De Sims 4 blijft ook ruim twee en een half jaar na haar release groeien, zo blijkt uit de resultaten van kwartaal 1 fiscaal jaar 2018 van Electronic Arts. Andrew Wilson, CEO van EA, laat daarin weten dat de maandelijks actieve spelersaantallen van De Sims 4 met meer dan 20 procent zijn gestegen tegenover vorig jaar. Dat is iets minder dan het vorige kwartaal toen de groei nog zo’n 33 procent bedroeg, maar betekent nog altijd dat de franchise verre van dood is.
Uitbreidingspakketten De Sims 4 belangrijke pijler in winst EA
Ook qua opbrengsten blijkt De Sims 4 ook nog altijd een van de pijlers van EA. Van de netto winst van $ 775 miljoen (€ 663 miljoen) en $ 420 miljoen (€ 359 miljoen) op Live services, downloadbare content of anderzijds uitbreidingen op een game, wordt De Sims 4 namelijk naast recentere games als Battlefield 1, Mass Effect: Andromeda en FIFA geplaatst als een van de top games binnen die sectoren. Noemenswaardig is daarbij ook dat uitbreidingspakketten voor De Sims 4 het “extreem goed” blijven doen en hun beste jaar beleven. Weinig redenen dus om het hele DLC-model van De Sims 4 te gaan wijzigen gezien het blijkbaar erg goed blijkt te werken.
In het onderstaande report kun je de belangrijkste stukken die zijn gepubliceerd nog eens nalezen. De rest kun je vinden in dit blogbericht van EA of in dit archief.
Electronic Arts reports Q1 FY18
Our first quarter of FY18 was an outstanding start to an exciting year for Electronic Arts. Engagement in our live services across console, PC and mobile was exceptional, demonstrating the strength of our digital business that evolves daily to meet the needs of our players.
Revenue and EPS for the quarter were above our guidance, and we had our highest Q1 operating cash flow in EA history.
Our live services today continue to grow with more passionate players, connecting with their friends through our network and having more fun with the games they love. Our EA SPORTS live services were thriving through Q1, engaging more players on multiple platforms. Unique players in Ultimate Team grew 11% year-over-year through Q1. In our mobile business, FIFA Mobile expanded to more than 95 million unique players, and NBA LIVE Mobile grew to more than 70 million unique players. Our Sims community continues to be strong: monthly active players in The Sims 4 increased more than 20% year-over-year in Q1, and we’re excited to have a new Sims Mobile game in soft launch. And in Battlefield 1, our community has grown to 21 million unique players experiencing an extensive live service, with monthly updates, in-game events and missions, and the largest expansion packs in franchise history.
[…]
Yesterday, we announced that The Sims 4 is coming to Xbox One and PS4 players this November, bringing the same unique gameplay and self-expression from the PC game to console players. Much of the content added post-launch on PC will be included, with more game updates to come.
[…]
Selected Operating Highlights and Metrics:
Digital net sales* of $3.147 billion for the trailing-twelve-month period represents 63% of total net sales, up 23% year-over-year.
- Ultimate Team total unique player population grew 11% year-over-year.
- Battlefield 1 had more than 21 million players joining the game as of quarter end.
- Monthly active players for The Sims 4 on PC increased more than 20% year-over-year.
- FIFA Mobile unique player base grew to more than 95 million.
- Since launching its first season, NBA LIVE Mobile has engaged more than 70 million unique users.
Selected Financial Highlights and Metrics:
All financial measures are presented on a GAAP basis.
- Net cash provided by operating activities was $176 million, a record for the first fiscal quarter.
- Net cash provided by operating activities for the trailing-twelve-months was a record $1.872 billion.
- In Q1, EA repurchased 1.4 million shares for $150 million.
[…]
Net sales for the quarter were $775 million, up $93 million on the prior year, and $25 million above our guidance. There was an FX headwind of approximately $16 million compared to the prior year. The outperformance relative to guidance was driven by Ultimate Team, The Sims 4 and FIFA Online 3. Year-on-year growth was driven by the Mass Effect: Andromeda sales captured in the quarter and by FIFA.
Live services net sales were up 22% year on year, to $420 million. The growth was broad based, driven by FIFA Ultimate Team, Battlefield 1, and The Sims 4. The esports mode in FIFA Ultimate Team continues to attract new players and drive engagement. Notably, Sims 4 expansion packs continue to perform extremely well, and the last twelve months have been the best in the title’s history. Both EA Access and Origin Access are up year on year. Remember we have merged “Extra Content” and “Subscriptions, Ads and Other” into this Live Services category.
