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EA predicts $6 billion in sales by 2011

Publisher expects 71 percent revenue growth over next three years riding new installments in Sims franchise, expansion of Burnout, Skate, Need for Speed, Madden.

Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello is confident the company's revenue will jump significantly on the back of new properties and the overhaul of existing franchises. At an analysts' meeting yesterday, Riccitiello set a revenue goal of $6 billion for the company in fiscal 2011, with at least $900 million coming from digital revenue streams like downloadable content, subscription fees, and in-game advertising. That represents a growth of 71 percent over its 2008 fiscal year revenue, which it expects to hit roughly $3.5 billion.

To help it achieve that goal, EA is banking on the growth of existing franchises including Need for Speed, The Sims, Burnout, and Madden NFL. Equally important to the plan is the publisher's recently created or acquired intellectual property such as Skate and BioWare's Mass Effect.

Some of the steps the publisher is taking were revealed elsewhere in the company's daylong analyst conference. Burnout and Skate games are getting new releases by April 2009, and The Sims franchise will continue to expand. The publisher announced MySims Kingdom and MySims Party for the Nintendo Wii and DS, expected in the fiscal 2009 third quarter (this coming October through December) and fourth quarter (next January through March), respectively. In addition, MySims for PC is due during the holiday season, and SimCity Creator and Sim Animals have also been named.

Other new announcements made by EA yesterday included a release date of September 7 for Spore (and possible PS3 and Xbox 360 versions), Mass Effect coming to PCs and the reinking of its NFL licence until 2012.

EA's shares jumped more than 5 percent to close the day at $48.85 on the back of its analyst meeting.

64 Comments

  • DoomtheGrav

    Posted May 29, 2008 9:13 pm GMT

    This article's lack of spore is unsettling.

  • mrkame16

    Posted May 7, 2008 7:16 am GMT

    4 more years of the same ol Madden...i bought 08 i not buying 09, its the same game with a different cover and roster, dont be fooled people! thats how Ea has been getting over on us the gamers. they take the same game every damn year and add a little something different and call it all new!! thats BULL

  • SU1C1DAL1D1OT

    Posted Apr 13, 2008 5:30 pm GMT

    HELLO? SPORE??? Going to be an Awsome game, EA is good in some ways....

  • RockstarDX

    Posted Mar 29, 2008 2:43 pm GMT

    Oh yeah, they will when they buy out every other company out there instead of making good games.

  • efc91

    Posted Mar 5, 2008 10:45 am GMT

    Thats cool more Skate and Burnout

  • xxLordDavidxx

    Posted Feb 26, 2008 12:04 pm GMT

    So basically:

    "EA are greedy, they want to make money not to make good games".

  • tsiper

    Posted Feb 19, 2008 10:07 am GMT

    That sucks I was really hoping 2K sports would be able to make a NFL game some time soon Madden sucks!!!!!! AHHH looks like another long stretch of mediocre football games for the next 4 years! I really hope EA gets its but in gear and fixes Madden!

  • siiixon

    Posted Feb 15, 2008 10:26 pm GMT

    i'm not so sure, this days they forget thats its not about mass production but quality... every freaking game is the same and has nothing new to offer... i sure as hell not gona buy games that bore me

  • erikkup

    Posted Feb 15, 2008 11:59 am GMT

    Geez it is hard enough to predict a couple of quarters out much less 3 years. They are just trying to affect their stock price now.

  • ChudWarrior

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 9:51 pm GMT

    Greeeeeeed!

  • thekey

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 1:24 pm GMT

    Now I know why EA is so evil. Trip Hawkins, the founder of EA was the laughing stock of the video game world back in 94.(They also founded 3DO studios he also was the founder of Panasonic's 3DO console as well) Now he and his awful company is trying to take over the world.

  • Xgouse

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 10:35 am GMT

    I really doubt its going to be NFS if its anything like the last one.. I dont know but to me I think NFS is being played out... um yeah smoke and crashes finally... but where's the fun at it's almost a simulator from what i can see... to many of them already... just keep it fun and a rush like all the other 10 games... lol (been a fan since NFS so ) i just hope they get better instead of going down hill like they seem to be... thats my opinion I could be wrong... About the stocks good luck I know MAdden will helps... I also think Spore is going to help also... Anyway im sure i'll get a post saying i should post them some where else but whatever... I dont want to... jk... laterz...

  • theKSMM

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 9:44 am GMT

    Maybe I should snap up some EA stock real quick...

  • currere

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 9:23 am GMT

    just what we needed, more in-game advertising from EA...

  • ChuckNorris82

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 7:24 am GMT

    WOOOOO!!!!!!!! Yeah sexy!!! Mass Effect, Mass Effect!! 6 Billion.........dang

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 6:39 am GMT

    What you mean coming back? A new Burnout game came out this month or last month. Anyway, it's nice when a big publisher helps out the small companies but when they start buying up all the great developers, it's time to get worried. People, EA is getting near a monopoly, I can't wait till they get broken up.

  • kono11

    Posted Feb 14, 2008 4:19 am GMT

    Hey! Very cool!

  • IIBlackknightII

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 11:19 pm GMT

    Cool Burnout is coming back. 8)

  • KamuiFei

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 11:13 pm GMT

    If people would just smarten up a bit, and not buy the annual crap EA puts out just for updated rosters, maybe they'll take a hint. The only game thats even remotely worth looking at from EA is Dead Space, because it's actually something new from them.

  • kothgilmofo

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 10:39 pm GMT

    I wish skate 2 was coming sooner

  • nrCooldude

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 10:23 pm GMT

    i know i'm not the 1st one 2 say this but EA sucks!! cant they just leave good companies alone and let them make good games? and cant they put in some more time and effort with their existing games 2 actually make them good?? i haven't touched an NFS since most wanted.. and i played like 5 races in it

  • dexlove

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 10:08 pm GMT

    What the heck is a SimAnimal?

  • bunyipbrown

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 8:45 pm GMT

    I don't think we can call EA a "game development" company anymore. They're more of a computer game publisher now. And i agree with what some of you are saying. They are very successful, the biggest but certainly not the best. Its a shame, and seeing the same game come out every year really does give me a headache. But why do they do it, because we the consumers buy these games. I myself, now that i think about it, have about 6 EA titles on the current gen systems.

  • NiNtEnDo4eVa

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 6:30 pm GMT

    pretty pathetic. I hate EA with a passion. And I mean a PASSION, as I'm sure most gamers these days do.

    They have sucked everything dry, and it's painful to see them suck up the gaming industry even more in the next few years.

  • 09231991

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 6:00 pm GMT

    bcooper, your sooo right its not even funny. anyways I don't like EA that much cuz I hardly play any of their games anymore except like I played Airborne and I liked that but I hate sports games and racing games.

  • monkeyb412

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 4:49 pm GMT

    Heh just like EA for them to predict how much they'll make. man they dont care if its a good game they just want the money

  • Nintendus21

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 4:41 pm GMT

    "hair001 Looks like good times ahead for EA. They make good games and give their dev houses a good degree of freedom, the hate is unjustified and is "pick on the big guy" nonsense"

    They're crazy to think they're actually going to make that much wth the quality games that they've given us recently.

  • SolidusHo

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 4:25 pm GMT

    Shooting a lotta high, aren't we?

  • JackfnBurton

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 4:02 pm GMT

    Wow I can't wait for another mediocre installment in the NFS franchise. not to mention the continued decline of Madden. That fills me with such joy. If you guys over at EA could get on that ASAP that would rule. Oh and if I could have another 38 Sim2 expansions that add nothing to the game under the Christmas tree this year that would be AWESOME.

    And do me a favor, see if you can totally homogenize Mass Effect, completely killing off my enthusiasm for it's finally coming to PC. I feel the crushing disappointment would help make me a better person. Burton Out.

  • DanC1989

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 3:48 pm GMT

    Sequelitis.

    And please, if you're going to make another NFS...put some effort in this time.

  • agni_1

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 3:16 pm GMT

    I bet they will make six billion..I mean their policy is to make every game available for every single console starting from the atari 2600 so this wouldn't be a surprise. I still hate them though haha

  • phalluman

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 3:09 pm GMT

    ea does good work. they put money into the companies so they can improve their projects. what exactly do you think ea does? just gobble up companies and screw up the projects?
    get off the bandwagon and think for yourselves.

  • Gruug

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 2:32 pm GMT

    The good news in all of this is that not one dollar will be coming out of my pocket.

  • skateboard1587

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 2:26 pm GMT

    if they mess up mass effect 2 somehow i swear to god...

  • JmanZero

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 2:19 pm GMT

    leave it to EA to suck every franchise dry

  • Pete5506

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 1:58 pm GMT

    Mabe if Ea starts making good games

  • HighNMitey

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 1:51 pm GMT

    That is insane. I remember when the very first sims came out and then they just keep mass producing these expansion packs... whatever sells seems to be where their minds are.

  • bcooper565656

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 1:22 pm GMT

    more bad wii games. If you ask me 85% of games on wii suck.

  • Zerosumgame

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 1:03 pm GMT

    EA predicts there will be no EA in 2011.

  • Nikalai_88

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:57 pm GMT

    I'm sorry but Activision releases a bunch of crap also.

  • darkreign7

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:51 pm GMT

    I can has good Army of Two game then?

  • mr_killer_man

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:50 pm GMT

    I hate I brought ProStreet. It sucks with out free roam. Why have cars with 1000 hp and go around a circle?

  • Avenger1324

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:40 pm GMT

    $6bn is how many Sims expansion packs?

  • mertron1

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:36 pm GMT

    their having a laugh.....that's a bold statement to say 3 years from now when nothing is certain...for one thing to i'm sure many other games companies will have something to say about that....especially vivendi.

    yeah we all know EA make some good, many poor games. the poor one's due to too much saturation and poor rehashes...which is a shame. but at the end of the day its just another games company..albeit the biggest...we as gamer's know that as long as their are good games out their and boy their sure are..by other game companies and publisher's EA aint getting near that amount...vecause we decide not them....i thank you.

  • Lumenadducere

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:34 pm GMT

    Good for them.

  • razu_gamer

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:22 pm GMT

    great, more party crap for Wii.

  • akuya32

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:22 pm GMT

    Well anything is possible in todays world. With increasing prices and the purchase of some good developers it could happen. As long as decent games hit the shelf I myself will be happy. I just hope they don't ruin Mass Effect in the future. Its a great game with a great start. I'm not a big gaming sports fan since Madden, NCAA and NBA games are just awful as of late, but there is always a chance things will get better. We will just have to wait and see, but honeslty, I could care less.

  • Attack_Dog

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:17 pm GMT

    No anime crap for me :]

  • Petri87

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:17 pm GMT

    @hair001 - I agree 200%. EA does what every publisher dreams of doing. Releasing about 50+- games a year. And the reason they can do that is because they are HUGE. They have so many developer houses in ther stable that they can release a game under normal development conditions witch is 1-3yr. And EA has so much money that the developers that are owned by them get bigger budgets then they could have dreamd of otherwise.
    What EA is doing is helpind the developers since otherwise they wouldnt be owned by them and would have left the company a long time ago.
    Even GregK(Associate Producer for C&C3 Tiberium Wars PC), CarryG(EA Mythic) and Amer Ajam(Producer at EA LA)work at EA so it cant be a bad place to work at. And i dont think they would stay there if they are forced to make bad games. And they know bad games.

  • CasinoOutlaw247

    Posted Feb 13, 2008 12:14 pm GMT

    I am all for survival of the fittest in the business world but, there is a line between arrogance and success. I'll, without a doubt, purchase Spore for the PS3 (if it happens) and the new Burnout. Other than that my gaming $$$s are going to other companies like Capcom and Konami.

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