EA has reduced its financial forecast for its current fiscal year, pointing to the “poor performance” of EA Sports FC 2025 – which it says accounts for the “majority” of the shortfall – along with lower-than-expected interest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard.
As noted in EA's revised outlook for the year ending March 31, 2025, the company previously forecast “mid-single-digit growth in live services net bookings.” However, it now expects a “mid-digit decline,” blaming “most of the change” on EA Sports 2025, which saw a “slowdown in momentum” following its release in September.
Additionally, EA has reported lower-than-expected interest in Dragon Age: The Veilguard, saying that BioWare's fantasy role-playing game “engaged” approximately 1.5 million players during the quarter, a figure it describes as “almost 50 percent less than the company's expectations.
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All of this means that the publisher now anticipates net bookings of approximately $2.21 billion for its fiscal third quarter and an updated range of $7-$7.15 billion for fiscal 2025.
“During the third quarter, we continued to deliver high-quality games and experiences across our portfolio, EA CEO Andrew Wilson wrote in a statement accompanying today's revised guidance. “However, Dragon Age and EA Sports FC 25 exceeded our net booking expectations.” Wilson says, “We remain confident in our long-term strategy and expect a return to growth in FY26 as we execute on our portfolio.”
Even though Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed to meet EA's commercial expectations, BioWare's latest was well-received by critics when it launched in October 2024. “It's warm and welcoming, funny and hopeful, gentle when necessary.” and, of course, it's epic.” ” wrote Eurogamer's Robert Purchese in his five-star review. “The Veilguard is spectacular. BioWare is back.”
However, Eurogamer's Chris Tapsell was less enthusiastic about EA Sports FC 2025. “Another year where annual tweaks are resolved in such a way that they recreate or reposition the same old problems that have been here from the beginning,” he wrote in his three-star review. “This is EA Sports FC 25. I love it. I hate it. It will probably be like this forever.”