EA Shows Off Q4 Financials, SimCity Sells 1.6 Million Units

News
By Catherine Cai
published

Looking at SimCity's disastrous launch, one wouldn't expect EA to be having a great year. But according to EA's fourth fiscal quarter financial reports, the publisher is doing just fine. SimCity managed to pull off a respectable 1.6 million in sales, despite negative reviews and poor reception to the game's online-always gameplay. Battlefield 3 Premium generated over $120 million in revenue in March alone, and has raked in 3.5 million subscriptions. FIFA '13 was also a great success, as it sold over 14.5 million units, a 30% increase over FIFA '12.

EA's non-GAAP total revenue for Q4 was $1.04 billion, up from last fiscal year's $977 million. EA's GAAP total revenue was $1.209 billion, down from FY 2012's $1.368 billion.

EA's financial figures also reveal how much more reliant on digital sales the company's becoming. GAAP Digital Net Revenue was $453 million, up from last fiscal year's $412 million.

All in all, EA's fiscal year 2013 marked a drop in revenue compared to last year. GAAP Net Revenue was $3.797 billion, compared to last year's $4.143 billion.

EA's financials show that the company's on pretty solid footing. The company didn't neglect to mention its Disney deal to create Star Wars games, although no fruit will come of it until after March 2014, the end of EA's next fiscal year.

Catherine Cai
25 Comments Comment from the forums
  • kj3639
    This will encourage bad behavior.
    Reply
  • stevejnb
    It could be that this is "bad behaviour"... Or it could be that the bubble world of internet forums and comment sections like Tom's Hardware don't scream bloody murder in the face of always online requirements. Don't get me wrong, I don't like it and I can see the pitfalls, but, when I tell people I know "don't buy that, it's always online" a lot of them say "so what?"
    A lot of people don't think this is that big a deal. These sales support that. The next XBOX, if it IS always online, will probably let a lot of you here down and sell like hotcakes. This is the future - get used to it.
    Reply
  • julianbautista87
    It's like people like to be abused... How in earth could they buy that game with the horrible DMR and the bad reviews?
    Reply
  • amoralman
    If we just accept it, then it's coming for sure. AFAIK, XBox Durango will NOT be always online after all. I guess forums do make a change (well, depends on the forum's rep and size of course).
    Reply
  • dkcomputer
    I wish EA would die a swift death. This star wars thing might give them more life, I'm still in shock that Disney gave the rights to the voted #1 worst company in america.
    Reply
  • bustapr
    i wish theyd look at these 1.6 million sales as a failure simply because of the shear amount of sales that were lost because their ongoing problems. I wouldnt be surprised if this game sold double had it not had all those universally experienced problems.
    Reply
  • nevilence
    I remember when games made bu EA use to excite me, they use to be good and reliable, now I cringe, what happened EA
    Reply
  • stevejnb
    Yeah, vote me down all you want, but... Does anyone honestly think that 20 years from now people will blink twice at an always online requirement? Were any of you alive when seatbelts became legally required in cars, and remember the outrage the people voiced over that? Doubt it. I'll bet a lot of them thought they were going to get their way too.
    Reply
  • CarolKarine
    MARCH 2014 BATTLEFRONT 3
    Reply
  • stevejnb
    Yeah, vote me down all you want, but... Does anyone honestly think that 20 years from now people will blink twice at an always online requirement? Were any of you alive when seatbelts became legally required in cars, and remember the outrage the people voiced over that? Doubt it. I'll bet a lot of them thought they were going to get their way too.
    Reply