EA just posted its Q2'20 earnings and they're pretty good.
The publisher jammed together three of big sports titles in the same quarter (Madden 20, FIFA 20, and NHL 20) and reaped rewards from their combined live services. Live service earnings are up 50% YoY to $493 million and represent 62% of total digital net bookings for the quarter.
Thanks to this success, EA says it will "double down on live services and core franchises." Not necessarily live services in core franchises, but that seems to be hinted at too.
Some highlights:
• The number of FIFA Ultimate Team unique players increased 22% year-over-year.
• The number of Madden Ultimate Team unique players increased 19% year-over-year.
• Apex Legends has had 70 million players life to date.
• The Sims 4 monthly average players are up more than 40% year-over-year.
From a press release:
Wonder if this is more evidence that Dragon Age 4 and the new Mass Effect game will have mTX/live services? Or if it's just the sports games that'll stay monetized the way they are?
The publisher jammed together three of big sports titles in the same quarter (Madden 20, FIFA 20, and NHL 20) and reaped rewards from their combined live services. Live service earnings are up 50% YoY to $493 million and represent 62% of total digital net bookings for the quarter.
Thanks to this success, EA says it will "double down on live services and core franchises." Not necessarily live services in core franchises, but that seems to be hinted at too.
Some highlights:
• The number of FIFA Ultimate Team unique players increased 22% year-over-year.
• The number of Madden Ultimate Team unique players increased 19% year-over-year.
• Apex Legends has had 70 million players life to date.
• The Sims 4 monthly average players are up more than 40% year-over-year.
From a press release:
"The strong results this quarter illustrate the power of our live services and our core franchises. Strength in Ultimate Team, The Sims 4 and FIFA Online drove live services performance above our expectations," said COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen.
"Looking ahead, we are doubling down on live services combined with our core franchises. We're investing in games that people play for longer and engage with much more deeply. This focus will continue to drive growth and profitability for the company through the remainder of this year and beyond."
Wonder if this is more evidence that Dragon Age 4 and the new Mass Effect game will have mTX/live services? Or if it's just the sports games that'll stay monetized the way they are?