EA’s Annual Report in the form of its Form 10-K filed with the SEC this week talks a bit about SWTOR. Where does it stand now? Is it gaining more attention? swtoreconomics had some opinions to share on the matter and we think you’ll find it interesting too:
“Star Wars: The Old Republic has received a lot of attention for its episodic story content cycle that began in October 2015 with the release of Knights of the Fallen Empire and opinions vary widely. There is little doubt that the financial success or failure of this content cycle will be the largest factor in determining the future path of the game. There is one paragraph that provides essentially all of the information in the entire 97 page report regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic specifically:
For fiscal year 2016, service and other revenue was $1,899 million, primarily driven by FIFA Ultimate Team and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Service and other revenue for fiscal year 2016 decreased $48 million, or 2 percent, as compared to fiscal year 2015. This decrease was driven by a $421 million decrease primarily from Titanfall and Battlefield 4 Premium. This decrease was partially offset by a $373 million increase primarily from the Madden NFL franchise, Need for Speed 2015 and SimCity BuildIt.
The game is doing well enough to appear as the second named attribution for the category’s revenue for the fiscal year. This indicated a continued strong position within the category which has value in terms of the game remaining a large contributor for EA and remaining a development priority moving forward. However, despite being hailed as the most successful expansion that Star Wars: The Old Republic has ever released, it did not significantly change the revenue for the game compared to the prior year and more traditional content cycle of the Shadow of Revan expansion.””
He goes on to discuss the differences between the economics of the game and the gameplay itself. He talks about how fewer people are playing the game, despite it making more money. So what does it mean, really? Well, in short, it shows that there are plenty of consumers willing to pay for what the game is currently offering. There is enough interest for them to be profitable with it. I’m not sure I agree with him when he says he doesn’t like the game now. Yes, it’s changed from its origins but I think for many players, the changes are overall good. Regardless of your personal feelings, one thing remains certain: they have found the path to profit.
