| Type | Subsidiary of Electronic Arts |
|---|---|
| Industry | Interactive entertainment Computer and video games |
| Founded | May 1992[1] |
| Founder(s) | Andreas Axelsson Olof Gustafsson Fredrik Liliegren Ulf Mandorff |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Key people | Karl-Magnus Troedsson (CEO) |
| Products | Games Battlefield series Mirror's Edge Game engines Frostbite |
| Revenue | SEK 359.377 million |
| Operating income | SEK 26.279 million |
| Profit | SEK 19.185 million |
| Total assets | SEK 212.944 million |
| Total equity | SEK 115.936 million |
| Owner(s) | Electronic Arts, Inc. |
| Employees | 280 (2011) |
| Parent | Electronic Arts, Inc. |
| Website | DICE.se |
| References: 2010 Annual Report.[2] | |
EA Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment AB (EA DICE, or just DICE) is a Swedish video game developer, wholly owned by Electronic Arts, best known for the Battlefield video game series and Mirror's Edge.
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DICE was founded in May 1992[1] in Växjö by four people: Ulf Mandorff, Olof Gustafsson, Fredrik Liliegren, Andreas Axelsson, members of the former demo group The Silents.[3][4][5] The Silents' work is visible in some DICE games. For example, The Silents used the acronym TSL; this acronym is visible in Motorhead on banners and signs. According to the Motorhead manual, TSL is said to stand for "Trans-atlantic Speed League", a case of a backronym.
For an extended period of time, while the employees were also students at Växjö University, the company's office consisted of a small dorm room. During those days the company developed popular pinball games for the Amiga computers, such as Pinball Dreams, Pinball Fantasies and Pinball Illusions. The company moved to Gothenburg in 1994 where it was headquartered until 2005, when that office was merged with the ex-Refraction Games office in Stockholm.
In 1998, the company was registered on the Swedish stock exchange. Although Codename Eagle received a small cult following, the biggest break for DICE was the release of Battlefield 1942 and its sequels and expansions. The Battlefield series jump-started their popularity. In 2004, the total value of the company was estimated at approximately US$55 million.
In January 2000, the company bought Refraction Games and 90% of Synergenix Interactive. This was followed in March 2001 by the acquisition of Sandbox Studios in London, Ontario, Canada.
In November 2004, Electronic Arts announced their intent to purchase all outstanding shares in Digital Illusions CE at a price of SEK 61 per share. The board of directors of Digital Illusions CE recommended that the company's shareholders accept the offer. Electronic Arts owned 62% of Digital Illusions CE on March 31, 2005.
On October 2, 2006, EA completed the acquisition for SEK 67.75 per share for 2.6 million shares, for a total of SEK 175.5 million. Digital Illusions CE was renamed EA Digital Illusions CE,[6] and CEO Patrick Söderlund became an EA Studio General Manager.[7] DICE Canada, which at the time was being run by DICE co-founder Fredrik Liliegren, was closed down immediately upon acquisition.[8]