Electronic Arts’ stock tumbles after its FIFA-free soccer game misses the goal

Second-half struggles… Yesterday EA stock plummeted 17%, one of the gaming company’s steepest daily drops ever. It cut its forecast for the year, an about-face from October when it boosted its bookings outlook. The publisher laid blame on its latest soccer game, “FC 25,” which got poor reviews after rolling out in September (like: “the worst game in history”). EA added that its “Dragon Age” franchise, which got a new release in October, was played by only half the # of gamers it expected. 

In the big leagues… EA’s synonymous with sports gaming because of its lucrative licensing deals. “College Football 25” became the US’s best-selling sports game ever last year, thanks to the 10K+ name, image, and likeness deals EA forged with college-football players. EA has an exclusive NFL deal for its “Madden” games, the latest installment of which saw record growth in the last fiscal year. And EA’s “FIFA” is the highest-selling sports game franchise ever with 325M copies sold. But it’s a different playing field now… 

• Party foul: EA’s soccer games had to rebrand in 2022 after the publisher lost its right to put “FIFA” in their titles. EA had reportedly refused to double the payout for soccer’s governing org, dismissing the deal as “four letters on the front of the box.”

• Post-FIFA: “FC 25” is EA’s second soccer game without FIFA in its title. The previous one, “FC 24,” sold 5% fewer copies than “FIFA 23,” but earned more profit as folks splurged on perks and players.