Electronic Arts: Share Buyback, Tracab Acquisition and Switch 2 as an Opportunity

EA released its Q3 report after lowering its guidance. EA Sports FC 25 regained momentum, a single Chief Technology Officer was appointed and Tracab Technologies was acquired. CEO Wilson sees Nintendo Switch 2 as an opportunity.

After lowering its targets for the third quarter due to weaker performances from EA Sports FC 25 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard (as reported by GamesMarkt), Electronic Arts has now released its quarterly report for October to December 2024.

EA Sports FC 25 & Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Commenting on the results, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson said:  "Q3 was not the financial performance we wanted or expected. We know as a leader in global entertainment, great titles - even when built and delivered with polished execution - can sometimes miss our financial expectations." Regarding the underperformance of Dragon Age: The Veilguard, he said: "In order to break beyond the core audience, games need to directly connect to the evolving demands of players who increasingly seek shared-world features and deeper engagement alongside high-quality narratives in this beloved category. Dragon Age had a high quality launch and was well-reviewed by critics and those who played; however, it did not resonate with a broad-enough audience in this highly competitive market."

EA Sports FC 25 got off to a strong start, but this momentum was not sustained throughout the quarter. This was partly due to post-launch acquisition cohorts waiting longer to purchase the new title, with many remaining on previous iterations, and partly due to weaker than expected engagement. In response to lower engagement with EA Sports FC 25, the company released a gameplay update in January that drove engagement levels above expectations, re-activating over two million Ultimate Team players from earlier in the launch cycle. Andrew Wilson: “The record success of our EA Sports FC 25 Team of the Year event demonstrates our creative teams’ ability to adapt, innovate, and execute at scale. As we build on this momentum across EA, we are confident in a return to growth in FY26 and beyond as we bring our next wave of iconic entertainment to players and fans worldwide.” In summary, the publisher points out that net bookings for the Global Football franchise have grown by more than 70% over the last five financial years.

EA Sports FC Mobile saw double-digit year-on-year growth in new players and engagement. American Football saw double-digit year-over-year growth in weekly active users in the third quarter and remains on track to exceed $1 billion in net bookings in fiscal year 2025. Net bookings in Apex Legends were down year over year in the quarter, but in line with expectations.

Q3 Report

In the third quarter, net bookings were $2.22 billion (-6% year-on-year; €2.13 billion). Within total net bookings, full game was $633 million (-3%; €607 million) and live services and other was $1.58 billion (-8%; €1.52 million). Net revenues were $1.883 billion (€1.804 billion) compared to $1.950 billion before the recent guidance reduction. Net income was $293 million (€281 million), three million more than last year. During the quarter, EA repurchased 2.4 million shares for $375 million (€360 million) under its share repurchase programme, bringing the twelve month total to 10.1 million shares for $1.450 billion (€1.392 billion).

"Today, we announced plans for a $1 billion accelerated share repurchase, which is expected to bring total stock repurchases to $2.5 billion within the first year of our $5 billion authorization," said Stuart Canfield, CFO of Electronic Arts. "This reflects both our confidence in EA’s long-term strategy and our ability to balance investment in growth with capital returns."

In addition, the EA management has made the strategic decision to unify the company's central technology functions under a single Chief Technology Officer, Matt Thomlinson. Wilson: "This alignment reinforces our commitment to embedding technology at the core of our business strategies and operations, enabling us to drive innovation, expand our creative canvas, build bigger and bolder experiences, and deepen our connections as a community-driven entertainment company."

Outlook

For the current quarter (Q4), EA expects net revenues to be approximately $1.682 billion to $1.832 billion (€1.614 to €1.758). Net income is expected to be in the range of $171 million to $263 million (€164 million to €252 million). The co-op game Split/Fiction will be released in March. The first two The Sims games have been re-released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the original game, while updates and kits in collaboration with creators are planned for the current game.

The next Battlefield game is expected in fiscal year 2026, which ends in March 2026. Just yesterday, a community-focused development approach (Battlefield Labs) was announced. College Football 25, which was particularly successful in the USA, will be continued this summer with College Football 26. skate. remains on track for launch this year on PC, console and mobile.

Nintendo Switch 2 is also an interesting platform for the publisher, allowing them to reach a target audience, especially for Madden and EA Sports FC. Wilson: "And then to the second part of your question around a new console, any time a new console comes into the marketplace, that's of a benefit to us. It gives us the ability to access and acquire new players Typically, we've had franchises performed very well on Nintendo platforms. Certainly, our expectation is that products like FC and Madden and others might find real energy on the platform as they have done in the past. When you think about something like the Sims and the MySims: Cozy Bundle, which performed well ahead of our expectations, 50% of all players were new to EA. That represents a great opportunity for us."

Last but not least, the publisher has acquired Tracab Technologies. Wilson: "Data is at the center of every meaningful advancement in sports today, and this group has developed best-in-class optical sports tracking, real-time volumetric data capture technology, and analysis capabilities that can extend EA Sports' lead, accelerating how we deliver more authentic, deeply immersive gameplay that mirrors the fluidity and excitement of real-world athletes and competition."

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