BioWare’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard became the topic of discussion again after Electronic Arts revealed that it reached 1.5 million players, missing projections for Q3 fiscal year 2025 by about 50 percent. However, a slump for EA Sports FC 25 also heavily contributed. Reuters has since followed up by reporting that shares dropped by 15 percent, with the publisher slated to suffer an almost $6 billion loss in market value.
Ultimate Team is vital to EA’s annual bottom line, so it makes sense for any setbacks to have a profound impact. As MoffettNathanson analysts stated, “Ultimate Team has come to be viewed as a near Swiss clock of interactive media bookings growth. If it is stagnant, it puts enormous pressure on EA to fill the void.” As such, the publisher confirmed a mid-single-digit percentage decline in live service bookings despite projecting a mid-single-digit increase.
Jefferies analysts also noted the mixed player reactions at EA Sports FC 25’s launch, though a recent update brought sweeping changes. Of course, Dragon Age: The Veilguard still suffered from weak spending and couldn’t make up for the football title’s underperformance.
EA has since revised its fiscal year 2025 bookings to $7-$7.15 from $7.5-$7.8 billion. CEO Andrew Wilson remained “confident in our long-term strategy and expect a return to growth in FY26, as we execute against our pipeline.” Stay tuned for more updates, especially on February 4th, as EA reveals more detailed results.
