May 5 (Reuters) – Videogame publisher Electronic Arts missed quarterly bookings estimates on Tuesday, weighed down by a post-launch drop-off in engagement for its “Battlefield” franchise and sluggishness in its mobile business.
• While “Battlefield 6” enjoyed a strong launch late last year, the title has struggled with a slackening in player engagement, raising concerns about its long-term live-service revenue potential.
• “Battlefield 6” has seen “significant attrition” in engagement with the “most-played” metrics on Xbox and PlayStation down from the third quarter, TD Cowen analysts said in a note last month.
• EA reported fourth-quarter bookings of $1.86 billion, missing analysts’ average estimate of $2.0 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
• Profit rose to $461 million, compared with $254 million a year earlier.
• The upcoming launch of Take-Two Interactive’s “Grand Theft Auto VI” poses a threat to EA, as the biggest videogame launch of all time is likely to dominate player attention and discretionary spending.
• EA is preparing to go private in an acquisition led by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, along with private equity firms Silver Lake and Affinity Partners for $55 billion.
(Reporting by Anhata Rooprai in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)