Electronic Arts Reports Lukewarm Fiscal Q4

Electronic Arts reported earnings for the quarter ending March 31, 2021, and the results fell short of expectations.

The “Madden” and “FIFA” publisher generated $1.34 billion in revenue in its fiscal Q4 2021 compared to $1.38 billion for the same period a year before.

Full-year revenue was completely flat at $5.6 billion — the same as fiscal year 2020. 

“FIFA 21” has amassed more than 25 million console and PC players since its October 2020 release, “Madden” added a record number of new players during the year, and “Apex Legends” reached 100 million lifetime players.

However, EA’s year may best be defined by its spending sprees and big-name partnerships.

• Completed its $1.2 billion acquisition of British racing game developer Codemasters in February.  
• Announced “EA Sports PGA Tour,” which will feature the Masters through an exclusive partnership with Augusta National Golf Club. 
• Completed its $2.1 billion purchase of developer and publisher Glu Mobile. 
• Acquired Metalhead Software, the Canada-based game studio behind the “Super Mega Baseball” franchise. 

Last week, Activision Blizzard — one of the few video game companies with stature equal to EA’s — reported $2.28 billion in Q1 2021 revenue, up 27% year-over-year.