Electronic Arts reported a $45 million loss for the fiscal quarter that ended on December 31, 2012, which isn't good except when held up against the company's results over the same period last year, a loss of $205 million. But while the loss has improved, the revenue situation has not: Revenues for the quarter hit $922 million, compared to $1.06 billion the previous year. In response, EA reduce its annual earnings guidance slightly, from $3.85-4 billion to $3.7-3.8 billion.
BMO Capital Markets analyst Edward Williams also noted that some of EA's troubles are beyond its control, as the entire industry is suffering from a downturn in demand as consumers await next-gen hardware from Sony and Microsoft.
EA also announced that its digital business is continuing to grow, with games and services for mobile (including handhelds) growing 18 percent year-over-year to roughly $100 million, and that its Origin platform now has more than 39 million registered users and distribution deals with 86 independent developers.
The annual round of layoffs again might be coming...
