Maybe the world of sports and entertainment has been paralyzed, due to the coronavirus pandemic. But Electronic Arts believes that such should not affect its future sports launches: that is why the company has confirmed during its recent financial meeting that games like FIFA 21 and Madden NFL 21 will debut as planned, between the months of July and September.
Electronic Arts does not freeze in front of COVID-19
"We know that today people are committed to sport because they love to practice it"said the company's chief financial officer, Blake Jorgensen, during the meeting with investors. "If you're a sports fan, that doesn't stop. This way, the only way they have to continue being committed to sport is through our games, which translates into a great benefit for us. "
In this way, It is planned that both FIFA 21 how Madden NFL 21 are published during EA's second fiscal quarter, which runs from July to September. On the other hand, the firm expects to announce another EA Sports title, an additional EA HD title, four EA Partners titles and two game releases for mobile devices.
"We can be an important factor in helping people to socialize"
Meanwhile, in the real world, numerous football and sports leagues are paralyzed due to the security measures derived from the coronavirus pandemic. Without going any further, in Europe they are waiting for the English Premier League as the Spanish League to resume. "We don't know, because there is no precedent for this, what happens in the long term if any of the sports seasons is delayed any longer," Jorgensen continued. "But we believe that what we are witnessing now, especially with regard to eSports, is that we can be an important factor in helping people to socialize and do what they love in the sports they love"
EA CEO himself, Andrew Wilson, wanted to echo Jorgensen's comments with the following words: "We have a long history of creating spectacular sports content, which does not directly depend on the real world of sports". Which means that, although the sports seasons are paralyzed by the outbreak of the coronavirus, that does not have to affect the launches of games like FIFA.
Electronic Arts during COVID-19
The company has been one of the video game companies that has opted to move its entire global workforce to their homes, as security and preventive measures to deal with the number of coronavirus infections. Last March, they announced that "only a very limited number of staff" would continue to carry out company functions in offices. EA confirmed last Tuesday that the situation is still intact, with their employees betting on remote work.
EA has pointed out that, despite these circumstances, they have been able to continue offering content to players who are in their homes: as an example we find its popular battle royale Apex Legends, who has just welcomed Season 5. Given this context, EA says the way the company works will likely "change forever", betting on having part of its staff working from home. In turn, the confinement has served for EA to experience higher levels of engagement by the players.
