Tech

EA shares fall sharply on earnings — CEO says 'we did not perform to our expectations'

Key Points
  • Video game maker EA fell more than 14 percent after reporting its Q3 2019 earnings.
  • The company misses on revenue, reporting $1.61 billion for the quarter vs. estimate of $1.75 billion according to Refinitiv.
Andrew Wilson, chief executive officer of Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), speaks during the company's EA Play event ahead of the E3 Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on Saturday, June 10, 2017.
Patrick T. Fallon | Bloomberg | Getty Images

EA fell more than 14 percent after hours after reporting its third-quarter 2019 earnings.

The company reported a revenue miss of $1.61 billion vs. estimate of $1.75 billion, according to Refinitiv. Earnings were $1.95 per share ex-items compared with the analyst estimate of $1.94 per share, per Refinitiv.

Even during a quarter in which the company released "Battlefield V," CEO Andrew Wilson acknowledged that EA did not perform as he had hoped, in a statement in the company's release.

"The video game industry continues to grow through a year of intense competition and transformational change," Wilson said in the statement. "Q3 was a difficult quarter for Electronic Arts and we did not perform to our expectations. We are now applying the strengths of our company to sharpen our execution and focus on delivering great new games and long-term live services for our players. We're very excited about Apex Legends, the upcoming launch of Anthem, and a deep line-up of new experiences that we'll bring to our global communities next fiscal year."

The video game industry has faced new competition from online games such as "Fortnite."

In a statement, COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen said "FIFA" has remained "a robust franchise." "Elsewhere in the business, we're making adjustments to improve execution and we're refocusing R&D," he said.

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Watch: Hitting the sidelines on Electronic Arts

Hitting the sidelines on Electronic Arts
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Hitting the sidelines on Electronic Arts