Electronic Arts confirmed the release date today as part of its latest earnings report. The game was previously pegged to launch on October 21, but in July, EA delayed the game to add "more innovation."
For the quarter ended September 30, EA recorded revenue of $1.2 billion, compared to $1 billion during this quarter last year. Overall, EA posted a profit of $232 million for the period, up significantly from the $105 million in profit the company recorded a year ago.
"Electronic Arts continues to put our players first, delivering new experiences, innovation, and new ways to play," EA CEO Andrew Wilson said in a statement. "It was an excellent second quarter, with strong new titles, deep player engagement in our live services, and ongoing digital growth driving continued momentum."
A healthy percentage of EA's revenue during the quarter came from digital channels. Of the $1.2 billion total revenue, $453 million was from digital games and $767 million was physical titles. Last year, the breakdown was $348 million and $692 million, respectively.For the calendar year so far, EA says it is the top publisher on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, led by games such as FIFA 15,NHL 15,Madden NFL 15,EA Sports UFC,Titanfall,Battlefield 4, and FIFA 14.
During the quarter alone, EA players recorded more than 1.9 billion hours of gameplay across console and PC, the company said.
Madden NFL 15 was one of EA's biggest new releases during the quarter. Though unit sales were not announced, EA said that gamers have played more than 89 million games so far, up 48 percent compared to last year.
On the mobile front, monthly active users for EA games averaged over 155 million during the quarter. Sports games for mobile devices showed particularly strong growth, with games averaging more than 40 million monthly active users during the quarter, which is up 250 percent year-over-year. This success was led by Madden NFL Mobile and FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Mobile, EA said.
The Ultimate Team modes for FIFA, Madden, and NHL were also on the rise, collectively jumping 96 percent year-over-year in terms of net revenue.
For more on player habits for EA games in the last quarter, check out this infographic. It touts huge numbers like 1 billion goals scored in FIFA 15 since launch, 199 million hours logged in Battlefield 4, and over 1.1 billion races completed in Real Racing 3. The infographic also reveals, somewhat unsurprisingly, that Battlefield 4 is the top EA Access game on Xbox One.
EA will hold a call with investors and media today to discuss these results and answer questions starting at 5 PM Eastern.
On Tuesday, October 28, Sony will implement sweeping changes to the PlayStation 4 operating system. Codenamed "Masamune," the console update adds numerous new features, from Share Play to a music player to YouTube integration.
Share Play
1) How it Works
Share Play is an extraordinarily generous feature that allows friends who have PS4s to share their games across the internet. The process is somewhat straightforward though requires robust connection speeds and PlayStation Plus. Here's how it works:
During any game, players can press the Share Button and an additional option, called "Share Play," appears in the menu. Once the option is selected, a Party is automatically created, and players then are asked which one friend they'd like to add to it.
Once a friend is selected, a notification will appear on their PS4. After they accept the request, they are designated as a 'guest' and their system will link to the host's.
By default the guest is just watching a live stream of what the host is playing. However, at any point the host can go to the Party menu and select "Give Controller to Guest". By doing so, the live footage being streamed to the guest can now be controlled too.
2) Share Play Co-Op
This option is selected in the same way as Share Play, only this time the host selects "Play a Game Together" in the sub-menu. By doing this, any co-op game can be played, all from the host's PS4.
3) Share Play Resolution and Frame-Rate
The footage streamed to a guest's PS4 will be significantly downgraded in resolution and frame-rate. There are no fixed numbers, because the visuals are determined by internet speed. As a rule of thumb, 1080p footage renders at a maximum of 720p on a guest's console. 60fps will almost certainly be halved to 30fps.
4) Share Play Recommended Internet Speed
Sony is not disclosing a suggested internet speed for Share Play to work, because a desirable outcome is dependant on numerous factors, such as host and guest bandwidth, as well as distance between systems. Due to these factors, a representative for PlayStation was not keen on offering general internet speed recommendations when asked by GameSpot.
5) 60 Minute Time Limit (and Workaround)
Each Share Play session is limited to sixty minutes, though once that expires, the host and guest can immediately start a new session. There are no restrictions on how many times users can activate Share Play, however, meaning they can theoretically play for as long as they like (though with the hour-interval interruptions).
6) All Games, No Exceptions
Sony representatives claimed that Share Play works across all PS4 games. When asked whether publishers can opt-out, they suggested that there was no existing option to do this. When asked to clarify on the matter further, the representatives offered an unequivocal indication that Share Play will work on all released PS4 games, providing they do not need an additional peripheral. Publishers cannot opt-out of this, GameSpot was told.
7) Alphas and Betas
Publishers have the option to restrict Share Play access to alpha and beta games.
8) PlayStation Plus Requirements
Only the host of a Share Play session requires PlayStation Plus. The guest does not. However, in the case of co-op, both members require PS Plus.
9) Privacy
The guest who watches the host's PS4 will not be able to see anything other than gameplay footage. If the host, for example, opens the system menu, the guest will be presented with a "please wait" placeholder screen.
10) Security
The host can take back control of their game at any point, effectively limiting opportunities for guests to play in an unsportsmanlike manner.
11) Spoilers
Some games can, by default, censor spoilers so that only the host can see them.
12) Upselling
Once a guest finishes a Share Play session, an icon of the game they have just played appears on their PS4 home page. This is essentially a shortcut link to the game's corresponding PS Store page.
YouTube
13) Video Uploads
PS4 can now sync with Google accounts, and once done so, users will have the option to share their videos onto YouTube. The system works in exactly the same manner as the existing Facebook sharing process: press the share button, edit a clip, give it a title and description, and uploading will commence.
Custom Themes
14) Colour Changes
The PS4's classic blue system menu can now undergo a makeover, with seven new colours to choose from:
Gold
Red
Dark Blue
Green
Purple
Pink
Grey.
15) No Custom Wallpapers
Users cannot upload their own PS4 background wallpapers, but a Sony representative said the team is looking at feedback and will make a decision in the future.
16) Official Themes
Sony, as well as third-party publishers and developers, can offer users their own game-specific themes for PS4.
Social Areas
17) Live From PlayStation
The Live From PlayStation page has been redesigned, now resplendent with a grid showing live streams of PS4 games.
18) Streamer Follow
PS4 Users now have the option to follow broadcasters who appear on their What's New page. This interaction syncs with the broadcaster's Twitch channel.
19) Picture-in-Picture
Users can now display a small windowed live stream whilst looking through the rest of the Live From PlayStation section. A representative for PlayStation appeared keen on the idea of expanding this picture-in-picture mode across the entire dashboard, but for now it only features in Live From PlayStation.
Content Management
20) Homepage Tweak
The homepage belt of most recently used games has expanded to 15 items.
21) No Folders
Homepage folders will not be included in the 2.0 update.
21) Library Filters
Content stored in the PS4's library can now be arranged and organised by content type, or alphabetically, or by most recently used, or by most recently installed.
Music player
22) USB Uploads
PlayStation 4 users can play music files, uninterrupted, during gameplay and when browsing the system. A mixer, found in the options, allows users to decide on how much music comes from the USB, and how much comes from the in-game audio.
22) Hard-drive Storage
Sony representatives have said the reason why they now only allow music via USB is because they wanted to resolve the lack of music player as quickly as they could. They tell GameSpot that hard-drive storage option is not off the table, nor guaranteed.
Other Additions
23) Enhanced Voice Commands
The PS4 Camera will now respond to a few more demands. The system will not be powered on by voice, however.
24) No video playback via USB or Hard-Drives
Sony has said users will still not be able to play downloaded video or movie files via the PS4.
25) Download Pausing
Users can now pause active downloads and resume at a later date.
26) Twitter video
The PS4 is still unable to allow users to publish video clips to Twitter.
The new $50 off sale can be combined with a Microsoft Store promotion for a very nice deal.
Today's news that Microsoft will run a lengthy promotion that takes $50 off the price of the Xbox Onebrings the base cost down to $350. You can actually get one for $100 less than that from the Microsoft Store right now, provided you've got some old hardware to trade in.
The Microsoft Store is currently running a promotion (separate from the one announced today) that offers a $100 credit toward a new Xbox One when trading in a working Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. It's not new, but combined with today's news that you'll soon be able to buy a One for $350, this means you're looking at spending only $250 for an Xbox One (without Kinect). Not a bad deal.
Even better than that is using the trade-in credit to get the Assassin's Creed bundle (which includes copies of Assassin's Creed Unity and Black Flag) or the Sunset Overdrive bundle (which includes the game and a white console and controller) for $250.
You don't need to rush in order to get these prices--the $50 off deal runs from November 2-January 3, and the $100 trade-in offer expires on December 31. That should give you time to finish up any games you might be in the middle of or to track down the cables for an old system--Microsoft is accepting more than just the most recent models of 360 and PS3.
Yesterday, I posted about some rumoured Assassin's Creed: Unity system requirements. Many were rightly sceptical—the idea of a minimum requirement of a GTX 680 or Radeon HD 7970 seemed, in a word, absurd. And yet, here, today, Ubisoft has confirmed those required specifications.
Here, then, are the official requirements. Let them eat relatively high-end graphics cards:
64-bit operating system Required
Supported OS Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8/8.1 (64bit versions only)
Processor Minimum Intel Core i5-2500K @ 3.3 GHz or AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz or AMD Phenom II x4 940 @ 3.0 GHz
Recommended Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.4 GHz or AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz or better
RAM Minimum 6 GB
Recommended 8GB
Video Card Minimum NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 or AMD Radeon HD 7970 (2 GB VRAM)
Sound Card DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card with latest drivers
Hard Drive Space 50 GB available space
Peripherals Supported Windows-compatible keyboard and mouse required, optional controller
Multiplayer 256 kbps or faster broadband connection
Supported Video Cards at Time of Release NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 or better, GeForce GTX 700 series; AMD Radeon HD7970 or better, Radeon R9 200 series Note: Laptop versions of these cards may work but are NOT officially supported.
As I pointed out yesterday, we're currently living in a period where system requirements do not always map with reality. Keep an eye out for benchmarks when the game is released—they'll prove a much more reliable signifier of the game's performance.
Microtransactions. "Micro." As in, very small bits of money—a dollar here, a dollar there—exchanged for comparably small in-game items: A new hat, perhaps, or some healing potions. But boy, it sure adds up. Riot Games earned $624 million fromLeague of Legends last year, and that was only good enough for second place on the top-ten free-to-play earnings list. In 2014, however, it's shot to number one, and is poised to be the first to break $1 billion in microtransaction revenues.
League of Legends pulled in an estimated $964 million between January and September of this year, according to SuperData research (via VentureBeat), making the magical $1 billion mark almost a sure thing. And it's not alone: Last year's first-place finisher, the military FPS CrossFire, is at $897 million, Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online is sitting at $891 million, and World of Warcraft has brought in $728 million. All them have a good shot at making it over the hump.
Also noteworthy is just how badly League of Legends is trouncing the other big free-to-play games in North American, Dota 2 and Hearthstone. Both made the list, but way, way back in the pack: Dota 2 is at number nine with $136 million in revenues, while Hearthstone brought up the rear with $114 million. I'm not going to shed too many tears for either of them, but it's a remarkable gap between them.
The World of Warcraft situation is interesting as well. Subscription numbers have slid dramatically over the past several years (although they recently enjoyed a bouncethanks to the launch of Warlords of Draenor), but the spending on in-game items, which is all these numbers take into account—no subscription revenues, in other words—is way up: Its nine-month total is more than triple the $213 million it earned in all of 2013.
In a similar light, Hearthstone may be doing better than it appears, because the figures are PC-only and thus don't account for mobile spending. That still wouldn't be enough to get it near LoL, but it might move it up a few places in the list.
"I'd love to add another great AAA franchise to the list of exclusives on Xbox and I think Sunset can be one of those things," Phil Spencer said.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer said that Microsoft might have been able to sell more units of its white Xbox One if it bundled it with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, but that he wanted to use the white console to promote a new IP, Sunset Overdrive.
"Would we have sold more white consoles if we put it with the Master Chief Collection? I think that would have been the safer route, but I'd love to add another great AAA franchise to the list of exclusives on Xbox and I think Sunset can be one of those things and I want to get behind it in a big way," Spencer said onIGN's Podcast Unlocked.
But why not have a special edition Xbox One for both games? As Spencer explained, one reason is that Microsoft doesn't want too many different versions of the console on the market. He also said that unlike the Xbox One Assassin's Creed Unity and Black Flag bundle, special editions of the consoles in different colors or hard drive size have to be planned out a year in advance.
Spencer said that Microsoft is currently talking about special editions that will release next year. He didn't say if one of them will be bundled with Halo 5: Guardians, but that the game will be a "big event" for Microsoft that year.
"Releasing new IP and making it stand out is always a challenge, especially when you got Call of Dutycoming with a massive game, you've got Assassin's Creed coming with another great game, you've got Halo there, and here we are with Sunset and in the end the number of bundles and custom consoles you do is not a huge percentage of the game sales, but I wanted to put a stake out there, our first time working with Ted [Price] and the team Insomniac, that this is really a first party game for us and we're really behind it."
All that being said, Microsoft did announce a Halo: The Master Chief Collection white Xbox One bundle, butonly for Brazil and "additional select markets," which at the moment does not include the United States.
First Look at Halo 5 Gameplay Coming Next Month During "HaloFest"
Microsoft announced today that it will hold a special "HaloFest" live-stream event the night before Halo: The Master Chief Collection's release on November 11 for Xbox One.
Viewers will get to see developer interviews, the first footage of the Halo 5: Guardians gameplay, and the debut episode of Halo: Nightfall. You can tune in through Twitch, Xbox Live, and Xbox.com.
HaloFest will take place at the Avalon Theatre in Los Angeles on November 10, one day before The Master Chief Collection launches worldwide. The event begins at 8 PM Pacific.
Here's what's on tap for the HaloFest live-stream:
First look at Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta -- This will include an exhibition match between professional players, giving fans a first look at how the game plays. The game's beta begins December 29, though you'll need to buy The Master Chief Collection to get in
World premiere of Halo: Nightfall -- Viewers will get to watch the first episode in Alien director Ridley Scott's series, which introduces Agent Locke, a central character in Halo 5. You can watch a new trailer for the series above.
Interviews -- 343 Industries developers such as Bonnie Ross (studio manager), Frank O'Connor (franchise development director), Dan Ayoub (executive producer), and Josh Holmes (executive producer) will be featured during the event. In addition, 343 executive producer Kiki Wolfkill will talk about Nightfall during the stream, which will also feature "celebrity Halo fans."
Outside of the HaloFest stream, Microsoft will hold a Halo tournament on November 8-9. 32 players from around the world will compete for $50,000 in prizes in Halo 2: Anniversary's multiplayer mode. This will take place at the ESL's headquarters in California, and all coverage will be streamed live through the Halo Twitch channel. Highlights will be shown during HaloFest.
