Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:EA, ETR:ERT) announced preliminary results for the fiscal first quarter of 2026, reporting net bookings of $1.298 billion, which was above the high end of their guidance range at $1.275 billion.
This was also above Wall Street estimates of $1.285 billion.
The company attributed its better-than-expected results to contributions from across its portfolio, including EA Sports, Apex Legends and its back catalog.
Revenue was $1.67 billion, ahead of estimates of $1.56 billion.
Earnings per share (EPS) were $0.79, beating estimates of $0.63.
“We delivered a strong start to fiscal year 2026, outperforming expectations ahead of what will be the most exciting launch slate in EA’s history,” EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement.
“From deepening player engagement in EA SPORTS to gearing up for Battlefield 6 and skate, we’re scaling our global communities and continuing to shape the future of interactive entertainment.”
The company reaffirmed its full-year guidance, continuing to expect net bookings in the range of $7.6 billion to $8 billion, revenue in the range of $7.1 billion to $7.5 billion, and EPS in the range of $3.09 to $3.79.
Analysts at Wedbush welcomed the results as a solid start to fiscal 2026.
“Fiscal 2026 is pivotal for EA, with splashy incremental upcoming releases like Battlefield and skate,” they wrote. “We are confident EA can outpace market growth and drive margin expansion through fiscal 2027, as its incremental new titles should build on a solid foundation of recurring revenue.
Looking to Q2 guidance, the analysts noted the company’s modest guidance.
“EA partially tempered Q2 expectations by detailing that it expects a more normalized College Football launch compared to last year and a four-point year-over-year headwind related to the phasing of FC 26 Ultimate Edition content,” they wrote. “Favorably, the company expects early momentum in Apex Legends and back catalog to continue.”
Regarding upcoming releases, Wedbush expects Battlefield unit sales of 7 million to 15 million and skate downloads between 3 million and 5 million.
“While we expect skate to be free-to-play, the considerable hype for the game should drive incremental live services revenue,” they wrote.
“Execution risks are present, especially given Battlefield 2042’s disastrous launch in 2021, but a repeat of that is unlikely, in our view. We think EA will instead launch a polished version of the game.”
The analysts maintained their ‘Outperform’ rating and $210 price target on EA.
“We expect revenue to grow approximately 8% this fiscal year and anticipate earnings accretion from share buybacks,” they wrote.
Shares of EA added 6.2% at about $157 on Wednesday afternoon.