Electronic Arts held its Q2 2021 earnings conference call for analysts and investors on November 5th, 2020. During the call, Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson discussed plans for next-gen consoles, stating that EA is committed to providing a smooth transition for players on current-gen consoles moving over to the next-gen consoles.
Wilson also announced plans for an handful of new game launches, and boasted "significant growth" for EA, predicting "continued expansion into FY22 (fiscal year) and beyond."
Wilson reported that EA plans to launch at least 6 new games for next-gen consoles between April 1, 2021 and March 31, 2022. These will include a new Need For Speed, Battlefield, FIFA, Madden, NHL, and UFC. EA also stated that it plans to release a new EA originals title, and a remaster before March 31, 2021. While these titles have not been confirmed, rumors have been circulating that the Mass Effect Trilogy will be remastered.
The new Need for Speed game will be developed by the Criterion team, which has launched some of the most popular games in EA Games' history. Criterion Software is responsible for the Burnout, Need for Speed, and Star Wars Battlefront series, as well as developing Battlefield V and Black.
DICE is currently creating the next Battlefield game, which is slated to launch during the holiday season of 2021. The advancement of the next generation of consoles has allowed the developers to deliver a better game with "never-before-seen scale." It currently has hands-on game testing underway, and have been receiving positive feedback so far from testers and the community. Wilson claims EA is excited to share more about the game in the spring.
Apex Legends and The Sims 4 will continue to evolve in fiscal year 2022. Apex Legends' mobile development will be ready for launch in fiscal year 2022. EA expects another very strong year for The Sims 4, stating the game has a strong community entering year 7 of live service.
So far this year, EA has released 8 games. FIFA 21 already hit a record number of players with its global release on October 9th. FIFA 21 for PS5 and Xbox Series X will utilize the upgrades in technology to bring players more immersive gameplay, and the ability to load the game in under 2 seconds. Madden NFL 21 was released on August 28, 2020, and will have updates to the game for the next-gen consoles which will bring with it "new system that is responsive to the way NFL players perform in the real world."
With the announcement of these titles and game updates slated for fiscal year 2022, players will certainly be anticipating more news regarding their favorite games.
Source: EA