It was a publicly traded company back then also. I'm sure there has been plenty of upper management, board of director, shareholder changes
(for better or worse, worse imo) which have influenced EA a lot since the Janes games.
I agree with you that gaming becoming mainstream has changed the industry, and also the overall global competitiveness, opportunities, threats, economic downturns in 2001, 2007-2008, competition against consoles, and shareholders desiring greater returns have made all publicly traded gaming companies (not just EA) more focused on revenue instead of games like the olden days.
That's why I love ED games so much, because they are private and they can keep all their decisions in house instead of appeasing shareholders. IMO I don't like the mainstream approach or the way big gaming companies are headed, all I can do is vote by not buying any of their games and purchasing their stock...but then again, it's just my opinion. :)