Electronic Arts (EA) stocks are rising today on the back of a better-than-expected third-quarter financial report. Revenues were $1.42bn (€1.26bn) for the three months, that was more than the company's own guidance of $1.27bn (€1.13bn), as well as analysts' estimates of $1.29bn (€1.14bn).
In the 12 months ending December 31st, EA's net revenue was $4.3bn (€3.8bn). A record $2.2bn (€1.9bn) of this money came from digital sales.
$921m (€816m) was grossed from 'downloadable content' (DLC); these are downloadable add-ons and in-game purchases made by gamers to access extra content having already paid for the actual game.
In 2014 the company was the number one game publisher for both the PS4 and the Xbox One - the report makes specific reference to the success of its FIFA, Madden NFL, NHL and UFC franchises, and other strong-performing titles including Dragon Age: Inquisition and Battlefield 4.
Chief financial officer Blake Jorgensen commented on the figures: "Our ongoing digital transformation, including live services like EA Sports [FIFA] Ultimate Team, coupled with ongoing cost discipline, enables us to deliver consistent cash flow and earnings growth."
The company has seen strong returns from its mobile games, with the mobile versions of FIFA and Madden averaging 45 percent more users in the quarter when compared with the corresponding period in 2013.
