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1537510cookie-checkElectronic Arts Admits Battlefield V Flopped And Did Not Meet Q3 Sales Expectations
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2019/02

Electronic Arts Admits Battlefield V Flopped And Did Not Meet Q3 Sales Expectations

It has been confirmed by Electronic Arts during the company’s Q3 financial report that DICE’s 2018 FPS game, Battlefield V, did not meet Q3 sales expectations. This information forced EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, to say “we did not perform to our expectations.”

After the whole “uneducated” mess, and the December 1st, 2018, BFV launch event that brought forth the “#everyonesbattlefield” debacle, we now have official word that Battlefield V “got woke” and “went broke.”

Just today, publication site hollywoodreporter.com explained the following situation regarding the controversial title that is known as Battlefield V:

“Games like Battlefield V and mobile title Command & Conquer: Rivals failed to live up to expectations for EA, the video game company disclosed in its latest quarterly earnings report.

Total revenue for the quarter came in at $1.3 billion, an increase from last year’s $1.2 billion, though the figure was lower than EA expectations for the time period. Net revenue for Q4 is expected to be approximately $1.163 billion while net revenue for the fiscal year 2019 is expected to be approximately $4.9 billion.”

The publication site would even cite Wilson, the CEO of EA, and report:

“Wilson said on an earnings call on Tuesday that the game’s release date, which was pushed back due to development issues, “moved it into a competitive holiday market.” He also noted that the popularity of Battle Royale games hurt the game’s performance (Battlefield V does not currently have a Battle Royale mode but has one planned for release in Spring this year).”

Behold, news outlet Bloomberg followed up on the above report and noted the following points from the Q3 conference call:

  • The company blamed sluggish sales of its Battlefield game, and upgrades to the title — including a battle-royale mode — won’t come until later.
  • Fortnite and Red Dead 2 also provided distractions, Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said: “It’s always a battle, for time more than a battle for money.’’
  • It’s no secret that the industry is going through a period of upheaval as gamers forgo console games and embrace battle-royale-style titles like Fortnite. But the pace of decline in EA’s packaged goods was still eye-opening, with net revenue down 15 percent to $1.55 billion in the 12 months that ended in December.
  • The holiday season is traditionally the strongest for video-game makers, but EA’s report is likely to cast doubt on whether that trend held last December. Take-Two Interactive, which reports earnings Wednesday morning, has already been facing doubts about the popularity of its Grand Theft Auto Online during the Christmas season.

In addition to the above information, Wilson would even take to ir.ea.com and ea.com to relay the following information:

“The video game industry continues to grow through a year of intense competition and transformational change. Q3 was a difficult quarter for Electronic Arts and we did not perform to our expectations. We are now applying the strengths of our company to sharpen our execution and focus on delivering great new games and long-term live services for our players. We’re very excited about Apex Legends, the upcoming launch of Anthem, and a deep line-up of new experiences that we’ll bring to our global communities next fiscal year.”

COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen followed up on Wilson and noted:

“FIFA stands out as a robust franchise through a tumultuous year in the video game industry. Elsewhere in the business, we’re making adjustments to improve execution and we’re refocusing R&D. Looking forward, we’re delighted to launch Anthem, our new IP, to grow Apex Legends and related Titanfall experiences, to deliver new Plants vs. Zombies and Need for Speed titles, and to add Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order to our sports titles in the fall.”

Overall, Wilson and crew believe Q4 and FY20 will be better since they will see the release of Battlefield V’s Firestorm (battle royale mode), Anthem, a new Need for Speed title, Apex Legends, and a “new shooter game.”

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