As previously stated by both Sony and Microsoft, this will very likely be the biggest hardware launch of all time. There are plenty of pre-orders placed on both next-generation boxes, and according to EA, we could see upward of 10 million units purchased by April 2014.
"When I talked to our friends at both Sony and Microsoft, and I'm trying to get some indications in the numbers that are going to be available for sale by the end of our fiscal year on March 31 and I aggregate them, I think I can squint and see 10 million units combined, very easily,” said EA chief operating officer Peter Moore in a Q&A session with investors, via GameSpot.
"Both Sony and Microsoft are proposing that this could be their best launches ever as regards their production numbers and their ability to globalize this business quickly. So we feel bullish about our ability of having five truly next-gen titles available for that."
Just selling the consoles isn’t enough, though. EA is in the software business, and it’s looking for a high attachment rate for the games.
"As regards to attach rates, we typically, as you know, see maybe three titles per unit,” he continued. “And depending on how aggressive bundling goes on with the first parties, but I don't see any indication that there would be any less than that right now, from what we're seeing and hearing from our retail partners.
"So I think overall, we feel very bullish. We've got the right product at the right time. We have not had some of the problems some of our fellow publishers in the industry have been getting. Our quality titles are ready for next-gen. We feel, as we've said on previous earning calls, we're well ahead of this transition and we're going to nail it.”
With games like Battlefield 4 and Titanfall on the next-gen horizon, EA is heading toward a successful start to what’s sure to be a long console cycle.
