EX-99.1 2 earningsrelease02022021.htm PRESS RELEASE Document

Exhibit 99.1
Electronic Arts Reports Strong Q3 FY21 Financial Results
ealogo0505201.jpg

REDWOOD CITY, CA – February 2, 2021 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today announced preliminary financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020.

We’re bringing great entertainment to hundreds of millions of people all over the world,” said CEO Andrew Wilson. “Our amazing teams continue to deliver exceptional, high-quality experiences as more players connect with their friends and engage deeply with our games. With our expansion plans for EA SPORTS, strong catalogue of owned IP, leading live services, and ability to span every platform, we are growing to reach an even larger audience.”

“We delivered another strong quarter, driven by live services outperformance in Ultimate Team and Apex Legends,” said COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen. “We are raising our net bookings outlook for the full year on the strength we continue to see in our business. Looking further ahead, even with the upside this year, we anticipate delivering growth in fiscal 2022, driven by the next Battlefield.”

EA has posted a slide presentation and a financial model of EA’s historical results and guidance on EA’s IR website at www.ir.ea.com. EA will also post the prepared remarks and a transcript from the conference call on EA’s IR website. News and ongoing updates regarding EA and its games are available on EA’s blog at www.ea.com/news.


Selected Operating Highlights and Metrics

Net bookings* for the trailing twelve months was $5.956 billion, up 8% year-over-year.
Launched FIFA 21, Medal of HonorTM: Above and Beyond, Need for SpeedTM Hot Pursuit Remastered, and NHL 21 during the quarter.
Launched FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 on next generation consoles during the quarter.
Over the past fiscal year, EA SPORTSTM franchises have engaged more than 230 million people.
FIFA Ultimate TeamTM had a record of nearly 6 million daily active players in December.
Apex LegendsTM had 30% growth in new players, year-over-year.
The SimsTM 4, life to date, has more than 33 million players and reached record daily, weekly, and monthly average players in December.

* Net bookings is defined as the net amount of products and services sold digitally or sold-in physically in the period. Net bookings is calculated by adding total net revenue to the change in deferred net revenue for online-enabled games.

Selected Financial Highlights and Metrics

Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.124 billion for the quarter and a record $2.061 billion for the trailing twelve months.
EA repurchased 2.5 million shares for $326 million during the quarter, bringing the total
for the last twelve months to 5.9 million shares for $695 million.
EA paid a cash dividend of $0.17 per share during the quarter.






Dividend

EA has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.17 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on March 24, 2021 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 3, 2021.

Quarterly Financial Highlights
Three Months Ended
December 31,
20202019
(in $ millions, except per share amounts)
Full game722 689 
Live services and other951 904 
          Total net revenue1,673 1,593 
Net income211 346
Diluted earnings per share0.72 1.18
Operating cash flow1,124 1,104 
Value of shares repurchased326 305 
Number of shares repurchased2.5 3.1 
____________________________
The following GAAP-based financial data and tax rate of 18% was used internally by company management to adjust its GAAP results in order to assess EA’s operating results:

Three Months Ended December 31, 2020
GAAP-Based Financial Data
(in $ millions)Statement of OperationsAcquisition-related expensesChange in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)Stock-based compensation
Total net revenue1,673 — 727 — 
          Cost of revenue601 — — (1)
Gross profit1,072 — 727 
          Total operating expenses821 (5)— (110)
Operating income251 727 111 
Interest and other income, net(6)— — — 
Income before provision for income taxes245 727 111 
Number of shares used in computation:
          Diluted292 

For more information about the nature of the GAAP-based financial data, please refer to EA’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.





Financial Highlights for the Trailing Twelve Months
Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
20202019
(in $ millions)
Full game1,719 1,838 
Live services and other3,951 3,550 
          Total net revenue5,670 5,388 
Net income1,179 2,830*
Operating cash flow2,061 1,898 
Value of shares repurchased695 1,217 
Number of shares repurchased5.9 12.8 
*Includes the impact of one-time tax benefits recognized during the period.


The following GAAP-based financial data and tax rate of 18% was used internally by company management to adjust its GAAP results in order to assess EA’s operating results:

Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2020
GAAP-Based Financial Data
(in $ millions)Statement of OperationsAcquisition-related expensesChange in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)Stock-based compensation
Total net revenue5,670 286 
          Cost of revenue1,444 (3)(5)
Gross profit4,226 286 
          Total operating expenses2,954 (22)(412)
Operating income1,272 25 286 417 
Interest and other income, net(6)
Income before provision for income taxes1,266 25 286 417 

For more information about the nature of the GAAP-based financial data, please refer to EA’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.




Operating Metric

The following is a calculation of our total net bookings for the periods presented:

Three Months Ended December 31,Twelve Months Ended
December 31,
20202019*2020*2019*
(in $ millions)
Total net revenue1,673 1,593 5,670 5,388 
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)727 428 286 139 
Net bookings2,400 2,021 5,956 5,527 
*At the beginning of FY21, EA changed the way in which it presents net bookings. Periods prior to the first quarter of FY21 have been recast for comparability to align with these changes. For more information, please see the Financial Reporting FAQ on our IR website.


Business Outlook as of February 2, 2021

The following forward-looking statements reflect expectations as of February 2, 2021. Electronic Arts assumes no obligation to update these statements. Results may be materially different and are affected by many factors detailed in this release and in EA’s annual and quarterly SEC filings.


Fiscal Year 2021 Expectations – Ending March 31, 2021

Financial metrics:
Net revenue is expected to be approximately $5.600 billion.
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) is expected to be approximately $475 million.
Net income is expected to be approximately $742 million.
Diluted earnings per share is expected to be approximately $2.54.
Operating cash flow is expected to be approximately $1.850 billion.
The Company estimates a share count of 292 million for purposes of calculating fiscal year 2021 diluted earnings per share.

Operational metric:
Net bookings is expected to be approximately $6.075 billion.






In addition, the following outlook for GAAP-based financial data and a long-term tax rate of 18% are used internally by EA to adjust our GAAP expectations to assess EA’s operating results and plan for future periods:

Twelve Months Ending March 31, 2021
GAAP-Based Financial Data
GAAP GuidanceAcquisition-related expensesChange in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)Stock-based compensation
(in $ millions)
Total net revenue5,600 — 475 — 
Cost of revenue1,477 — — (4)
Operating expense3,074 (20)— (436)
Income before provision for income taxes1,024 20 475 440 
Net income742 
Number of shares used in computation:
Diluted shares292 

Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2021 Expectations – Ending March 31, 2021

Financial metrics:
Net revenue is expected to be approximately $1.317 billion.
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) is expected to be approximately $58 million.
Net loss is expected to be approximately ($19) million; this forecast includes the impact of an incremental tax accounting charge of ($152) million.
Loss per share is expected to be approximately ($0.07), which includes ($0.52) per share from the tax accounting charge.
The Company estimates a GAAP basic and diluted share count of 289 million shares due to a forecasted net loss. If the Company reports net income instead of a net loss, diluted share count for calculating diluted earnings per share would be 292 million shares.

Operational metric:
Net bookings is expected to be approximately $1.375 billion.






In addition, the following outlook for GAAP-based financial data and a long-term tax rate of 18% are used internally by EA to adjust our GAAP expectations to assess EA’s operating results and plan for future periods:

Three Months Ending March 31, 2021
GAAP-Based Financial Data
GAAP GuidanceAcquisition-related expensesChange in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)Stock-based compensation
(in $ millions)
Total net revenue1,317 — 58 — 
Cost of revenue302 — — — 
Operating expense837 (4)— (114)
Income before provision for income taxes172 58 114 
Net loss(19)
Number of shares used in computation:
Basic shares289 
Diluted shares292 
For more information about the nature of the GAAP-based financial data, please refer to EA’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.


Conference Call and Supporting Documents

Electronic Arts will host a conference call on February 2, 2021 at 2:00 pm PT (5:00 pm ET) to review its results for the third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020 and its outlook for the future. During the course of the call, Electronic Arts may disclose material developments affecting its business and/or financial performance. Listeners may access the conference call live through the following dial-in number (866) 324-3683 (domestic) or (509) 844-0959 (international), using the conference code 3695237 or via webcast at EA’s IR Website at http://ir.ea.com.

EA has posted a slide presentation with a financial model of EA’s historical results and guidance on EA’s IR Website. EA will also post the prepared remarks and a transcript from the conference call on EA’s IR Website.

A dial-in replay of the conference call will be available until February 16, 2021 at 855-859-2056 (domestic) or 404-537-3406 (international) using pin code 3695237. An audio webcast replay of the conference call will be available for one year on EA’s IR Website.

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements set forth in this release, including the information relating to EA’s fiscal 2021 expectations under the heading “Business Outlook as of February 2, 2021,” and other information regarding EA's fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2022 expectations contain forward-looking statements that are subject to change. Statements including words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “plan,” “predict,” “seek,” “goal,” “will,” “may,” “likely,” “should,” “could” (and the negative of any of these terms), “future” and similar expressions also identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and reflect management’s current expectations. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements.





Some of the factors which could cause the Company’s results to differ materially from its expectations include the following: the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of the Company’s products and services; the Company’s ability to develop and support digital products and services, including managing online security and privacy; outages of our products, services and technological infrastructure; the Company’s ability to manage expenses; the competition in the interactive entertainment industry; governmental regulations; the effectiveness of the Company’s sales and marketing programs; timely development and release of the Company’s products and services; the Company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of acquisitions; the consumer demand for, and the availability of an adequate supply of console hardware units; the Company’s ability to predict consumer preferences among competing platforms; the Company’s ability to develop and implement new technology; foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; general economic conditions; changes in our tax rates or tax laws; and other factors described in Part II, Item 1A of Electronic Arts’ latest Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q under the heading “Risk Factors”, as well as in other documents we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.

These forward-looking statements are current as of February 2, 2021. Electronic Arts assumes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement for any reason, except as required by law. In addition, the preliminary financial results set forth in this release are estimates based on information currently available to Electronic Arts.

While Electronic Arts believes these estimates are meaningful, they could differ from the actual amounts that Electronic Arts ultimately reports in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020. Electronic Arts assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these estimates prior to filing its Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2020.

About Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company develops and delivers games, content and online services for Internet-connected consoles, mobile devices and personal computers.

In fiscal year 2020, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $5.5 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for a portfolio of critically acclaimed, high-quality brands such as EA SPORTS™ FIFA, Battlefield™, Apex Legends™, The Sims™, Madden NFL, Need for Speed™, Titanfall™ and Plants vs. Zombies™. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA SPORTS, Medal of Honor, Ultimate Team, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Titanfall and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. John Madden, NFL, and FIFA are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

For additional information, please contact:
Chris EvendenJohn Reseburg
Vice President, Investor RelationsVice President, Global Communications
650-628-0255650-628-3601
cevenden@ea.comjreseburg@ea.com




    
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in $ millions, except per share data)
Three Months Ended Nine Months Ended
December 31,December 31,
2020201920202019
Net revenue1,673 1,593 4,283 4,150 
Cost of revenue601 508 1,175 1,100 
Gross profit1,072 1,085 3,108 3,050 
Operating expenses:
Research and development451 389 1,310 1,157 
Marketing and sales216 202 493 464 
General and administrative149 126 418 364 
Acquisition-related contingent consideration— — 
Amortization of intangibles16 16 
Total operating expenses821 724 2,237 2,006 
Operating income251 361 871 1,044 
Interest and other income (expense), net(6)13 (19)50 
Income before provision for (benefit from) income taxes245 374 852 1,094 
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes34 28 91 (1,527)
Net income211 346 761 2,621 
Earnings per share
Basic0.731.182.63 8.91
Diluted0.721.182.61 8.85 
Number of shares used in computation
Basic290 292 289 294 
Diluted292 294 292 296 
































Results (in $ millions, except per share data)
The following table reports the variance of the actuals versus our guidance provided on November 5, 2020 for the three months ended December 31, 2020 plus a comparison to the actuals for the three months ended December 31, 2019.

Three Months Ended December 31,
202020202019
GuidanceVarianceActualsActuals
Net revenue
Net revenue1,675 (2)1,673 1,593 
GAAP-based financial data
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1
675 52 727 428 
Cost of revenue
Cost of revenue599 2 601 508 
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses— — — (5)
Stock-based compensation— (1)(1)(1)
Operating expenses
Operating expenses840 (19)821 724 
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses(5)— (5)(7)
Stock-based compensation(115)(110)(90)
Income before tax
Income before tax227 18 245 374 
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses— 12 
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1
675 52 727 428 
Stock-based compensation115 (4)111 91 
Tax rate used for management reporting18 %18 %18 %
Earnings per share
Basic 0.62 0.11 0.73 1.18 
Diluted0.61 0.11 0.72 1.18 
Number of shares
Basic 290  290 292 
Diluted294 (2)292 294 





1The change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows does not necessarily equal the change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations primarily due to the impact of unrecognized gains/losses on cash flow hedges.


In fiscal 2021, EA changed the way in which it presents net revenue. Periods prior to the first quarter of fiscal 2021 have been recast for comparability to align with these changes. For more information please see the Financial Reporting FAQ on our Investor Relations Website.











ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in $ millions)
December 31, 2020
March 31, 20202
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents4,772 3,768 
Short-term investments1,938 1,967 
Receivables, net 778 461 
Other current assets233 321 
Total current assets7,721 6,517 
Property and equipment, net467 449 
Goodwill1,896 1,885 
Acquisition-related intangibles, net37 53 
Deferred income taxes, net1,924 1,903 
Other assets375 305 
TOTAL ASSETS12,420 11,112 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable89 68 
Accrued and other current liabilities1,423 1,052 
Deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1,380 945 
Senior notes, current, net600 599 
Total current liabilities3,492 2,664 
Senior notes, net397 397 
Income tax obligations296 373 
Deferred income taxes, net
Other liabilities271 216 
Total liabilities4,457 3,651 
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock
Retained earnings8,054 7,508 
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(94)(50)
Total stockholders’ equity7,963 7,461 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY12,420 11,112 


2Derived from audited consolidated financial statements.





ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(in $ millions)
Three Months Ended December 31,Nine Months Ended December 31,
2020201920202019
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income211 346 761 2,621 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization and accretion46 39 123 111 
Stock-based compensation111 91 326 256 
Change in assets and liabilities
Receivables, net(348)59 (309)(176)
Other assets85 43 (28)76 
Accounts payable(77)(84)29 (33)
Accrued and other liabilities341 176 245 264 
Deferred income taxes, net14 (18)(1,793)
Deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)741 427 434 (27)
Net cash provided by operating activities1,124 1,104 1,563 1,299 
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures(30)(28)(93)(100)
Proceeds from maturities and sales of short-term investments670 582 2,088 1,375 
Purchase of short-term investments(640)(637)(2,056)(2,621)
Net cash used in investing activities (83)(61)(1,346)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from issuance of common stock13 56 34 
Cash dividends paid(49)— (49)— 
Cash paid to taxing authorities for shares withheld from employees(67)(31)(144)(86)
Repurchase and retirement of common stock(326)(305)(404)(916)
Payment of contingent consideration— (26)— (90)
Net cash used in financing activities(429)(361)(541)(1,058)
Effect of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents18 3 43  
Change in cash and cash equivalents713 663 1,004 (1,105)
Beginning cash and cash equivalents4,059 2,940 3,768 4,708 
Ending cash and cash equivalents4,772 3,603 4,772 3,603 


















ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
(in $ millions, except per share data)
Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3YOY %
FY20FY20FY21FY21FY21Change
Net revenue
 Net revenue1,593 1,387 1,459 1,151 1,673 5 %
GAAP-based financial data
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1
428 (131)(69)(241)727 
Gross profit
Gross profit1,085 1,118 1,171 865 1,072 (1 %)
Gross profit (as a % of net revenue)68 %81 %80 %75 %64 %
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses— — — 
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1
428 (131)(69)(241)727 
Stock-based compensation
Operating income
Operating income361 401 471 149 251 (30 %)
Operating income (as a % of net revenue)23 %29 %32 %13 %15 %
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses12 
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1
428 (131)(69)(241)727 
Stock-based compensation91 91 102 113 111 
Net income
Net income346 418 365 185 211 (39 %)
Net income (as a % of net revenue)22 %30 %25 %16 %13 %
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses12 
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)1
428 (131)(69)(241)727 
Stock-based compensation91 91 102 113 111 
Tax rate used for management reporting18 %18 %18 %18 %18 %
Diluted earnings per share1.18 1.43 1.25 0.63 0.72 (39 %)
Number of diluted shares used in computation
Basic292 290 288 289 290 
Diluted294 292 292 293 292 




1The change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows does not necessarily equal the change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations primarily due to the impact of unrecognized gains/losses on cash flow hedges.


In fiscal 2021, EA changed the way in which it presents net revenue. Periods prior to the first quarter of fiscal 2021 have been recast for comparability to align with these changes. For more information please see the Financial Reporting FAQ on our Investor Relations Website.











ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
(in $ millions)
Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3YOY %
FY20FY20FY21FY21FY21Change
QUARTERLY NET REVENUE PRESENTATIONS
Net revenue by composition
Full game downloads286 211 223 163 347 21 %
Packaged goods403 145 136 119 375 (7 %)
Full game689 356 359 282 722 %
Live services and other904 1,031 1,100 869 951 %
Total net revenue1,593 1,387 1,459 1,151 1,673 5 %
Full game43 %26 %25 %25 %43 %
Live services and other57 %74 %75 %75 %57 %
Total net revenue %100 %100 %100 %100 %100 %
GAAP-based financial data
Full game downloads31 (21)(5)(2)53 
Packaged goods60 (67)(67)(14)83 
Full game91 (88)(72)(16)136 
Live services and other337 (43)(225)591 
Total change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) by composition1
428 (131)(69)(241)727 
Net revenue by platform
Console1,163 928 932 714 1,191 %
PC & Other261 274 325 249 326 25 %
Mobile169 185 202 188 156 (8 %)
Total net revenue1,593 1,387 1,459 1,151 1,673 5 %
GAAP-based financial data
Console 388 (143)(108)(201)619 
PC & Other24 15 (24)73 
Mobile16 24 (16)35 
Total change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) by platform1
428 (131)(69)(241)727 



1The change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of cash flows does not necessarily equal the change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations primarily due to the impact of unrecognized gains/losses on cash flow hedges.


In fiscal 2021, EA changed the way in which it presents net revenue. Periods prior to the first quarter of fiscal 2021 have been recast for comparability to align with these changes. For more information please see the Financial Reporting FAQ on our Investor Relations Website.









ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
(in $ millions)
Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3YOY %
FY20FY20FY21FY21FY21Change
CASH FLOW DATA
Operating cash flow1,104 498 378 61 1,124 %
Operating cash flow - TTM1,898 1,797 2,017 2,041 2,061 %
Capital expenditures28 40 38 25 30 %
Capital expenditures - TTM135140133131133(1 %)
Repurchase and retirement of common stock305 291 78 — 326 %
Cash dividends paid— — — — 49100 %
DEPRECIATION
Depreciation expense293131323728 %
BALANCE SHEET DATA
Cash and cash equivalents3,6033,7684,0134,0594,772
Short-term investments1,9991,9671,9471,9721,938
Cash and cash equivalents, and short-term investments5,602 5,735 5,960 6,031 6,710 20 %
Receivables, net 798461507423778(3 %)
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Cost of revenue
Research and development6059667474
Marketing and sales1010111211
General and administrative2021242525
Total stock-based compensation91 91 102 113 111