Electronic Arts (EA) on Tuesday forecast fiscal 2026 pre-orders above Wall Street expectations, as the video game publisher bets on strong performance from its sports titles and the launch of a new “Battlefield” game.
EA shares soared more than 6% in after-hours trading, with the launch of “Battlefield” this fiscal year filling the void left by Take-Two Interactive’s postponement of the long-awaited “Grand Theft Auto VI” in fiscal 2026.
EA’s positive outlook also signals the gaming industry’s optimism about sales resilience amid a sharp pullback in consumer spending amid macroeconomic swings triggered by U.S. tariffs.
“Going forward, we’re confident in our ability to execute on missions across the board, starting with this summer’s highly anticipated Battlefield,” said EA CEO Andrew Wilson.
Analysts say GTA VI’s delay reduces competition and could lead to higher sales for other video game publishers.
Due to its massive popularity, sales of the new GTA game are expected to break records within weeks and bring in billions of dollars in revenue, which could put pressure on games launching during their release windows.
Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said: “It’s always good to avoid GTA… Battlefield gives people something to look forward to and play until GTA launches.”
For EA, gamers are also choosing to stick with proven titles from its sports portfolio, such as the football series FC and Madden NFL.
Monetization at FC increased by double digits following the January update, the company said on Tuesday. The football team struggled earlier this year.
According to data compiled by LSEG, EA expects bookings to be between $7.6 billion (approximately Rs. 64,366 crore) and $8 billion (approximately Rs. 67,734 crore) in fiscal 2026, compared with an estimate of $7.62 billion (approximately Rs. 64,517 crore).
The company reported fourth-quarter bookings of $1.8 billion (approximately Rs 15,241 crore), beating expectations of $1.56 billion (approximately Rs 13,209 crore), helped by strong sales of its multiplayer action-adventure game Split Fiction, which became one of the best-selling games in March.
© Thomson Reuters 2025
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