As a result, the analyst has cut his price target on EA shares to $95 down from $139 per share, implying just a 5 percent upside.ĮA hopes that its esports push for FIFA 19 will attract more Ultimate Team players while simultaneously advertising one of the mode’s biggest events, the Team of the Year, with watch rewards. O’Shea is less confident in EA’s future earnings, highlighting the declining sales of the FIFA franchise and the poor review performances of the publisher’s non-sport games in recent years.
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The publishers created a circuit similar in structure to what is used in fighting game tournaments, in which players earn ‘Global Series Points’ by performing well, which in turn leads to qualification for the biggest tournament of the year: the eWorld Cup. Related Article: PGL to Host Singapore Stop in FIFA 19 Global SeriesĮA Sports has looked to take advantage of the esports market by increasing the amount of live tournaments in the FIFA 19 cycle. FIFA 19 viewership on Twitch is already close to overtaking FIFA 18 in hours watched with 64.34M views compared to FIFA 18 ’s 73.95M. The mode is also popular to watch on Twitch, thanks to streamers such as Edwin ‘Castro’ Castro, who rose in popularity due to his time playing FIFA. Much of that growth came from Ultimate Team bookings, according to the company. In EA’s financial report for 2018, the company claimed a $504M USD increase in digital net bookings for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. The online mode features heavy use of microtransactions, allowing gamers to open packs in hopes of finding better players. The analyst from the New York-based investment firm claims that the previous success of FIFA mode Ultimate Team has meant the company and its investors haven’t had much to worry about in the past.
However, FIFA 19 sales have been lagging behind its predecessor, FIFA 18. Jefferies financial analyst Timothy O’Shea has downgraded the value of Electronic Arts, saying the company has “a lot to prove” this year with a lacking line-up of games and FIFA ’s declining sales.įIFA continues to be the publisher’s most successful title, topping the PlayStation Store sale charts last year in Europe.
Jefferies analyst Timothy O’Shea has cut his price target for EA’s stock from $139 to $95.“This new partnership will also enhance our traditional broadcast coverage globally as well providing EA SPORTS with an important marketing and communications vehicle that will assist in the continued engagement of their target audience.
Under the terms of the agreement, the games developer’s branding will appear on all broadcast fixtures through on-screen stats designed to improve the live match experience for football fans.ĮA Sports will also use the partnership to promote its Fifa videogames series and engage with global audiences, starting with Fifa 18.ĮFL Chief Executive, Shaun Harvey, said: “EA Sports is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world and I am delighted to see our relationship grow into a wider partnership that will reach millions of football fans worldwide. The six-year partnership sees EA Sports become the first ever sponsor of the EFL’s iFollow platform, the digital service which will live stream more than 1,500 fixtures each season to fans around the world.