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Just no experiments: The continued success of EA Sports FC encourages Electronic Arts to continue on its chosen path.
Actually, everything at Electronic Arts is as usual: the US company turned over $7.4 billion in the past 2023/24 financial year – almost three quarters of the revenue still comes from 'Live Services', i.e. from the sale of game currency, loot boxes and others In-game items. The deviations compared to previous years and the outlook for 2024/25: minimal. EA now wants to use the enormous cash flow surpluses for a share buyback program worth billions.
The figures presented are remarkable because they are the year 1 after the change of the traditional brand Fifa on the new series EA Sports FC to mark. The market and the fans completed the transfer without complaint: in Germany, too, the football game is ranked number one among the most purchased PC and console games in 2023.
The European Football Championship, which starts in mid-June, is likely to provide an additional boost: Electronic Arts has a free EM update for EA Sports FC 24 promised. Since yesterday, the game has also been available on the PlayStation Plus subscription service at no additional cost.
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Because things are going so well in the existing business, EA's willingness to experiment with new brands and business models remains limited. CEO Andrew Wilson also linked the dismissal of 670 employees in February with the message that the dependence on external licenses à la star Wars to reduce and focus on your own brands.
The company is consequently planning these innovations for the coming 2024/25 season (lasts until March of next year):
- EA Sports F1 24 (May 31)
- EA Sports College Football (Q3)
- EA Sports Madden NFL 25 (Q3)
- EA Sports FC 25 (Q3)
- EA Sports NHL 25 (Q4)
In addition to one that is still unannounced “Partner title” A title based on its own brand is supposed to appear – according to reports Dragon Age: Dreadwolf. In addition, there are the ongoing 'content updates' for existing titles: in 2023/24 alone, EA has more than 600 such expansions for Apex Legends, EA Sports FC, The Sims & Co. unlocked.
Away from the sports lines, the publisher is shooting for the next edition of the multiplayer shooter Battlefield a: Several internal studios – Motive, DICE, Criterion, Ripple Effect – are working on the successor with huge teams Battlefield 2042 from 2021. The sales forecasts for 2024/25 suggest, however, that with the Call of DutyCompetitors are not expected to arrive until April 2025.
Electronic Arts also has its own branch in Germany, the focus of which has changed substantially over the years. In Cologne's Rheinauhafen, over 140 employees are currently working on game content, primarily for EA Sports FC.
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