductions earlier this year. Teams at Full Circle (The studio behind Skate) and parts of the Battlefield team were affected. These cuts happened while EA was celebrating major milestone achievements for both series, which has left both developers and players concerned about the future.

Back in September 2025, we reported on Game File's interview with concerned EA employees. One employee stated:

These concerns are in addition to those over the future owners of Electronic Arts, the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which employees of EA have stated they do not believe hold similar values or beliefs as the investors.
Even successful franchises aren't fully shielded from cost-cutting decisions, and the company is continuing to reshape how its studios operate.

Massive Pay Increase Before Buyout

EA is currently in the middle of a major buyout that would take the company private. The investor group includes the aforementioned Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Silver Lake, and Affinity Partners, the latter headed by Son-in-Law to President Trump. EA believe that the move will make the company more stable amid financially difficult times, but also means less public transparency once the deal is done.

For players, this matters as EA retain full control over The Sims studio Maxis. Once the shift to private ownership ends, the decisions over workforce, budgets, and studio priorities will all be in the hands of the new investors behind the deal.

What are your thoughts on Andrew Wilson's exorbitant pay? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned to Sims Community for all the latest on Electronic Arts!