In fiscal year 2017, EA achieved record numbers. Especially FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1 performed strongly.
Publisher Electronic Arts has published its financial figures for fiscal year 2017, which ended on March 31. The company generated a total revenue of 4.8 billion USD. In fiscal year 2016, this was still 4.4 billion. Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen referred to a “record revenue,” while EA CEO Andrew Wilson even called it a “milestone for Electronic Arts.”
Especially the digital sector was crucial for this growth. Here, the company was able to generate over 3 billion USD. This corresponds to 61% of total revenue and represents an increase of 20% compared to the previous year. Particularly, digital full game downloads (+43%) and live services (+31%) saw massive increases.
According to EA, they are therefore the “number 1” publisher in the West on PS4 and Xbox One in fiscal year 2017 – at least based on available sources and estimates by EA.
FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1 with strong player numbers
The top titles FIFA 17 and Battlefield 1 are largely responsible for the success, for which EA announced the player numbers.
The World War shooter boasts over 19 million players – which represents a 50% increase compared to Battlefield 4 in the same period. However, it should be noted that player numbers cannot be equated with sales figures.
FIFA 17 was also highlighted: EA Sports’ football simulation counts over 21 million players. 12 million of them have at least checked out the story mode “The Journey,” which was the biggest innovation of this FIFA installment. The “Ultimate Team” mode continues to grow: compared to the previous year, there is a growth of 13%.
The “Ultimate Team” mode is extremely profitable for EA. Hundreds of millions of dollars flow into the coffers each year through this mode alone. Jorgensen had already stated months ago that they could envision applying this system to games like Battlefield.
