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EA Expects To Ship 9 To 10 Million Copies Of Star Wars Battlefront This Fiscal Year
EA is anticipating some huge numbers from its first licensed Star Wars game. Battlefront is due out in November, and with the release of Episode VII shortly thereafter, the publisher anticipates a lot of buzz.
On its earnings call for the recently completed fiscal year, EA said that it plans to ship 9 to 10 million copies this fiscal year. "We certainly hope we can leverage a lot of the hype," said chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen. "We're thinking about it as two bookends. One bookend is the historical Battlefront, which did roughly 9 million units. The other bookend is our first-person shooter franchise, Battlefield, which typically does around 15 million units. Our guidance we've put in there roughly 9 to 10 million units for the title, which we believe is the upside if things go well. It is Gen-4 only and PC, so that needs to be factored into people's thinking."
For more on EA, you can read our report on the company’s year-end financials and its slate for the remainder of the current fiscal year.
Our Take
Licenses are powerful. The Star Wars license, especially around the release of The Force Awakens, has the ability to pull off amazing performance. EA has reason to believe that new-gen uptake is strong, especially given the statistics around Battlefield Hardline.
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