Electronic Arts Reports Q3 FY23 Financial Results

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) today announced preliminary financial results for its third fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2022.

“In Q3, EA delivered high-quality experiences, driving record engagement across some of our biggest franchises and growing our player network. While our teams delivered for our players, the current macro environment impacted Q3 results,” said Andrew Wilson, CEO of Electronic Arts. “As we navigate the short-term, we're focused on building for the long-term and remain confident about our future. With amazing talent, proven IP and growing player network, EA is operating from a position of strength.”

“As market uncertainty mounted during the quarter, we took measures to protect underlying profitability,” said Chris Suh, CFO. “We are prioritizing the player experience, directing investment to where it can have the most positive impact for our players and on growth.”

Selected Operating Highlights and Metrics

Net bookings¹ for the trailing twelve months was $7.146 billion, down 1% year-over-year.
Live services and other net bookings for the trailing twelve months were up 4% year-over-year and represent 75% of total net bookings.
The EA player network grew to more than 650 million at quarter end.
EA SPORTS FIFA 23 is pacing to be the biggest title in franchise history and delivered record engagement in Q3.
Our teams delivered two AAA titles, NHL 23 and Need for Speed Unbound, at quality, and provided 128 content updates across 36 titles.
The Sims welcomed over 10 million new players into the community during the quarter, with daily active users, weekly active users and monthly active users all up double digits year-over-year.

Selected Financial Highlights and Metrics

Net cash provided by operating activities was $1.123 billion for the quarter and $1.377 billion for the trailing twelve months.
EA repurchased 2.6 million shares for $325 million during the quarter, bringing the total for the trailing twelve months to 10.2 million shares for $1.295 billion.
EA paid a cash dividend of $0.19 per share during the quarter, for a total of $52 million.

Dividend

EA has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.19 per share of the Company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on March 22, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 1, 2023.

Quarterly Financial Highlights

	Three Months Ended
	December 31,
	2022	2021
(in $ millions, except per share amounts)
Full game	622	616
Live services and other	1,259	1,173
Total net revenue	1,881	1,789

Net income	204	66
Diluted earnings per share	0.73	0.23

Operating cash flow	1,123	1,534

Value of shares repurchased	325	325
Number of shares repurchased	2.6	2.4

The following GAAP-based financial data² and tax rate of 19% was used internally by company management to adjust its GAAP results in order to assess EA’s operating results:

	Three Months Ended December 31, 2022
			GAAP-Based Financial Data
(in $ millions)	Statement of Operations		Acquisition- related expenses		Change in deferred net revenue (online- enabled games)	Stock-based compensation
Total net revenue	1,881		-		461	-
Cost of revenue	568		(26	)	-	(2	)
Gross profit	1,313		26		461	2
Total operating expenses	1,024		(50	)	-	(139	)
Operating income	289		76		461	141
Interest and other income (expense), net	(7	)	-		-	-
Income before provision for income taxes	282		76		461	141
Number of shares used in computation:
Diluted	278

Trailing Twelve Months Financial Highlights

	Twelve Months Ended
	December 31,
	2022	2021
(in $ millions)
Full game	2,003	1,805
Live services and other	5,374	4,707
Total net revenue	7,377	6,512

Net income	1,039	640

Operating cash flow	1,377	1,826

Value of shares repurchased	1,295	1,300
Number of shares repurchased	10.2	9.4

The following GAAP-based financial data² was used internally by company management to adjust its GAAP results in order to assess EA’s operating results. During fiscal 2022, management used a tax rate of 18% and in fiscal 2023 a tax rate of 19%.

	Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2022
			GAAP-Based Financial Data
(in $ millions)	Statement of Operations		Acquisition- related expenses		Change in deferred net revenue (online- enabledgames)		Stock-based compensation
Total net revenue	7,377		-		(231	)	-
Cost of revenue	1,763		(140	)	-		(7	)
Gross profit	5,614		140		(231	)	7
Total operating expenses	4,092		(184	)	-		(524	)
Operating income	1,522		324		(231	)	531
Interest and other income (expense), net	(21	)	-		-		-
Income before provision for income taxes	1,501		324		(231	)	531

Operating Metric

The following is a calculation of our total net bookings¹ for the periods presented:

	Three Months Ended		Twelve Months Ended
	December 31,		December 31,
	2022	2021	2022		2021
(in $ millions)
Total net revenue	1,881	1,789	7,377		6,512
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)	461	788	(231	)	742
Total net bookings	2,342	2,577	7,146		7,254

Business Outlook as of January 31, 2023

EA announced a new release date for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which will launch globally on April 28th. More information is provided on EA’s blog at www.ea.com/news.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal Year 2023 Expectations – Ending March 31, 2023

Financial metrics:

Net revenue is expected to be approximately $1.700 billion to $1.800 billion.
- Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) is expected to be approximately ($25) million.
Net income is expected to be approximately $14 million to $55 million.
Diluted earnings per share is expected to be approximately $0.05 to $0.20.
The Company estimates a share count of 277 million for purposes of calculating fourth quarter fiscal 2023 diluted earnings per share.

Operational metric:

Net bookings¹ is expected to be approximately $1.675 billion to $1.775 billion.
- This guidance includes the shift of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor to Q1 FY24.

In addition, the following outlook for GAAP-based financial data² and updated long-term tax rate of 19% are used internally by EA to adjust GAAP expectations to assess EA’s operating results and plan for future periods:

	Three Months Ending March 31, 2023
		GAAP-Based Financial Data*
	GAAP Guidance Range	Acquisition- related expenses		Change in deferred net revenue (online- enabled games)		Stock-based compensation
(in $ millions)
Total net revenue	1,700 to 1,800	-		(25	)	-
Cost of revenue	395 to 415	(25	)	-		-
Operating expense	1,075 to 1,085	(35	)	-		(140	)
Income before provision for income taxes	235 to 304	60		(25	)	140
Net income	14 to 55
Number of shares used in computation:
Diluted shares	277

* The mid-point of the range has been used for purposes of presenting the reconciling items.

Fiscal Year 2023 Expectations – Ending March 31, 2023

Financial metrics:

Net revenue is expected to be approximately $7.252 billion to $7.352 billion.
- Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) is expected to be approximately ($182) million.
Net income is expected to be approximately $828 million to $869 million.
Diluted earnings per share is expected to be approximately $2.97 to $3.11.
Operating cash flow is expected to be approximately $1.400 billion to $1.450 billion.
The Company estimates a share count of 279 million for purposes of calculating fiscal year 2023 diluted earnings per share.

Operational metric:

Net bookings¹ is expected to be approximately $7.070 billion to $7.170 billion.

	Twelve Months Ending March 31, 2023
		GAAP-Based Financial Data*
	GAAP Guidance Range	Acquisition- related expenses		Change in deferred net revenue (online- enabled games)		Stock-based compensation
(in $ millions)
Total net revenue	7,252 to 7,352	-		(182	)	-
Cost of revenue	1,739 to 1,759	(120	)	-		(5	)
Operating expense	4,126 to 4,136	(167	)	-		(541	)
Income before provision for income taxes	1,380 to 1,449	287		(182	)	546
Net income	828 to 869
Number of shares used in computation:
Diluted shares	279

* The mid-point of the range has been used for purposes of presenting the reconciling items.

Conference Call and Supporting Documents

Electronic Arts will host a conference call on January 31, 2023 at 2:00 pm PT (5:00 pm ET) to review its results for the third quarter ended December 31, 2022 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 (888) 330-2446 (domestic) or (240) 789-2732 (international), using the conference code 5939891 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 15, 2023 at (800) 770-2030 (domestic) or (647) 362-9199 (international) using pin code 5939891. 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 expectations under the heading “Business Outlook as of January 31, 2023” and other information regarding EA's 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: 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, and integrate, 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; economic and geopolitical 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, 2022.

These forward-looking statements are current as of January 31, 2023. 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, 2022. 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, 2022.

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 2022, EA posted GAAP net revenue of approximately $7 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™, Plants vs. Zombies™ and F1^®. More information about EA is available at www.ea.com/news.

EA SPORTS, Battlefield, Need for Speed, Apex Legends, The Sims, Titanfall and Plants vs. Zombies are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. STAR WARS © & TM 2015 Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. John Madden, NFL, FIFA and F1 are the property of their respective owners and used with permission.

¹Net 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.
²For 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, 2022.

ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(in $ millions, except per share data)

	Three Months Ended December 31,				Nine Months Ended December 31,
	Three Months Ended December 31,				Nine Months Ended December 31,
	2022		2021		2022		2021
Net revenue	1,881		1,789		5,552		5,166
Cost of revenue	568		631		1,344		1,440
Gross profit	1,313		1,158		4,208		3,726
Operating expenses:
Research and development	556		539		1,693		1,607
Marketing and sales	256		293		723		716
General and administrative	162		163		503		508
Amortization and impairment of intangibles	50		61		132		131
Total operating expenses	1,024		1,056		3,051		2,962
Operating income	289		102		1,157		764
Interest and other income (expense), net	(7	)	(11	)	(12	)	(39	)
Income before provision for income taxes	282		91		1,145		725
Provision for income taxes	78		25		331		161
Net income	204		66		814		564
Earnings per share
Basic	0.74		0.23		2.93		1.99
Diluted	0.73		0.23		2.92		1.97
Number of shares used in computation
Basic	276		283		278		284
Diluted	278		285		279		287

Results (in $ millions, except per share data)

The following table reports the variance of the actuals versus our guidance provided on November 1, 2022 for the three months ended December 31, 2022 plus a comparison to the actuals for the three months ended December 31, 2021.

	Three Months Ended December 31,
	2022 Guidance (Mid-Point)				2022 Actuals		2021 Actuals
	2022 Guidance (Mid-Point)		Variance		2022 Actuals		2021 Actuals
Net revenue
Net revenue	1,875		6		1,881		1,789
GAAP-based financial data
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)¹	600		(139	)	461		788
Cost of revenue
Cost of revenue	570		(2	)	568		631
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses	(30	)	4		(26	)	(44	)
Stock-based compensation	—		(2	)	(2	)	(1	)
Operating expenses
Operating expenses	1,085		(61	)	1,024		1,056
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses	(35	)	(15	)	(50	)	(61	)
Stock-based compensation	(150	)	11		(139	)	(128	)
Income before tax
Income before tax	219		63		282		91
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses	65		11		76		105
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)¹	600		(139	)	461		788
Stock-based compensation	150		(9	)	141		129
Tax rate used for management reporting	19	%			19	%	18	%
Earnings per share
Basic	0.51		0.23		0.74		0.23
Diluted	0.51		0.22		0.73		0.23
Number of shares used in computation
Basic	277		(1	)	276		283
Diluted	279		(1	)	278		285

¹		The 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.

ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in $ millions)

	December 31, 2022		March 31, 2022²
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	2,202		2,732
Short-term investments	351		330
Receivables, net	836		650
Other current assets	453		439
Total current assets	3,842		4,151
Property and equipment, net	553		550
Goodwill	5,380		5,387
Acquisition-related intangibles, net	735		962
Deferred income taxes, net	2,443		2,243
Other assets	517		507
TOTAL ASSETS	13,470		13,800

LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	62		101
Accrued and other current liabilities	1,243		1,388
Deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)	1,808		2,024
Total current liabilities	3,113		3,513
Senior notes, net	1,879		1,878
Income tax obligations	525		386
Deferred income taxes, net	1		1
Other liabilities	401		397
Total liabilities	5,919		6,175

Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock	3		3
Retained earnings	7,585		7,607
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(37	)	15
Total stockholders’ equity	7,551		7,625
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY	13,470		13,800

²		Derived 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,
	2022		2021		2022		2021
OPERATING ACTIVITIES
Net income	204		66		814		564
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation, amortization, accretion and impairment	122		146		363		345
Stock-based compensation	141		129		406		403
Change in assets and liabilities
Receivables, net	90		56		(186	)	(390	)
Other assets	(28	)	(24	)	(53	)	(75	)
Accounts payable	(74	)	(51	)	(21	)	(9	)
Accrued and other liabilities	297		433		28		183
Deferred income taxes, net	(47	)	—		(203	)	(140	)
Deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)	418		779		(215	)	574
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,123		1,534		933		1,455

INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Capital expenditures	(48	)	(48	)	(160	)	(135	)
Proceeds from maturities and sales of short-term investments	77		65		243		1,193
Purchase of short-term investments	(90	)	(69	)	(263	)	(438	)
Acquisitions, net of cash acquired	—		3		—		(3,391	)
Net cash used in investing activities	(61	)	(49	)	(180	)	(2,771	)

FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Proceeds from issuance of common stock	3		3		47		44
Cash dividends paid	(52	)	(48	)	(158	)	(145	)
Cash paid to taxing authorities for shares withheld from employees	(44	)	(72	)	(161	)	(193	)
Repurchase and retirement of common stock	(325	)	(325	)	(970	)	(975	)
Net cash used in financing activities	(418	)	(442	)	(1,242	)	(1,269	)

Effect of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents	19		(3	)	(41	)	(5	)
Change in cash and cash equivalents	663		1,040		(530	)	(2,590	)
Beginning cash and cash equivalents	1,539		1,630		2,732		5,260
Ending cash and cash equivalents	2,202		2,670		2,202		2,670

ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
(in $ millions, except per share data)

	Q3		Q4		Q1		Q2		Q3		YOY %
	FY22		FY22		FY23		FY23		FY23		Change
Net revenue
Net revenue	1,789		1,825		1,767		1,904		1,881		5	%
GAAP-based financial data
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)¹	788		(74	)	(468	)	(150	)	461
Gross profit
Gross profit	1,158		1,406		1,453		1,442		1,313		13	%
Gross profit (as a % of net revenue)	65	%	77	%	82	%	76	%	70	%
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses	44		45		30		39		26
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)¹	788		(74	)	(468	)	(150	)	461
Stock-based compensation	1		2		2		1		2
Operating income
Operating income	102		365		441		427		289		*183*	%
Operating income (as a % of net revenue)	6	%	20	%	25	%	22	%	15	%
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses	105		97		69		82		76
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)¹	788		(74	)	(468	)	(150	)	461
Stock-based compensation	129		125		125		140		141
Net income
Net income	66		225		311		299		204		*209*	%
Net income (as a % of net revenue)	4	%	12	%	18	%	16	%	11	%
GAAP-based financial data
Acquisition-related expenses	105		97		69		82		76
Change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games)¹	788		(74	)	(468	)	(150	)	461
Stock-based compensation	129		125		125		140		141
Tax rate used for management reporting	18	%	18	%	19	%	19	%	19	%
Diluted earnings per share	0.23		0.80		1.11		1.07		0.73		*217*	%
Number of shares used in computation
Basic	283		281		279		278		276
Diluted	285		283		281		279		278

¹		The 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.

ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Financial Information and Business Metrics
(in $ millions)

	Q3		Q4		Q1		Q2		Q3		YOY %
	FY22		FY22		FY23		FY23		FY23		Change
QUARTERLY NET REVENUE PRESENTATIONS
Net revenue by composition
Full game downloads	400		312		237		328		423		6	%
Packaged goods	216		126		104		274		199		(8	%)
Full game	616		438		341		602		622		1	%
Live services and other	1,173		1,387		1,426		1,302		1,259		7	%
Total net revenue	1,789		1,825		1,767		1,904		1,881		5	%
Full game	34	%	24	%	19	%	32	%	33	%
Live services and other	66	%	76	%	81	%	68	%	67	%
*Total net revenue %*	*100*	%	*100*	%	*100*	%	*100*	%	*100*	%
GAAP-based financial data
Full game downloads	179		(103	)	(111	)	17		45
Packaged goods	105		(68	)	(65	)	16		20
Full game	284		(171	)	(176	)	33		65
Live services and other	504		97		(292	)	(183	)	396
Total change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) by composition¹	788		(74	)	(468	)	(150	)	461

Net revenue by platform
Console	1,138		1,092		1,042		1,161		1,152		1	%
PC & Other	374		420		402		423		435		16	%
Mobile	277		313		323		320		294		6	%
Total net revenue	1,789		1,825		1,767		1,904		1,881		5	%
GAAP-based financial data
Console	608		(86	)	(405	)	(134	)	423
PC & Other	137		3		(54	)	8		29
Mobile	43		9		(9	)	(24	)	9
Total change in deferred net revenue (online-enabled games) by platform¹	788		(74	)	(468	)	(150	)	461

¹		The 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.

Contacts

Chris Evenden
Vice President, Investor Relations
650-628-0255
cevenden@ea.com

Erin Rheaume
Director, Financial Communications
650-628-7978
erheaume@ea.com

Read full story here

First published on Wed, Feb 1, 2023

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