The video game publisher Blockbuster Electronic Arts did not have much to do in its fiscal fourth quarter, apart from the release of the relatively small title of the independent cooperative A Way Out. But EA had a relatively strong profit, thanks to the strength of live services for games like FIFA 18 (and its game Ultimate Team) and Madden NFL 18 gameplay.
Some are concerned that games like Fortnite, which has become the most popular game in the world in the battle royale genre, could threaten EA’s revenue. But analyst Colin Sebastian of Baird Equity Research said such fears were “probably exaggerated” and EA sees that Barncomber from Epic will bring more players to Battlefield.
EA forecasts a relatively modest result in the first fiscal quarter ending June 30, with revenues of $ 720 million and equilibrium earnings per share. The big EA titles of the year include new titles from FIFA, Madden and Battlefield, as well as the original science fiction title Anthem, which will be released in early 2019.
EA will describe more about those titles at the upcoming Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June.
– “We expect innovation in this industry”, said Blake Jorgensen, EA’s chief financial officer, in a conference call with analysts. “We welcome games like Fortnite and PUBG, we do not believe that a game captures 100 percent of the market, it just does not happen that way, we believe that in the case of Fortnite the whole market has grown”.