Electronic Arts Earnings: Bookings and Revenue Rise

Electronic Arts earnings reported on May 5 showed revenue and net bookings rose in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, driven by Battlefield 6 and growth in live services, while the pending acquisition by a consortium advanced after recent debt financing.

Results and Drivers

Electronic Arts (EA) net bookings reached a record $8.0 billion for fiscal 2026, up 9.0% year-over-year, while net revenue rose 1.0% to $7.5 billion. Battlefield 6 was the best-performing release in the franchise’s fiscal-year history. CEO Andrew Wilson said, “Driven by our talented teams and disciplined execution, we delivered a record FY26, highlighted by the incredibly successful launch of our iconic Battlefield franchise.”

In the fourth quarter, net revenue climbed 12.0% year-over-year to $2.1 billion, with full-game sales of $609 million and live services and other revenue of $1.5 billion. Net bookings for the quarter were $1.9 billion, up from $1.8 billion, after a $256 million decrease in deferred net revenue for online-enabled games. Apex Legends posted its strongest fourth-quarter net bookings of the year, rising double digits year-over-year. EA’s global Football portfolio, including EA SPORTS FC 26, FC Online, and FC Mobile, grew mid-single digits for the year.

Acquisition and Capital Moves

EA reported fourth-quarter net income of $461 million, or $1.81 diluted earnings per share, up from $254 million, or $0.98. For the full fiscal year, net income was $887 million, or $3.51 a share, down from $1.1 billion, or $4.25 a share. Operating cash flow rose 23.0% year-over-year to $2.6 billion for the year and increased 6.0% to $580 million for the quarter.

The pending acquisition, under a definitive agreement dated September 29, 2025, involves a consortium including the Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake-affiliated funds, and Affinity Partners at an enterprise value of about $55 billion. The company said a limited number of regulatory reviews remain and that a recently completed debt process attracted strong investor demand. Management expects to close the transaction after the remaining reviews.

Capital returns slowed ahead of the close, with share repurchases totaling $750 million for the year and no buybacks in the quarter, compared with $1.4 billion repurchased in the same quarter a year earlier. The release included no numerical guidance for fiscal 2027 or the first quarter and reiterated forward-looking statements highlighting risks such as competition, regulation, product-development timing, consumer demand, integration challenges, console supply constraints, technology development, foreign-exchange fluctuations, economic and geopolitical conditions, tax changes, and the timing and terms of acquisition approvals.