EA's live-service model continues to perform strongly, with Apex Legends and sports-based content like FIFA Ultimate Team leading the way.
Due to the success of these titles, it seems like the ambitious Battlefield 2042 will follow a similar path.
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Battlefield 2042 Is More Like A "Service", EA Investing Heavily In Live Service Titles
CEO Andrew Wilson discussed Electronics Arts' progress in the company's latest quarterly earnings call.
Wilson announced a 6.3% increase in revenue for this Q1 FY22 from last year's first quarter. But there was a dip in net income to $204 million, compared to 2020's $365 million.
This decline can be partly attributed to the falling sales of full games, as these saw a dip of 19%.
However, EA's live service sales saw an increase of 13% thanks to the success of Apex Legends and FIFA 21, the latter of which has been played by 31 million people since launch. While Apex Legends experienced a weekly average of 13 million active players since the launch of Season 9.
With Apex Legends in its current 10th season and FIFA 22 set to arrive this fall, this category is likely to be strengthened for these productions.
EA is also applying a similar model to DICE's aforementioned shooter, as Wilson has made it clear to shareholders that "you should think of Battlefield as a service".
Acting as a 'foundation' for the franchise's future, Battlefield 2042 has been set up for a massive post-launch strategy. From the addition of regular assets from previous entries to Battlefield Portal and seasonal updates akin to a battle pass strategy, the next episode is certainly doubling down on the live-service strategy.
Ahead of Battlefield 2042's technical playtest next week, an upcoming short film in Exodus will examine the events that lead up to the highly-anticipated FPS.
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