More than four decades have now passed sinceElectronic Arts was founded by Trip Hawkins, an Apple employee who wanted to focus on software and video game publishing. The company worked to bring games from independent developers to the market, and after a few years, started to buy developers so that it could keep everything under its own umbrella.
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Thanks to the company’s early start andthe consistent performance of its sports games, EA has been a major player in the video game industry since the early 90s. This has given the company the chance to publish some major milestones in gaming history, and collectors will pay surprising amounts for complete boxes of the rarest EA games.
All were taken fromPriceCharting.com, and were accurate at the time of publication. Only DOS and PC games will be considered.
$66.39
$164.99
New
$260.00
During the late 80s and early 90s, there was something of a rivalry between Origin Systems, the developers of theUltimaseries, and EA. This is because of theMagic Candleseries, which came out between 1989 and 1993. TheMagic Candlegames had a lot in common with theUltimagames that came out around that time, butMagic Candle 2did a few things differently likeallowing players to import their characterfrom the first game.
TheMagic Candlegames would ultimately be eclipsed by other RPG series, includingUltimaat the time and, later on,games likeBaldur’s GateandThe Elder Scrolls. However, the game still has its fans among retro RPG players. Because of that, and because of how hard it is to find a copy of this forgotten classic, it’s no wonder that collectors are willing to pay a premium for a complete box.
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$1,315.97
It’s the video game that launched an empire. Trip Hawkins wanted to create a football game as soon as he founded Electronic Arts, but he had trouble finding someone in the industry to endorse it. He then ran into issues with contracts after he farmed out some of the development toBethesda. However, despite all these problems, EA would releaseJohn Madden Footballin 1988 for the Apple II and then for MS-DOS and the Commodore 64 in 1989.
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Unlike its competitors,John Madden Footballuses a full team of 11 players and keeps track of simulation details like player fatigue and injuries. EA would later publish a football game on the Sega Genesis (also calledJohn Madden Football) that would rocket the series to prominence and startthe yearly cycle of EA Sports football games, but the original Apple II version is where it all began. Between its importance as a company milestone and how relatively hard copies are to find, it’s no wonder that this game is a hot commodity for collectors.
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Back before there was anyFallout, there wasWasteland. Developed by Interplay and published by Electronic Arts,Wastelandis an RPG that takes place in a post-apocalyptic version of the United States. Specifically, it focuses on the southwestern states since Interplay’s headquarters were in southern California. However, some legal issues with EA caused Interplay to developa new game with a new name,Fallout, while EA tried to recreate the magic ofWastelandin-house with the gameFountain of Dreams.
Not a single person who developedWastelandwould work onFountain of Dreams, but EA did its best to recreate the game engine and experience whilemoving the setting to a post-nuclear Florida. Like the laterFalloutseries, much of the game’s setting parodies modern America, but the story and game mechanics leave a lot to be desired. Still, this curiosity surrounding computer RPG history is worth a fair amount to collectors, especially since it didn’t sell well when it came out.
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$574.96
Fountain of Dreamsmay be a curiosity, butWasteland: Adventure in Post-Nuclear Americais the real origin of the wholeFalloutfranchise. While most computer RPGs of the time focused on fantasy settings and the occasional science fiction outing,Wastelandstruck out on its own by taking place in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity is recovering from a nuclear war. Love of the game has also led totwo modern sequels released in 2014 and 2020.
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Wastelandbroke a lot of ground when it came out, and not just because of the setting. The game features party members who don’t always obey the player’s orders, a persistent world where player choices have a permanent impact, and locations based on real-world geography. It also has a detailed storywritten out in an accompanying manual and paragraph booksince disk space was at a premium in the 80s, which is why the complete box is worth much more than a loose copy.
$155.68
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$685.00
The rivalry between EA and Origin would come to an end in 1992, which is when EA bought theUltimadeveloper. So, whileUltima 7: The Black Gatefeatures several subtle digs at EA,Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Islewould be an EA publication.Serpent Islewould also be the only “Part 2” of anyUltimagame to come out, and its rushed development cycle meant that the game’s story and length were much shorter than its creators had intended.
A few months later, EA and Origin releasedThe Silver Seed, an expansion forSerpent Isle. The expansion was also rushed out the door, so the story doesn’t make too much sense, but the developers still packed it full ofoverpowered weapons, items, and artifacts. EA would soon come out with a complete edition that packaged bothUltima 7games and their expansions together, which is why a complete box ofThe Silver Seedexpansion on its own is now one of the rarest EA games.
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Ultima Onlinewasn’t the first MMORPG ever created, but its minimal interface and promise of player freedom made it extremely popular during the early years of online gaming. It also helped that it came out two years beforeEverQuest, the first big 3D MMO. Unlike other retro EA games,Ultima Onlineis still being updated, and the developer in charge is currently a company called Broadsword. Even with all the updates though, the game maintains a retro feel and 2D graphics.
Plenty of expansions and editions ofUltima Onlinehave come out over the years, but none of them are as coveted by collectors as the Charter Edition. This was an intentionally limited edition of the game that was only available as a pre-order package in 1997, and EA only printed 10,000 copies. It even has a certificate of authenticity.Collector’s Edition stunts are fairly commonwithin the gaming community, but this is one occasion where the stunt has truly paid off.
