With Anthem set to launch in a just two weeks, BioWare and EA will, for the first time, enter the suddenly-crowded shared world shooter genre popularized by games like Destiny, The Division, Warframe, and more.
While Anthem seems to be a AAA game developed by a big studio, EA says that it has “modest expectations” for Anthem’s (and Battlefield V’s) live services since this is an unproven venture by the publisher, and estimates Anthem sales numbers to be at 5-6 million units sold in the quarter. This was revealed during EA’s earnings call by EA COO & CFO Blake Jorgensen.
We now anticipate fiscal 2019 net bookings of $4.75 billion. This is below our previous expectations, based primarily on performance to date of Battlefield V, mobile, and Origin Access. We model Anthem units in the 5 to 6 million unit range, and do not model material net bookings for Apex Legends in the quarter.
We have modest expectations for Battlefield and Anthem live services, given that they are not yet proven. We continue to refine mobile live services and work on new games.
Mind, 5-6 million units sold is still a lot — especially for a new IP, but we’re not EA, so what do we know, right?
Do you think Anthem will hit those numbers or should EA brace themselves for a letdown?
In other Anthem news, BioWare has announced that over 40 million hours of playtime was amassed during the game’s two-weekend demos. For those who played, the studio also announced that they want to pump out Stronghold missions ASAP, and yes, they will be free.
Source: Seeking Alpha (login required)
I will give them the benefit of the doubt, but the demo did not sell me on the game. I have Origin Access Premiere, so I can try it without buying anyway, but thus far I am not sold. Hopefully once they open up more content it will change my mind. (Like I said…It was a demo, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.)