CEO Andrew Wilson states EA ‘reignited’ momentum for EA Sports FC in financial Q4

Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson stated EA “reignited momentum” for EA Sports FC in the 4th financial quarter ended March 31, 2025, after a “short-lived downturn” in financial Q3.

The January gameplay upgrade– which was the greatest live service upgrade EA ever introduced in FC–
integrated with outreach to the gamer neighborhood and our Team of the Year occasion, “led to a real brand name structure minute with our fans,” he stated. Feedback enhanced and the cadence of flow-up updates assisted the momentum continue.

That assisted internet reservations can be found in well above expectations with gamer engagement up double digits following the January upgrade. EA’s engagement with fans went back to regular levels and ended the quarter up. EA’s stock rate increased 5.45% to $162.96 in after-hours trading.

Mobile development assisted by web shop

FC Mobile likewise went beyond expectations with engagement and acquisition up year over year as an outcome of our ongoing concentrate on hyperculturalization, a web shop launch last quarter driving more significant net reservations, and an effective Team of the Year program, he stated.

That remark about a web shop launch is considerable, as Impressive Games won an antitrust court fight with Apple about whether video game business can promote inside their App Store apps that they have lower rates off the App Store. Web stores can include a great deal of traction to mobile video games, as they indicate the video game maker no longer needs to pay up to 30% of profits to Apple or Google.

Even as it does this, EA likewise works carefully with the platforms. Wilson stated FC Mobile will play an essential function in deepening gamer engagement beginning with the recently-announced collaboration with Apple and MLS around incorporated streaming and cross-platform fandom with the very first match streaming next week.

EA Sports FC Mobile brand-new gamer acquisition and everyday active users were up over 20% year over year. FC Mobile stays an essential tactical effort to grow the reach of the soccer franchise.

“A fantastic presentation of how we’re growing our audience through FC Mobile is the truth that the 4 biggest mobile markets, consisting of areas throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia, are various from our 4 biggest HD markets,” Wilson stated.

Not just is the soccer video game service frequently the leading computer game in the western hemisphere, it is likewise among the biggest sports home entertainment platforms worldwide, he stated.

EA’s American football video games throughout Madden NFL and College Football throughout console and PC grew double digits. Hours played were up 68%, causing net reservations of over $1 billion dollars– up over 70% year over year, Wilson stated.

This quarter, American football continued to carry out well-beyond the college season-ending championship game in January and the Super Bowl in February, Wilson stated.

Post-season engagement and money making continue to play a more significant function as gamers and fans want to EA for their sports home entertainment in the off-season. The current NFL Draft was a prime chance to continue to link Madden NFL and College Football through high worth, prompt material to produce continuous engagement, link with fans year round, and drive gamer retention as EA heads head into the next financial year.

In addition, UFC 5, F1 24 and NHL 25 provided constant quality and deepened gamer connection throughout the portfolio. The EA SPORTS App, presently in soft launch with La Liga in Spain, is providing favorable early signs of engagement and retention enhancing the vision to turn into the world’s leading interactive sports platform.

“Looking ahead, we prepare to widen our reach into extra markets with brand-new tactical partners, while gradually boosting the app experience through broadened functions and more individualized material,” Wilson stated. “Our focus stays on driving day-to-day engagement, cultivating neighborhood interaction, and supporting long-lasting worldwide development.”

In an expert call, Wilson stated, “We have a huge aspiration around developing the biggest football neighborhood in this nation and truly being a leading digital football fan platform through interactive home entertainment. The launch of college football this previous year was simply the primary step.”

Wilson included, “And once again, I acknowledge that there was probably up need, having actually not released the franchise for 10 years. I ‘d likewise state, provided the quality of the video game that our group constructed, offered the level of engagement that we had from the fan base.”

He stated the groups are developing a much deeper connection in between college and the NFL video game this year, along with developing out much larger environments around the combined franchise in future years.

“We will continue to grow this company in line with the development of the sport and gain from the continuous uptake of young fans with interactive
home entertainment,” he stated.

Non-sports home entertainment

When It Comes To Split Fiction, the brand-new IP from Josef Fares’ Hazelight Studios offered 4 million copies, which CFO Stuart Canfield stated was two times the expectations. Nevertheless, EA laid off individuals throughout the quarter at Respawn and other parts of EA as an outcome of “straightening resources, handling expenses, and concentrating on our most significant chances.”

In FY26, EA is releasing 2 of our most renowned franchises, Skate (which EA spells skate.) and Battlefield.
Constructed as a vibrant live service, Skate is developed to grow along with its neighborhood, using brand-new methods to reveal imagination, design, and development with time, Wilson stated. Early gain access to is can be found in the 2026.

Battleground screening

Turning to Battlefield, EA is taking a modern-day, player-first method to structure, screening and marketing this next level experience. Through Battlefield Labs– the most significant playtesting effort in franchise history– EA is engaging gamers previously and more meaningfully than ever previously, screening at scale, and confirming core gameplay experiences, Wilson stated.

“Hundreds of countless individuals have actually weighed into this and actually provided us feedback that are going to assist us tune and stabilize this unbelievable scale video game. And as we now move into the next stage, we’ll begin to open to a broader audience, generating more throughout North America and Europe, and beginning with Asia,” Wilson stated in the expert call.

Through play sessions with a core group of Battlefield gamers throughout Europe and North America, EA has actually finished countless hours of gameplay, and the action has actually far surpassed expectations: over 600 thousand gamers have actually registered for Labs to date, together with an incredible 350 million views of Battlefield
material because our statement.

“We stay strongly on track for a FY26 release, with a significant international expose later on this summertime,” he stated. Luckily, Rockstar Games stated GTA VI is releasing on May 26, 2026, well out of variety of Battlefield.

Wilson stated this about AI: “I likewise wish to take a minute to speak about how AI is powering our future. We see AI as an effective accelerator of imagination, development, and gamer connection. Throughout our groups, we’re buying brand-new workflows and abilities to incorporate AI to improve how we develop, scale, and individualize experiences– from vibrant in video game worlds, to providing genuine professional athlete and group similarities at amazing scale.”

He included, “Our designers are utilizing AI to press the borders of what’s possible in style, animation, and storytelling, assisting us provide much deeper, more immersive gameplay. This has to do with enhancing the power of this innovation to open brand-new possibilities for the future of interactive home entertainment.”

Canfield stated that 2025 outcomes consisted of net reservations of $7.36 billion, down 1%. The American football video games went beyond $1 billion in net reservations, up 70% from a year earlier. That development was balanced out by softness in Apex Legends.

Complete video game net reservations was $2.02 billion, up 1%, driven by strength in EA Sports College Football 25 and brand-new hit releases consisting of Split Fiction and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, which balance out prior-year contributions from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and softness in EA Sports FC 25 complete video game sales.

Live services net reservations were $5.34 billion, down 2%, showing an approximate 4 point headwind from Apex Legends in addition to an approximate 3 point headwind from the December and January softness in FC Ultimate Team. These headwinds were partly balanced out by the strength of American Football.

EA has actually lined up Skate and Battlefield for launch throughout the that ends March 31, 2026. That’s on top of releases consisting of EA Sports F1 25 on May 30, and 4 other EA Sports titles for the quarter ending September 30– EA Sports College Football 26, EA Sports Madden NFL 26, EA Sports NHL 26 and EA Sports FC 26.

The macro envrionment

One motivating thing: Wilson and Canfield didn’t blame headwinds produced by tariffs or a hard economy for anything.

Wilson did get a concern about the macroeconomic environment and if that would soften need. Would he pursue greater cost points and analyze prices power for the IPs?

He stated that the business’s greatest franchises have actually carried out well over the years, though they have actually no been immune macro occasions. He stated the brand names have actually been “exceptionally resistant” even in hard macro times.

“Typically, we’ve seen our most significant franchises carry out effectively, and there’s actually great factor for that. Home entertainment is an essential human requirement. It’s been seen at the start of time. At this moment in time, our kind of home entertainment is the very first kind of home entertainment for much of the worldwide population, which grows every year as our market continues to grow,” Wilson stated. “And we represent extraordinary worth. When you consider the quantity of cash a video game cost the quantity of cash it costs to extend and improve that throughout 365 days, it still represents amazing worth to get that home entertainment repair.”

He stated EA thinks it can continue to provide “unbelievable home entertainment experiences, even in a world where we might not be immune from a significant macroeconomic downtime. We do think that we will be resistant, and we do think that we can grow throughout time through that in regards to prices power.”

Inquired About GTA VI’s hold-up, he stated, “I’m uncertain I can talk about the remainder of the market and their launches or launch timing, aside from to state generally today, video games take several years to construct and establish, and it’s not likely that if you weren’t currently prepared to introduce in this window, it might be difficult to prepare and make the most of what may be otherwise a less competitive window that we might have prepared for previously relative to Battlefield. What we’ve stated the whole time as we’ve been developing towards a window that we believed made the most many sense of Battlefield, however we would not release into a window that we believed truncated the worth that we’ve invested into the franchise, or the worth that we believe our gamers will stem from it once they leap in and begin playing. I believe now, without going too far, our company believe that window is clearer than it was in the past, and we feel excellent about releasing Battlefield” and other video games.

Canfield Battlefield was developed over more than 4 years by several video game studios. EA has actually brought that expense throughout the years, and quickly the reward from that financial investment will come.