The highlight has already been communicated previously, but the presentation of the results is an opportunity to come back to it: FIFA 23 achieved the best launch in the history of the franchise with 10.3 million players recorded after one week. Regarding the number of copies sold, no exact figure but we know that sales are up 10% compared to FIFA 22 after 4 weeks of marketing. At the same time, the number of players in the Ultimate Team mode has increased by 6%. FIFA 23 setting a new record makes next year’s turn even more interesting, as Electronic Arts will need to overcome the disappearance of the FIFA name in favor of EA Sports FC.
Electronic Arts estimates that its network of gamers is 600 million active accounts, 200 million of which come from EA Sports games. Free-to-play and the mobile catalog help a lot, even if the bulk of EA’s turnover still comes first from console games (1 million euros), then from PC games (435 million euros). euros) and finally mobile games (299 million euros).
This sleeping giant who finds (a little) the taste for risk
These very good results are accompanied by a significant renewed interest on the part of EA for a certain diversification of its catalog. Because if additional content and microtransactions (Apex Legends, FIFA Ultimate Team…) represent more than ever the majority of the group’s income, it is no longer possible to blame EA for neglecting its investments in games with the traditional economic model. . Let’s mention the remake of Dead Space, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Dragon Age: The Relentless Wolf, the next Mass Effect or even the three action-adventure games recently signed with Marvel.
After the surprise success of a game like It Takes Two and while waiting for the next enlightenment of Josef Fares, the EA Originals range will also take an unusual bet with Wild Hearts, this monster hunting game signed Omega Force which has rightly the subject of some glowing comments by CEO Andrew Wilson. The latter explains that the choice to sell the game at a high price (79.99 euros on consoles, 69.99 euros on PC) stems from the fact that the project has continued to grow since the start of the partnership with Koei Tecmo. Impressed by the work of the developers, the game therefore finally became more ambitious than expected and the management of Electronic Arts believes that there is room to do something in the Monster Hunter genre.
For its entire financial year, Electronic Arts anticipates a turnover of at least 7.6 billion euros and a net profit of at least 880 million euros. And if confidence reigns, it is not for nothing. Because as much as the end of the year promises to be calm with Need for Speed Unbound alone, EA will be one of the major players in the congestion announced at the start of 2023. On the menu, the remake of Dead Space, the return of PGA Tour, Super Mega Baseball, Wild Hearts but also a representative of a “major license” to be announced soon. The pundits of EA may play secretive, this mystery game could simply be Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, announced last May for a release in 2023.
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