Electronic Arts today reported sales for the three-month quarter running July-September, providing some insight into how the company is doing from a business perspective.
CEO Andrew Wilson said it was an "excellent quarter," with sales buoyed by the high-profile launch of Battlefield 1. The game's total player base after its first week was "nearly double" that of Battlefield 4's during its launch week, EA said, noting that Battlefield 1's player numbers continue to grow. Bear in mind that EA/Origin Access subscribers can play a trial of the game for free. The subscription service debuted in 2014, while Battlefield 4 came out in 2013. EA only said Battlefield 1's first-week player figure was almost double Battlefield 4's; no actual sales numbers were provided.
EA did not say how Titanfall 2 has performed, though it's less than a week old, having launched on October 28. An analyst said the game would be "substantially disappointing" in terms of sales, due in part to the fact that it launched between Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
Additionally, FIFA 17, after its first week, had 20 percent more "engaged" players compared to the first week of FIFA 16. Additionally, almost two thirds of FIFA 17 players tried the game's new Journey story mode. Another bright spot for EA in the quarter were the Ultimate Team modes for FIFA, Madden, and NHL games, which saw their collective net sales rise 15 percent.
In terms of financials, net revenue was $898 million for the quarter; 63 percent, or $566 million, came from digital channels. EA posted a loss of $38 million for the quarter, which is better than the $140 million loss that the company booked during the same quarter last year.
EA will hold an earnings call at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET today to discuss these results and answer analyst's questions. We'll report back if anything noteworthy is discussed.
Source: GameSpot
