EA Reports Big Sales Numbers For 2017, Led By Battlefield 1

Electronic Arts' big gaming year hasn't even gotten started yet, with Star Wars: Battlefront II and a number of its sports games set to debut over the next few months. But the company reported its latest numbers for the second part of the 2017 fiscal year today, and things are looking good getting to that point.

The company's chief executive officer, Andrew Wilson, provided some good news regarding numbers for the period, which were higher than the previous year. $1.4 billion was made in total net revenue for the period, compared to $1.27 billion from the previous year.

"Q1 was an outstanding quarter, with thriving player communities in our top franchises like Battlefield, our EA SPORTS portfolio, Star Wars, and The Sims continuing to grow our network and drive our digital business. We have built strong momentum, and now we are accelerating into a year of tremendous innovation, where extraordinary new games, content-rich live services, and expanding global competitions will deliver more fun for our players and fuel growth for Electronic Arts," he noted.

Blake Orgensen, who serves as the chief financial officer, added, "We had a great start to the fiscal year, primarily due to our event-driven live services. Our operating cash flow was the highest ever for a first quarter, and underlines how live services have fundamentally transformed our business model. Driven by innovation and live services, we expect to continue to grow our profitability and cash generation."

The company noted that Battlefield 1 has now seen over 21 million players since its release, and also reported the following stats regarding other franchises:

• Digital net sales of $3.147 billion for the trailing-twelve-month period represents 63% of total net sales, up 23% year-over-year.
• Ultimate Team total unique player population grew 11% year-over-year.
• Battlefield 1 had more than 21 million players joining the game as of quarter end.
• Monthly active players for The Sims 4 on PC increased more than 20% year-over-year.
• FIFA Mobile unique player base grew to more than 95 million.
• Since launching its first season, NBA LIVE Mobile has engaged more than 70 million unique users.

With Star Wars: Battlefront II serving as the holiday leader, the company believes that it will set a net revenue of just over $5 billion for the year, and net income around $1.125 billion.

We'll see how things pan out over the next few months…