FIFA 21
GameBy EA Vancouver · Released Oct 9, 2020
Documents about FIFA 21
News Mash-Up: Week 17 2021
A quiet start to 2021 for new game releases is not cause for alarm, according to Sparkers' Week 17 news roundup covering European physical and digital sales through the first 16 weeks of the year.
- Video game investment in Q1 2021 reached $25 billion through acquisitions, IPOs, and direct investments, marking a 150% increase over the same period in 2020.
- While new game releases have slowed in 2021, total unit sales (physical and network combined) remain 12% higher than in 2019 and 25% higher than in 2018, driven by strong back-catalogue demand.
- Microsoft reported Q1 2021 Xbox revenue of $3.5 billion, a 50% year-over-year increase, with hardware spending surging by 232% and content spending rising by 34%.
Essential Video Game News: French Market Report 2020
The "Essential Video Game News: French Market Report 2020" provides a comprehensive overview of the French video game market's performance and characteristics during 2020.
- The French video game market reached €5.3 billion in 2020, representing an 11.3% year-over-year revenue increase driven by pandemic-related engagement.
- Mobile gaming led sector growth at 16%, followed by console at 10% and PC at 9%, while physical retail sales showed resilience with only a 3.2% decline.
- Hardware demand surged significantly, highlighted by a 20% increase in the PC segment.
Electronic Arts Q3 FY21 Financial Results
Electronic Arts reported strong financial performance for the third fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2020, characterized by growth in net bookings and robust engagement across its live service portfolio.
- Electronic Arts reported $1.673 billion in Q3 FY21 revenue, a 5% increase year-over-year, with trailing twelve-month net bookings reaching $5.956 billion.
- Growth was primarily driven by live services, specifically strong performance in the FIFA Ultimate Team and Apex Legends franchises.
- FIFA Ultimate Team reached nearly 6 million daily active players in December, while Apex Legends saw a 30% year-over-year increase in new players.
Nova Drift: The Making of a Steam Holiday 'Sleeper' Hit
Pixeljam's Nova Drift, an arcade space combat roguelite described as Geometry Wars meets Asteroids with procedurally generated runs, became a Steam holiday sleeper hit in winter 2020-21 after nearly two years in Early Access.
- Nova Drift experienced a significant sales surge during the 2020 holiday season, with daily unit sales rising from a 10–50 baseline to 100–500 units.
- The game’s visibility was driven by a positive feedback loop where a 98% approval rating across 2,000+ reviews triggered Steam algorithm recommendations within the indie roguelike category.
- Sustained growth was supported by inclusion in the Steam Winter Sale, which acted as a catalyst for increased exposure within the space genre.
The Future is Digital - Right?
Despite years of predictions that games are headed toward an all-digital future, physical media remains more resilient than commonly assumed, particularly in the UK console market.
- Despite the industry shift toward digital, over 75% of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S sales in the UK were for disc-based consoles, indicating strong consumer demand for physical media options.
- Physical game sales remain significant during the holiday quarter, accounting for 57% of units and 60% of sales value in Q4 2019, suggesting the format holds up well during peak retail periods.
- Cloud gaming is projected to grow significantly, with Omdia predicting revenues will rise 188% to $4 billion in 2021 and reach $12 billion by 2025.
Who's Playing What on PlayStation 5?
Early PlayStation 5 playtime data from the PS Time Tracker site, which uses a PSN friend bot to log the games players run, anchors this December 2020 edition of the GameDiscoverCo newsletter.
- Long-standing titles like FIFA 21, Destiny 2, and Fortnite remain primary drivers of PS5 engagement, rivaling the impact of new platform exclusives.
- Early PS5 engagement analysis, based on a sample of 3,018 active users tracked via PS Time Tracker, shows that new releases like Cyberpunk 2077 and the Demon’s Souls remake dominate initial interest.
- Cross-generational support for frequently updated titles is a critical factor in maintaining console activity levels.
Live Streaming Real Tears: The Last of Us Part II Tells Us Everything We Need
This mid-2020 games industry newsletter opens with a reflection on the wave of sexual misconduct and harassment allegations then emerging across the games business, particularly in streaming and among industry figures.
- The Epic Games Store reached 61 million monthly active users by mid-2020, positioning itself as a significant competitor to Steam, which reported 95 million active users in the previous year.
- Discord transitioned from a niche gaming tool to a mainstream social and educational platform, resulting in a $3.5 billion valuation.
- The video game industry is experiencing a shift toward becoming a deeply political and social medium, evidenced by the polarized audience reception and 'review bombing' of narrative-driven titles like The Last of Us Part II.
Why 2020 Could Be a Year Long Remembered in Video Games
Published in January 2020, this opinion piece argues that 2020 has the makings of a landmark year for the video game industry.
- The 2020 release of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X is expected to be a major industry driver, supported by backward compatibility that allows players to carry over existing digital and physical game libraries.
- Streaming services are entering a critical phase in 2020 with the launch of Microsoft’s Project xCloud and EA’s Project Atlas, positioning them as alternatives for casual gamers who prefer not to own dedicated hardware.
- Subscription models are expanding beyond Microsoft’s Game Pass Ultimate, with Ubisoft, Square Enix, Apple (Apple Arcade), and Antstream Arcade signaling a shift toward bundled, recurring-revenue gaming services.