Battlefield 3, The Old Republic drive healthy Q3 for EA

Today, Electronic Arts reported that it exceeded its guidance (but fell below Wall Street outlook) for its fiscal third quarter, with revenues driven largely by healthy sales for both Battlefield 3 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. For the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2011, EA brought in $1.65 billion in non-GAAP revenue, a 15 percent increase from the $1.41 billion brought in during this same period the year before. Broken down, the majority of this sum came from the studio's published packaged goods, which totaled $1.23 billion, up from $1.11 billion last year. The company also saw noted growth from digital goods, which pulled in $377 million in revenue, up 78 percent from $211 million year over year. A fair portion of this digital revenue came from EA's new Origin distribution platform. So far, the platform has generated more than $100 million in revenue, and has accumulated 9.3 million users. The remaining $49 million in revenue for the quarter came from packaged goods distribution, down from $91 million year over year. In all, EA added that it earned more than $1 billion in digital revenue during the 2011 calendar year. Outside of its revenues, EA also revealed that its major MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, has attracted 1.7 million subscribers, and has sold more than 2 million units worldwide. In addition, Battlefield 3 and FIFA 12 have sold 10 million units each, and Madden NFL 12 has reached 5 million units sold. Looking forward to its fourth fiscal quarter, EA said that its non-GAAP revenue is expected to fall in between $925 million and $975 million. The company also noted that it expects to bring in more than $100 million in digital revenue from its FIFA Ultimate Team service by the end of its 2012 fiscal year.