Electronic Arts (EA) Releases Award-Winning Game FIFA 19

Electronic Arts EA recently announced the release of FIFA 19 on Xbox One, PlayStation4 (PS4), PC and Nintendo NTDOY Switch. Notably, the game won the best sports award at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2018.

FIFA 19’s new UEFA Champions League features diverse tournament experiences including the Europa League and Super Cup. The League can be played in a variety of modes including Kick Off. In the Kick Off mode, players will be able to participate in friendly matches by setting up a team of up to five players.

Additionally, EA announced the conclusion to the story mode, The Journey: Champions. The story mode comes with three different playable characters wherein players can switch among the story modes. The three characters include “Alex Hunter, Danny Williams and Kim Hunter.”

Moreover, FIFA 19 includes some exclusive features for Switch. Users have access to independent UEFA Champions League mode, a new Career Mode, “live content updates in FIFA 19 Ultimate Team” and unique players features among others.

FIFA – One of EA’s Popular Franchises

FIFA is an important growth driver for EA, given the franchise’s impressive sales track record. The FIFA franchise has sold more than 260 million copies worldwide to date. FIFA 18 sold more than 24 million copies in a span of 11 months.

Additionally, FIFA Mobile app has crossed more than 193 million installations globally. FIFA Online 3 and FIFA Online 4 have become immensely popular across Asia with more than 115 million registered players and more than 15 billion sessions played.

Notably, EA launched FIFA Mobile in China in the last reported quarter and reached the #1 spot on the top downloads chart for iOS in China. Engagement level was also strong on the WeChat platform.

Moreover, FIFA 19’s solid content that includes the UEFA Champions League, Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga Santander, Serie A TIM and the Chinese Super League is expected to boost player engagement levels.

Higher engagement levels eventually drove digital revenues, which contributed significantly to EA’s top line (more than 84%) in the last reported quarter.

Competition Intensifies

Release of Take Two Interactive’s TTWO Red Dead Redemption 2 and Activision’s ATVI Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 before EA’s highly anticipated game, Battlefield V on Nov 20, might give them an edge.

The delay may also impact EA’s fiscal 2019 results, which is evident from the company’s reduced net bookings expectation from $5.55 billion to $5.2 billion.

Activision is also making its content easily available to its users by striking deals with the likes of Amazon, Disney and Twitter, which does not bode well for EA.

Looking for Stocks with Skyrocketing Upside?

Zacks has just released a Special Report on the booming investment opportunities of legal marijuana.      

Ignited by new referendums and legislation, this industry is expected to blast from an already robust $6.7 billion to $20.2 billion in 2021. Early investors stand to make a killing, but you have to be ready to act and know just where to look.   

See the pot trades we're targeting>>
 

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Activision Blizzard, Inc (ATVI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (TTWO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Nintendo Co. (NTDOY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research