Franchises help EA hit record revenues of $1.2bn

Electronic Arts has revealed record revenues of US $1.281 billion (EUR 983 million) for the Christmas period, driven by key franchises that dominated the charts in North America and Europe.

Need for Speed Carbon, FIFA 07, The Sims 2 Pets and Madden NFL all sold over three million units each, helping the third-party publisher beat analyst estimates and prompting renewed interest in company shares, which climbed over US $2 to US $52.80.

FIFA 07 was EA's biggest seller in Europe, with six million copies sold across the globe since launch. The Sims 2 has now shifted 10 million units, accompanied by 5 million copies of The Sims 2 Pets.

Need for Speed Carbon sold over eight million copies in North America and Europe during the period, while Madden NFL 07 has sold the same amount since launch.

Next-generation products accounted for 32 per cent revenue share in North America, with EA the number one publisher on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox, PC and PSP in North America and Europe.

"We are pleased with the performance of our products on next-generation consoles," commented Larry Probst, CEO of EA.

"In the year ahead, we plan to build on our leadership position on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3, and to significantly increase support for the Nintendo platforms."

Profits were down 38 per cent to US $160 million (EUR 122.8m), down from the previous year results of US $259 million (EUR 198.9m). North America was the strongest performing region, with net revenues up three per cent to US $637 million (EUR 489.2m), while Europe saw a rise in revenue of one per cent to US 583 million (EUR 447.7m).

Revenues in Asia were down 19 per cent to US $61 million (EUR 46.8m), and currency exchange rates impacted revenue by US $33 million (EUR 25.3m).