EA's plan for exponential growth
Electronic Arts is already one of the largest publishers in the world, but EA CEO Andrew Wilson believes the company still has the potential for start-up-like growth ahead of it.
Speaking at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia + Technology Conference today, Wilson detailed the company's strategy for achieving this, and it starts with its big franchises getting bigger.
"If you fast forward ten years, there's probably going to be – I don't know, a dozen, maybe two dozen of these massive communities," Wilson said. "They're 100 or 200 million-plus communities; there can only be so many.
"We are very blessed in that we have FC, we have Madden, we have Battlefield, we have The Sims, we have Apex, we're building out Skate. So we're going to disproportionately invest in IP as a platform and really creating the new world that is the flywheel of engagement. 50 years ago, it was about cruise lines and hotels. Today it's about Play, Watch, Create, Connect around these massive online communities in the context of these extraordinary IP."
Wilson was particularly upbeat about the potential for the FIFA franchise as it switches over to new branding with the launch of EA Sports FC 24 later this month, a switch he expects won't even interrupt the series' stride.
"It doesn't take anything away from the game," Wilson said. "It doesn't take anything away from the community, but it actually allows us to do more in the game, both in the game and beyond the game. It allows us to work with more commercial partners, both in the game and beyond the game. It allows us to branch into things that aren't even game-related but are tied to football fandom globally. And it allows us to move unbelievably fast.
"Not to say anything about the previous
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