Electronic Arts Has Big Next-Gen Plans

With the looming releases of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X on the horizon, Electronic Arts has its own big plans in store for the next generation of consoles.

During the EA conference call for their second-quarter 2021 fiscal earnings, CEO Andrew Wilson spoke about the company's success so far in 2020 — including the increasing number of players for sports games like FIFA and Madden, as well as the success of its Star Wars franchise games, namely Star Wars: Squadrons. "We continue to lead the industry as the only developer and publisher with the ability to bring this much quality content to players," said Wilson. "We've done this through unprecedented circumstances in the last six months, and now we're delivering more great experiences in our current quarter."

Wilson also announced some exciting news for fans of the studio: At least six new games will be released in the next quarter. Among those games slated for release in the upcoming fiscal year (2021-2022) are Need For Speed, Battlefield, FIFA, and Madden. The Need for Speed game is being developed by Criterion, and DICE will be in charge of the new Battlefield.  

It seems like Wilson may be relying on the successes of EA Sports (so far) to carry over into next-gen. "EA Sports is always at the center of innovation for us, and it will lead the way on the next-gen consoles," Wilson claimed. "FIFA 21 for PS5 and Xbox Series X will leverage the major upgrade in technology to bring players unprecedented immersion, innovative gameplay, and minimal load times that put them into the action in under two seconds. Madden NFL 21 for the next-gen consoles will blur the lines with sport even further through a new system that is responsive to the way NFL players perform in the real world."

EA also has plans to continue its expansions of Apex Legends and The Sims 4 and will be releasing Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond in December for Oculus VR. An Apex Legends mobile game is also in development and is planned for launch in 2022.

Its fiscal success over the last year has pushed EA to keep working to bring more content to its fans. Wilson stated in closing remarks: "With more players than ever continuing to connect and engage through our franchises, our business has grown significantly this year, and we are confident projecting meaningful growth into FY22 and beyond."