EA CEO Andrew Wilson: The games industry is on fire

In a recent interview with Bloomberg, EA CEO Andrew Wilson says the "games industry is on fire," and he's right.

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Thanks to pandemic spending surges, 2020 was one of the biggest years in modern gaming. Major publishers like EA, Activision-Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive, Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft all reported record gaming revenues. Many of these games-makers project that 2021 will deliver better results.

EA, in particular, expects significant growth in its FY2022 period (ends March 2022) to $7.3 billion in revenues, or 18% topline growth. The company is enacting a new three-part business plan that emphasizes mobile, premium games, and new business models across its portfolio, along with new additions from Codemasters and Glu Mobile. 2021 will be mostly centered around EA Sports, Battlefield, and Apex Legends, all of which will offer both premium and free-to-play experiences.

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In a recent interview with Bloomberg TV, EA CEO Andrew Wilson talks about certain trends that will fuel 2021's record earnings.

When asked if EA can continue its momentum into 2021, Wilson said:

"The short answer is yes. We came off an extraordinary year. Even with such a strong year last year we guided to an even bigger this year. So we're projecting that continued growth. That's not unnatural because people have discovered just how awesome games are, and that connection is made through the content and we expect that to continue to grow over time.

"We've guided to 18% topline growth. During my tenure, this only one other time we guided anywhere above 5-7%. This is a big jump for us. Of course we've made big acquisitions with Codemasters and Glu that are helping guide that growth. We feel great about the year ahead.

"The industry is on fire, more people are recognizing the value of games, our network of players is growing. We've mentioned Battlefield coming this year in addition to FIFA and Madden and so many other great games."

EA's FY2022 will be catalyzed by major releases like the new mainline Battlefield game, Apex Legends content and a mobile release, and a myriad of EA Sports games including FIFA, Madden, and PGA Tour.

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