EA Shares Crash 19% After Soccer Franchise Misses Targets

Electronic Arts (EA) shares dropped 19% on Thursday, their worst decline since 1999.

The fall followed a cut in the company’s full-year bookings forecast due to underperformance in its soccer franchise, EA Sports FC, and the role-playing game Dragon Age.

EA now expects third-quarter net bookings of $2.215 billion, down from $2.4 billion to $2.55 billion previously.

Full-year bookings are forecasted at $7 billion to $7.15 billion, below the earlier $7.5 billion to $7.8 billion range.

The soccer franchise, previously branded under FIFA, struggled to meet expectations. Global football sales and live services revenue are both expected to decline in fiscal 2025.

Dragon Age also fell short, attracting 1.5 million players, 50% below projections.

Analysts at Roth Capital Partners called the earnings update a “big stumble.” EA will release full third-quarter results on February 4.