CNN Money has revised its Fortune 500 list for 2010 and sitting at 494th place is Electronic Arts. At no. 36, Microsoft stands as the only other direct competitor on the list.

Led by CEO John Riccitiello, EA has made great strides towards improving its image over the years, taking Google’s “do no evil” mantra to heart. In recent times, it has made several creative risks rather than predominantly relying on yearly rehashes of sports titles as a source of cash flow. In addition, its EA Partners initiative has been a huge boon to smaller and mid-sized development studios.

Back in the 90s, EA was deemed as a evil, greedy, monolithic corporation in the minds of the many gamers. How times have changed since then. In 2008, Activision CEO called EA a soul-sucking outfit that commoditized development. As far as public perception between the two gaming giants goes, the tables have turned, it seems.

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