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EA Identifies Last-Gen Weakness Rather Than Quality For Battlefield 4 Sales
During EA’s third quarter earnings report, the publisher addressed Battlefield 4’s ongoing problems and shifted responsibility for weak sales to overall softness of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 segment.
“We did see some impact of the current-gen softness that was indicated by Andrew and Blake in their prepared statements, but this is not, we believe, a link to any quality issues,” said chief operating officer Peter Moore. Additionally, CEO Andrew Wilson addressed the concerns about Battlefield 4’s technical performance head on.
“Shortly after Battlefield 4 went live, we began hearing from some players in the community who were experiencing issues with the game,” Wilson said in prepared statements. “The Battlefield team acted swiftly to address the issues through game updates, and they continue to make refinements as part of our live service to ensure a great game experience for all Battlefield 4 players.”
Specific sales numbers for the title were not offered. For more, read up on EA’s third quarter financial performance. Additionally, the publisher offered new details on Titanfall and projections for total Xbox One and PlayStation 4 unit sales through March 31, 2014.
Our Take
The claim of last-gen “softness” will be scrutinized as Take-Two, Ubisoft, and Activision report their earnings in the coming days. Should other publishers report information to the contrary, EA’s claims about the impact of Battlefield 4’s quality will come under the microscope. Until then, we have an incomplete data set.
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