Imagine a world where big video game corporations actually listened to the players who’ve been with them since the ‘80s.
Imagine a world where Electronic Arts (EA) didn’t just squat on a ludicrously luxurious pile of classic video game IPs, letting them rot slowly in the Californian sunshine outside their Redwood City HQ.
Now, EA might argue that they don't need to touch those old IPs. After all, FIFA and Madden rake in the mega spondoolies through microtransactions in Ultimate Team modes with every minor iteration. So why take a gamble on reviving something that might not hit their golden profit margins? But if that’s their guiding logic, then maybe—just maybe—EA has forgotten what it means to be a video games company. One that creates games for fun, not just as an exercise in marginal gains and digital IP hoarding.I found myself thinking about this in the shower (as all great gaming epiphanies begin), trying to recall as many EA titles as I could from my golden era—the glorious ‘90s. And as soon as I started, a whole flood of them came rushing back. Games that absolutely deserve a reboot in 2025 or beyond.Now imagine a world where EA tapped up smaller studios to take on these passion projects. Not mega-budget reboots with 8K textures and ray tracing. I’m talking sequels that look like their '90s predecessors—pixel art, isometric views, chiptune soundtracks—but with the game design sensibilities and polish of the 2020s.
The one that always springs to mind for me? The Strike series. Desert Strike, Jungle Strike, Urban Strike—absolute bangers. Imagine a new entry in the series picking up where Urban Strike left off. Keep the iconic isometric viewpoint, maintain the pixel art aesthetic, layer in some modern mission design—and. You’ve got something fans in their 40s and 50s (myself included) who would snap this game up without hesitation.
So, what did I do next (post shower + trousers)? I donned my video game monocle, deerstalker hat and pulled together a definitive list of EA-published titles and began combing through them to find the ten EA franchises I’d love to see reborn. Call it nostalgia, call it a Wishlist—but I think it’s more than that. It’s a call to action for a publisher with one of the deepest back catalogues in gaming to remember where the magic started.
Take a look at my Top 10 EA IPs that deserve a comeback. And if I’ve missed a gem, let me know—there’s plenty of space in the Games Freezer for another resurrection.
10. Skate Or Die - 1987 🛹
History:
Reboot Idea: 
Isometric arcade combat-meets-trick system: Think Tony Hawk meets Streets of Rage, with stylish combos, wall-grinds, and rail slide takedowns. Pull off cool tricks and beat rival gangs to take back turf across city zones. You can hang out at the mall.
09. Black & White - 2001 👹
History:
Reboot Idea:
The land is procedurally generated, and each player’s world is unique. You need to rebuild your influence, nurture civilizations, and raise a creature that reflects your divine philosophy—benevolent, tyrannical. Every action affects your world’s ecology, culture, and the creature’s evolution. Villagers build temples or rebel based on your choices. You can pet the wolf.
08. Populous - 1989 🌍
History:
Reboot Idea:
Imagine a tilt-shift aesthetic inspired by tabletop dioramas with optional retro filters that mimic the 16 Bit-era look. Getting back to the roots of the series with an easy to understand set of UI icons and some seriously cool god effects. Let's aim for Armageddon!
07. SimCity - 1989 🏠🏭🏗️
History:
Reboot Idea:
The world is rebuilding after a global technology collapse. You’re a new mayor in a decentralized age, where cities must be smart, sustainable, and socially resilient. you get to choose from quirky advisors like a punk urbanist, a corporate futurist, or a retired mayor from the ‘90s and each one offers different bonuses and advice to achieve rebuilding your city in a post tech era where you have to concentrate on building smart cities with appropriate sea walls and renewable energy resources.
06. The Immortal - 1990
History:
Reboot Idea:
The Immortal is ripe for a dark, atmospheric pixel art reboot that leans into its eerie dungeon-crawling roots while embracing modern design. Real-time melee and spellcasting with parry, dodge, and counter mechanics. Think Hades meets Dark Messiah—visceral, weighty, and brutal. Spells are crafted from runes found in the dungeon. Combine them to create custom effects—fire walls, time slows, spectral clones, or cursed familiars. Inspired by the grotesque pixel art of the original—now reimagined in 2025 pixel art as flesh golems, whispering shadows, and cursed dragons. You can leave a trail of jelly beans so you don't get lost in the dungeon.
05. Road Rash - 1991
History:
Reboot Idea:
Stylized realism with a gritty comic-book edge. Think Borderlands meets Twisted Metal. Take part in combat racing across an open world and scavenge for materials to build upgrades for your bike. Build rivalries against other riders and aim to become the Road Rash King Of The Road! Take part in a retro mode where you can race like it's 1991! You can fu*k the motorbike.
04. Desert Strike - 1992
History:
Reboot Idea:
Just go right back to the start and jump in your chopper for a classic isometric top-down tactical combat view with some modern physics, destructible environments, and dynamic weather. As you progress you can customise your chopper back at base. You can stroke the chopper.
03. SSX Tricky - 2001
History:
Reboot Idea:
More SSX please and this time lets have Courses that evolve mid-run—avalanches, collapsing ice bridges, and shifting rails. Hidden shortcuts and alternate routes rewarding exploration and risk-taking. A hype system that reacts to your performance in race with a DJ and crowd animations and sound effects. You can wax the boards.
02. NFL Street - 2004
History:
Reboot Idea:
American Football is banned in the mainstream league after a massive game changing corporate scandal, but the streets never stopped playing. In Breakpoint, underground crews battle for turf, clout, and legacy in a global street football circuit that spans rooftops in Tokyo, subway tunnels in NYC, and desert scrapyards in Nevada. You can fondle the egg ball.
01. Burnout 3 - 2004
History:
Reboot Idea:
Instead of looping tracks, let's interconnected districts—like a scaled-down open world—where crash junctions and races naturally flow into each other. CPU opponents adapt mid-race, hold grudges from previous encounters. Real time damage engine that creates wonderful smashes. Include the ability to create your own crash junctions and to be able to share them with other players to have fun with! You can stroke the exhaust pipe.
Can You Think Of Any EA Gems That I Might Have Overlooked?
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