EA Sports FC hits 14.5M accounts in first month sans FIFA brand
The newly rebranded EA Sports FC registered 14.5 million active accounts on console and premium PC in its first four weeks according to Electronic Arts’ latest earnings report. This includes double-digit growth in new players for the franchise. In comparison, FIFA 23 reached 10.3 million players in its first week.
In 2022, FIFA and EA had a falling out when the global soccer/football governing body reportedly wanted $1 billion for franchise’s naming rights. The video game developer declined, hence the EA Sports FC rebrand. While the time period isn’t the same, it’s safe to say that fans returned regardless of the change in branding.
“They maintained revenue guidance, but increased EPS guidance by 25 cents a share, so the clear takeaway is that they are saving more from not paying FIFA a license fee than they had to spend to drive awareness of the re-branded EA Sports FC game,” said Michael Pachter, analyst at Wedbush.
According to the earnings report, EA Sports’ soccer franchise outperformed Q2 expectations with net bookings growing 41% year-on-year. However, this also includes continued earnings from FIFA 23.
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“The successful launch of EA SPORTS FC represents a profound achievement. We have reimagined and expanded one of the largest franchises in the world, setting new standards of authenticity, innovation, and social interaction,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts, during its earnings call. “Fan reception of FC has been extraordinary, expanding our already thriving global football community.”
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