EA’s Biggest Retail Partner Last Quarter Wasn’t Best Buy Or GameStop, It Was Apple

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PlantsVSZombies-free

If you had to guess which of EA’s retail partners made it the most cash last quarter, you’d probably say Best Buy, GameStop, or another game store. But you’d be wrong. EA’s biggest partner last quarter was actually Apple, which helped it reach $90 million in sales on smartphones and tablets.

“Our quarter was notable for the high percentage of revenue attributable to digital games and services,” said EA COO Peter Moore during a financial call on Tuesday. “To that end, Apple was EA’s biggest retail partner measured by sales. And that is a first.”

EA’s overall revenue from digital sales — including those on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC — grew to $378 million last quarter, which means less than a quarter of the $495 million in revenue EA made was from traditional, physical games.

The Simpsons: Tapped Out saw its best revenue quarter since its launch just under a year ago, while Real Racing 3 has been downloaded a staggering 45 million times to date, with 2 million active users every single day. Both titles are free-to-play, but they offer a ton of additional content that can be obtained through in-app purchases.

Other successful EA titles last quarter include various titles from the FIFA, Need for Speed, Madden, and Sims franchises, as well as Plants vs. Zombies.

In the coming months, EA will be launching a number of new titles that expect to become big sellers, including FIFA 14, Tetris Blitz, and Plants vs. Zombies 2.

Via: Gamespot

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