Sales of latest soccer sim up 23 percent year-over-year, Origin platform rises to new user milestone; EA posts loss of $45 million for the quarter.
As part of its latest financial report today, Electronic Arts announced that FIFA 13 has sold over 12 million units through its third quarter, a 23 percent year-over-year jump. In addition, FIFA 13 digital net revenue topped $100 million for the three-month period ended December 31, up 98 percent compared to last year.
EA's Origin digital platform now has 39 million members, 17 million of which which are mobile users, the company said. By comparison, Valve has more than 50 million members. In all, EA has signed agreements with 86 independent developers for Origin.
Overall, EA's digital business saw gains during the quarter, hitting $407 million, compared to $377 million last year.
In total, EA posted net revenue of $922 million, compared to $1.06 billion this time last year. The company posted a loss of $45 million for the period, better than the $205 million hit the company took this time last year. EA CEO John Riccitiello called the quarter "challenging."
We are investing for the future wave of growth that we foresee in digital and console,
he said in a statement.
Other financial highlights for the period included the $50 Battlefield 3 Premium offering, which generated $108 million in sales and has now sold 2.9 million copies to date, up from 1.3 million last summer.
EA also called out mobile game The Simpsons: Tapped Out as a bright spot, noting it generated more than $23 million during the quarter. Lastly, the company said Dead Space 3 preorders are outpacing Dead Space 2 and Crysis 3 reservations are up 40 percent over Crysis 2.
Looking ahead, EA said it expects net revenue for its fourth quarter to land at $1.025-$1.125 billion, with net revenue for the full-year expected to hit $3.778-$3.878 billion.
During a post-earnings conference call, EA called Medal of Honor: Warfighter a "miss," saying it sold "well below our expectations." The company also said sales of NHL 13 are down year-on-year, due in part to the NHL lockout that was only just recently lifted.
In addition, the company commented on Star Wars: The Old Republic and its recent free-to-play switch. EA said early checks are proving positive, but it is too soon to tell if the business model change has been successful.
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