If you like numbers, at this fiscal year-end period, you’ve got it! After Activision Blizzard, Nintendo, Capcom, Bandai Namco or even Ubisoft, it is the turn of another giant in the video game industry to show us its figures with several zeros.
We are obviously referring to Electronic Arts which has not stopped talking about it in recent hours by revealing in particular the release date of its future EA Play Live or by mentioning the sequel to Battlefield V.
After a 2019/2020 year with record profits punctuated by a tax transaction allowing many savings – Electronic Arts had transferred its licenses to a Swiss subsidiary to boost its revenues – the American firm is now back with figures lower as evidenced by results for the fiscal year ended March 31.
However, despite a return to normal on the profit side ($1 billion of operating profit and $836 million of net profit), the house of Andrew Wilson records a record turnover!
Once again, therefore, the health crisis did not get the better of the video game industry since the American giant posted $5.5 billion in turnover this year (against $5.4 billion in the year last over the same period).
| Time Period | Turnover in USD | Operating profit in USD | Net profit in USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 2019 – March 2020 | 5.4 billion | 1.45 billion | 3.03 billion |
| April 2020 – March 2021 | 5.5 billion | 1.04 billion | 836 million |
Obviously, this success is due to the two flagship productions of Electronic Arts, we named FIFA 21 and Apex Legends. The first has more than 25 million players on PC and consoles, a figure that is not very impressive given the success of the franchise.
However, we learn that FIFA Ultimate Team mode registers a total of 16% more players compared to last year’s chapter. For its part, the Battle Royale Apex Legends continues its path. After exploding its peak attendance at the launch of Heritage, Season 9 of free-to-play, we learn today that the FPS has generated more than a billion dollars in revenue since its launch.
But this rise does not intend to stop there since the American giant expects the title to record more than 750 million dollars in fiscal year 2021/2022.
The third and last star of the American box is none other than The Sims 4, the title of Maxis released for the first time in 2014. After more than fifteen extensions therefore, the life simulation now has a total of 36 million players.
Better, Electronic Arts also announces that the game recorded figures up for its sixth consecutive year.
The American firm also takes the opportunity to take stock of the video game industry, and as one might expect, the sale of dematerialized games has once again gained momentum. In fact, 62% of Electronic Arts console games were purchased from a digital store.
We also learn that the sale of games ultimately represents only 26% of the company’s revenue, which means that the remaining 74% of the revenue was made through the sale of subscription services or services. cosmetics (card packs in FIFA 21 and Battle Pass in Apex Legends).
What plans for the future?
With the release of Knockout City on May 21, that of Mass Effect: Legendary Edition in two short days, the launch of F1 2021 on July 16, 2021, the arrival of FIFA 22 and Madden NFL 22 on old and next-gen between July and September and the great return of the Battlefield saga at the end of the year, Electronic Arts is rather confident about the future!
The American company even intends to record once again a record turnover with $6.79 billion. However, the box leaves with a net profit well below what we were used to, namely $388 million.
As a reminder, we will learn more in the coming months about the various productions mentioned above since Electronic Arts will be back on Thursday, July 22, 2021 with a new EA Play Live. For its part, the next Battlefield will be unveiled in more detail during the month of June.