EA’s Q4 financial statements were released to the public, revealing a strong final quarter.
According to the statement, EA’s digital net sales were up 20 per cent year-over-year, representing 61 per cent of the company’s total net sales. With titles like NHL 17, Madden NFL 17, FIFA 17and Battlefield 1, EA was the number one publisher in the Western World on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles (according to their estimates).
Battlefield 1 proved to be a hugely successful title for EA, with 19 million players joining the game, that number is a 50 per cent increase over Battlefield 4. FIFA 17 proved to be particularly successful with more than 12 million users engaging in the new “The Journey” mode while seeing a 13 per cent increase year-over-year in users playing FIFA Ultimate Team. Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes also saw a record high of 162 minutes per day of gameplay. Along with that, active users on The Sims 4 increased 33 per cent year-over-year.
“Fiscal 2017 was a milestone year for Electronic Arts, defined by groundbreaking games and live services that delivered more fun and connected more players with their friends,” said Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson in the financial release. “In Fiscal 2018, we are focused on innovating for our players with extraordinary new experiences across our portfolio, continuing to grow our global network, and extending our reach across new platforms and more ways to play.”
In terms of financial highlights and metrics, EA’s net cash provided by operating activities for Q4 sat at $407 million. Their net cash provided by operating activities for the fiscal year was a record of $1.383 billion. EA repurchased 1.5 million shares for $125 million in Q4, and in fiscal 2017, EA repurchased 6.5 million shares for $508 million. On top of all that, EA announced a new $1.2 billion, two-year stock repurchase program, allowing EA to purchase stock in the open market or privately negotiated transactions.
“We generated record net sales and operating cash flow in fiscal 2017, driven by our ongoing transition to digital as well as our increasing success with live services,” said Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen in the financial release. “Our long-term vision, to leverage deep player engagement to drive growth and profitability, is enabling us to execute on our near-term financial goals to increase revenue, earnings and cash generation.”
