EA Boasts Record Revenue, Pledges Nintendo Support

Gamastura reports on EA's record-breaking revenue for the 2006 Christmas season. The company reported $1.281 billion in their revenue stream, fueled by the Sims, Madden, and Need for Speed franchises. The company's financials talk was also a surprise opportunity to pledge support for Nintendo consoles. Electronic Arts aims to be 'the #2 publisher' for the Nintendo DS and the Wii. The company has 15 products already in the pipe for the two platforms, with a DS version of both Spore and The Sims slated for release this year. This move, CEO Larry Probst was quick to point out, is not at the expense of the other systems. Their acquisition of the Headgate studio has given them additional resources, and they are choosing to 'aggressively' pursue the marketplace.

Re:This is a sad sentence to read.

[Anonymous Coward]

The company reported $1.281 billion in their revenue stream, fueled by the Sims, Madden, and Need for Speed franchises.

See the subject line. If it needs explanation, you'll probably never get it.

Why do so few Slashdotters appear to be interested in these genres? I rarely hear them talk about driving games and I never hear them talk about sports games. Despite this, both show up quite frequently in the top 10 [washingtonpost.com] of game sales charts. The Sims, which consistently dominates PC game sales, is talked about more often, but far less than Final Fantasy games, which don't show up in top-10 charts very often.

Someone is buying all these sports sports and driving titles. Doesn't it leave a pretty huge segment out of the discussion when Slashdotters talk about how this or that console will "win" because it plays this or that type when so many of the people playing some of the most popular games aren't represented? HDTV is very popular among sports fans relative to the general population, so doesn't it leave a gaping hole in the discussion of whether or not HDTV is necessary for game consoles when only geeks talk about it?

We are Geeks, but most people aren't. Lots and lots of non-geeks play video games. Presumably they're also buying lot and lots of game consoles. Why do we presume to know so much more about what console will "win" than they do? All we have to do is look at the sales charts to realize that they're as likely or more likely to decide which console lands on top in the new generation.

EA would like to thank....

[Anonymous Coward]

... the hoardes of developers working 60 hour weeks for a pittance so that we could release Super Sims Expansion 2039 and Madden Year++ Edition.

Oh, wait, that's praise. Clearly a perk. BACK TO THE COALMINES WITH YE.

Re:profits were down 38%, maybe 50% without tricks

[Anonymous Coward]

profits were down 38%

On increased revenues? Sounds like the company's up a creek. If sales tank next quarter (because they've flooded the market seeking raw sales), I'd look for a loss.

Thank you for your insight, Mr. Business Analyst. I guessed you missed the first class, where we learned that it takes three points to make a trend.

Please come back to us with the data for the last three quarters, so we can see if your amazing prediction still holds true.