Despite being hated EA has strong brand recognition. They still sell millions of titles, and if Apple can get a few positive reviews by scrapping DLC they can give Apple Arcade a massive bump.Of all game company acquisitions they could consider, EA is probably the worst.
Maybe they could make it better, but why not go with one that has a better history/reputation and better games?
Then again, if their focus is on mobile games, then go for it. Mobile games are the worst, anyway, so this would be a fitting pairing.