Earning calls are a great way to get inside the minds of a large publisher to see what is on the horizon. EA held their Q4 and end of the fiscal year earnings call today. While a lot of the call was focused around numbers (very large numbers we might add), there was some information released that is relevant to the normal consumer. Below is a list of things discussed in the earnings call that we think need to be highlighted.
- EA was the top publisher in Western markets in the March quarter, and the top publisher of iOS games for fiscal year 2013.
- Battlefield 3 Premium generated over $120 million through the March quarter.
- FIFA 13 sold over 14.5 million units in fiscal year 2013. That is 30% more than FIFA 12.
- For fiscal year 2014 (FY 2014), EA plans on releasing 11 major titles, which include Battlefield 4 and The Sims 4.
- The Sims 4 will feature a connected feature for users to share items in the game, but it will not require always-on DRM to work.
- The new Star Wars games will borrow from the films, but will feature unique stories and innovative gameplay. All the Star Wars games will be on the Frostbite 3 engine. EA said they will not release a Star Wars game in FY 2014.
- Since Star Wars: The Old Republic went free-to-play, more than 1.7 million players have registered, and they have over 500,000 players that log in regularly. Profits have doubled since adding microtransactions.
- Origin has an install base of 47 million devices, 27 million on PC, 20 million for phones.
- NBA Live will be making a return to the EA portfolio, and it will be shown off at E3 this year.
- The biggest focus for EA in FY 2014 is to have a strong lineup for next generation consoles that launch this holiday.
- A question was raised about Battlefield 4 and having premium content for the next game from DICE. While EA did not confirm anything about expansions for Battlefield 4, the language used insinuated that it is something they are looking into.
- EA said they are in a better position for the next generation of consoles than they were for the previous console change. They will be relying heavily on Frostbite 3 for next gen games.
- EA is very confident about their lineup at E3, and will be showing off some next gen games they have been working on.
The biggest question on everyone’s mind is when we will see the first Star Wars game from EA. While they said that no Star Wars game will be released in FY 2014 (April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2014), it would not be surprising if they announced a Star Wars game at E3 that will release in FY 2015. Other than that, EA said they are relying heavily on the EA Sports brand and Battlefield 4 for FY 2014.
In regards to FIFA, one question was raised about the World Cup 2014 edition of FIFA. It would not be surprising to see EA bring out a World Cup game, but it was not said if it would be a standalone game, or if it would be DLC, similar to Euro 2012. As the World Cup is a global event, it is safe to assume it will be a standalone game.
Financially, EA said they are in a great position. They briefly touched on the reorganization of the company that happened recently, saying that it was to focus on their bottom line and streamline the company.
Well, I’m excited for E3 now! Bring on the games!
