FIFA Ultimate Team has seen a massive surge in revenue thanks to the lockdowns around the world due to the coronavirus pandemic. All of Electronic Arts’ online titles seem to have done well this quarter in general.
FIFA Ultimate Team Revenue Soars This Quarter
We get this information from an investors call that EA CEO Andrew Wilson and CFO Blake Jorgensen held recently. As per a report from gamesindustry.biz, FIFA Ultimate Team’s revenue rose 70% over the same quarter last year.
The article also mentions that tens of millions of new players have joined the Electronic Arts ecosystem through many of its popular franchises. “Engagement was broad-based, with net bookings for live services at extraordinary levels for FIFA, Madden, Apex Legends, the Sims and our mobile titles,” CFO Blake Jorgensen said.
FIFA Added Many New Players This Quarter
The FIFA series specifically added seven million new players in Q1 2020. This means that the game’s player base grew at double the rate it did in Q1 2019, which ended on March 31, 2019. FIFA Ultimate Team’s growth rate of 70% is also way higher than it was during Q1 2019. Last year, it was only 15%.
“We were having a strong Ultimate Team quarter. But I mean this is — this is off the charts different, right?”, Jorgensen noted.
FIFA Ultimate Team Features Loot Boxes
It’s interesting that Ultimate Team’s revenue continues to grow, and grow so quickly. This revenue comes from the purchase of FIFA Points through real-world money. Players can then use FIFA Points to open card packs which give them various items, including rare players.
These card packs are, in essence, loot boxes. Many countries around the world are starting to crack down on those. Belgium has already classified loot boxes as gambling, prompting EA to remove them from the game there. Recently, the UK government also took significant steps toward taking similar measures. The UK House Of Lords voted to classify loot boxes as gambling and regulate them under the Gambling Act 2005.
FIFA 20 is currently available on PS4, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch.
