Battlefield 4? No, no, everything’s fine.
“We have taken an early leadership position on the next-gen consoles [in Q3 2014],” boasts EA’s Andrew Wilson. In the US, EA achieved a 40% segment share on the PS4, 30% on the Xbox One, and “every gamer in Europe that bought a next-gen console is playing one of EA’s next-gen games,” presumably FIFA 14. Yes, there was a very slight dip in revenue; EA expected to make $1.65 billion, and only made $1.57 billion in non-GAAP revenue. But, Wilson insists, this has more to do with weakness in last generation sales across the board in Q3, when Xbox One and PS4 came into ascendance. That will affect the yearly profit margin, but it’s not something EA’s too worried about now the shiny new hotness is here.
Battlefield 4 wasn’t a subject that could be avoided. However EA did its best to sweep its remains under the rug, with Wilson saying that its launch was “a complex effort” across multiple platforms and, while there were issues, The Battlefield Team acted swiftly to redress the problem. “And they continue to make refinements as part of our live service to ensure a great game experience for all Battlefield 4 players.” So that’s all right then.
When asked to comment on Battlefield 4‘s current sales trends, Peter Moore admitted sales were a little sluggish, but attributed it to decline in Xbox 360 and PS3 sales in general, something that was happening across the board and not just to EA’s troubled modern warfare title. “This game has got a long tail, as you well know, and we will continue to be able to sell this effectively throughout the next fiscal year,” said Moore.
Source: Seeking Alpha
Published: Jan 29, 2014 02:32 pm