Good Job Voting With Your Wallets: EA Made 71% of Their Revenue Through Live Service Games

“Games such asApex LegendsandFIFA Ultimate Teamhave proven time and again that they are massive money-makers over long periods of time.”

“Over the past few years, live-service games have grown to become a truly gargantuan concept, and the industry is quickly adapting to the idea of continuously updating, changing, and even reinventing successful titles to keep players coming back for more. Even companies such as Sony have begun to lean in this direction, with thePlayStation CEO convinced of live services' successin the coming years.”

Good job voting with your wallets everyone. You’re really making a difference!

I can honestly say they've seen no money from me for these type of games.

I think you’re speaking to the wrong audience. The problem with the whole “voting with your wallets” concept is that those with the largest wallets can control the vote. A small group of whales can easily eclipse a much larger group of average gamers.

Not from me, haven't even bought a game from them in the past few years let alone paid any extra money for BS like that.

That’s only half the battle. Folks need to pump money into the games they want in order to get publishers attention. Waiting for games to go on sale, or getting them used is counter productive to the cause.

Then there’s folks like in that discord meme, where they are “boycotting” games for one reason or another, but they end up buying them anyways.

Gamers are bad.

Must be their sport games full of microtransactions. Those will no doubt be their biggest sellers, Fifa and Madden. Throw on top of that BF2042 and what else they have last year that wasn't a live service game that wasn't the Mass Effect trilogy.

Keep in mind this is money made from live service games, it doesn't break down how much of that is accounted for through microtransactions versus the sales of those games by themselves.

Gave them a fat $0 in mtx. In the future, if i am interested in an EA game, i'll grab them used on the ps5. It what it is, EA.

There making all there money off sports games period. There pigeon holded into a few sports game and the house cards could fall at moment with the government saying this is gambling thats trash and get rid of the gambling packs.

@goldenelementxl: Eh, I don’t really fault people for waiting for sales. A lot of people have limited income. Suggesting that they need to “pump money” into the games they want simply to get publishers attention just doesn’t really seem right to me. I get the whole “support what you like” concept but what you’re saying comes across as telling people they should simply try to throw more money at a publisher then the whales do.

I’m skeptic about the whole people boycotting a game but then buying it anyway. Is there really that much of them to make a difference one way or the other? Are they even that genuine either?

Haven't bought an EA game since inquisition.

Apex is a big money maker for them, too.

I lied, I bought the Mass Effect Trilogy last year but zero money was spent on live service nonsense.

@goldenelementxl: Hard to say if that means much of anything. People do and say all kinds of stuff on the internet for shits and giggles and anything in between. Are they even putting in much money into EA’s Live Service to make much difference?

Last penny EA saw from me was from Jedi Fallen Order. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Companies will realize for every live service game that succeeds their are dozens of failures.

Only a fool would believe that an extreme minority of gamers would have an effect on gaming.

Same

Apex has made $2 Billion in three years, with the expectation to make $1 Billion a year soon.

Boycotts do not work with only a small minority; they require the efforts of thousands of organized people to be effective. Interesting, there is no advocacy group for gamers while there is an advocacy group for the gaming industry.

Gamers need to get organized and advocate for their cause just like blue-collar workers, school teachers, police officers, senior citizens, racial and ethnic groups, taxpayers, etc. do. At this time, I am not seeing happening.

With the cash Apex is printing, no wonder they wanted heroes in a Battlefield game. Good thing BF2042 blew in their face.

Well, they make the NFS games, license for madden (which is still a money printr), and FIFA which is a European money printr. Now they have these new kiddy games like apex or whatever.

I think Archangel is correct here though. I thought I remember reading an article here on Gamespot or somewhere else recently that indicated a lot of the spending on these useless microtransactions are from whales with large amounts of money to just blow rather than the majority of us peasants that don't have that kinda scratch and only pay for things when we can (as well as not buying into the mtx stuff). I could easily see a bunch of whales just blowing money left and right on the cosmetics of these games and not giving a single ****. From what I've seen, they also don't care to be aware of the bad things EA (or any company) has done so they most likely don't check out websites or forums. Just blow their money.

It's unfortunate, but we can only do so much if the whales keep at it with the bad spending habits.

@poe13: I wonder why these "whales" (I never seen this word used to refer to big spenders of useless things before) feel the need to waste huge amount of money on useless things. Has it to do with enhancing their social prestige (a practice called "conspicuous consumption")?

Haven't spent a penny with EA since Andromeda, and this board is not where you will find the general audience for apex and fifa which are undoubtedly making up the lions share of that revenue.

Who gives a shit what people buy? Spend your money on what you want, and don't worry about what others spend theirs on. It's always funny to me that most of the people who complain about live service games and not liking microtransactions don't even like paying full price for games in the first place. The problem with that line of thinking is that the games wouldn't even exist if there weren't others there picking up your slack. You like a product? You have to pay for it to keep it on the shelves and for continued updates, it's really just that simple. I don't mind spending some money here and there to support what I like. Sure, often times games are incomplete at launch these days which is complete bs, but people expect games to get continued support when the money dries up? That just isn't how things work in ANY sector of business or everyday life.

Do I like predatory microtransactions and targeting of certain demographics? Of course not, but just like with any other thing in life there isn't anyone else to blame but yourself if you either don't have the restraint to not overspend, or you get mad that you don't have the same amount of money as someone else that buys everything. That's life, and it won't effect you as long as you stay in control and still beat those people playing in $50 skins.

There are plenty of games to play that aren't pay to win, and cosmetics don't do anything for anyone. Now, if the rumors about getting easier lobbies in Warzone are true if you buy new skins... well, I am completely against that, but as long as things are just optional and don't effect gameplay while still ensuring we get new content all the time then screw it, they can buy everything they throw out there, and I'll just buy the stuff I want.

@WitIsWisdom: I care because publishers follow the money. Then they force developers to change their games to include the money making trends. This often ruins games. Just look at what happened to Battlefield. Never underestimate the power of corporate greed and its destructive nature.

If that is all they are offering, how can gamers vote with their wallets.

Also Konami made 36% more profit than the year before, so I guess not making any real games anymore and making the worst game ever is the way forward?

Jeeze...it's hard to find a starting point.

#1. We are now the minoroty

Despite our continued efforts to keep these forums (and quality gaming) alive, we are trying to hold back the river. What can 5 people do against a million?

#2. Whales

If that's what is truly controlling the gaming market, then I don't know what to do... besides not playing the game. But I just can't believe a handful of richeez are that into all these games; enough so that the millions of normies mean nothing? I just don't buy it... haha, or new games. The last new game I bought was Modern Warfare (to play with friends) in 2019. Phase #3

#3. Pay less, play more

Between Steam, subscriptions and shitty games, we have been conditioned to not pay for quality... only quantity. They have always tried to get the bills out of our wallets, but instead of selling US magic, they switched it with fentanyl... and marketed towards the kids. Even with @GoldenElementXL 's pic, that's at best 2,000 out of 10 million. We are the gnats that built this tower.

I come here to voice my opinion, confirm/deny my suspicions, learn, and to try and recapture what once was. And even though I believe this glorious pastime is forever ruined...I still have hope. And although some of you drive me up the wall...I would take you over the average any day.

@BassMan One of the best scenes in movie history

Just because GameGaters® and Gamers™ spend their lives on Twitter and forums crying about the ownership of their precious hobby that doesn't mean they have that much of a significance on the market share. I'm fine with it, as long as the indie scene is wealthy I couldn't give two craps about the AAA space transitioning from shitty single player to shitty live services.

Not playing the game could be a start. That takes a level of self control too many people lack.

Always serves as a wake-up call for those who think SW in any way mirrors the general gaming public couldn't be more wrong. :P

This is why modern gaming is 90% trash.

Just have to hope indie scene continues to improve (not nearly as amazing as some would claim it is if you ask me)

As for the bigger companies ... I wish they would let devs who actually give a shit about their franchises have a crack at them instead of letting them collect dust ( or just sell them off ).

I guess i'm part of the problem..

I have no issue spending a few bucks to buy a skin or item for a game i'm enjoying.. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Well that explains why I haven't bought or played a game from them for like two years or whenever BFV was released.

We are by far the minority. I mean who do you know in real life posts on a video game forum? I mean shit there's only like 20 of us that post here more than a few times per day lol.

@onesiphorus: My guess is there is no need for whales. They just blow money and don't even blink. Money for them isn't as crucial as it is for us regular workin' Joes who need to buy groceries and pay rent. They have money to blow and to hell with us or anyone who says they shouldn't. So then the industry shifts to cater to these types of people rather than people who play games for fun and get the unlocks in games by progressing normally rather than paying for more mtx.

Why should a company spend a few years and lots of money to pump out a $60 game with perhaps some dlc planned later when they could make an Apex Legends, Halo Infinite, Warzone, Fortnite, etc and just charge money for in-game bullshit? Those games are making lots of money because for some reason (whether its whales, stupid people wasting their hard-earned cash, or a mix of both) they are netting a lot of profit. Six years ago there were articles about GTA5's Shark Cards bringing in a whopping $500 million and that was back then. Just imagine what that figure is now. Rockstar put two games out in the last 9 years (not including remasters) and people are blowing their money on in-game crap to net this company hundreds of millions of dollars every year....on an in-game currency. So why would they work on a game when they can just milk the Shark Cards?

It sucks.

Personally I've had no reason to buy anything from EA since BF1. Regret that purchase too, but at least it was somewhat playable.

Yeah, I see what you're saying, but BF 2042 isn't trash because of microtransactions, the game is just bad.

I want to see a list of games people truly feel were ruined by predatory microtransactions that are not pay to win type games. Sure they are a dime a dozen on the mobile side of things, but I just don't see how payed aesthetics ruin an otherwise good game.

I get that people want an all in experience, but microtransactions in games these days, and especially in online multiplayer games are generally what keeps the game alive (since the cats on top demand certain profit margins). Personally I'd rather be bombarded with choices that don't effect gameplay rather than be forced to pay for dlc which often does little more than fracture the player base.

Games you never hear about such practices in and are actually praised quite often are MMO's and several of them are the worst of all... Paid DLC's, monthly subscriptions, boosts, extra slots, and extremely overpriced skins and aesthetics. Why don't we hear more people complaining about games like FFXIV rather than games like Warzone?

I guess in my opinion that non pay to win cash shops beat the alternative of forcing people to pay for updates. Several of the people I have played with over the years never bought dlc or updates which either forced me to continue to play old content or dish out the money to get them onboard, so personally I like seeing the trend of moving away from paid dlc in online multiplayer games (for the most part) in favor of cash shops and battle passes, but that's just me I guess.

@WitIsWisdom: Battlefield has slowly been poisoned by greed and chasing casuals for a while. It started in BF4 with the paid shortcut kits. Then you had the loot crates in BF1. Then they went live service in BFV with lots of paid customization, elites, chasing the BR trend, etc.. Now there is 2042 which has no identity because it had such a troubled development and had its design changed multiple times because they couldn't figure out if they were making a BR, an extraction shooter, or a BF game. Now we are stuck with specialists, shit maps that don't suit the game modes, and an overall broken mess that is still missing many features and is very light on content. So, yes, BF has been ruined by greed and chasing casuals and it is not even a pay to win game.

If "corporate greed" concerns gamers, why continue to support gaming? Why not find another hobby where corporate greed is not an issue?

If corporate greed and other negative aspects really bother me, I will just leave gaming and find another hobby. It is not just that I need gaming in my life as I need food or water.

Because there are still good games out there that are worth buying. Not every game has been corrupted. Support the good ones.

I don't spend a dime on Fifa, and Apex Legends got boring ages ago like every battle royale game gets boring after a point. I like a proper competitive game in comparison, so I'll continue to do my part of not supporting the EA machine.

Not from me. I haven't bought an EA game in years. Not because I am boycotting, they just have not released anything I am interested in for quite some time. If I do get interested, I will play it on Game Pass Ultimate.

"But the customer is always right..."

*death stare*

Luigi's not thrilled with this news.

People are willing to invest time and, money into the things they enjoy. Shocking.