Launch Delay Pressures Electronic Arts, Shares Pricey
Delays are inherent in the video game business and in this case create a slight deferral, not loss, of revenue.
On Aug. 30,
While we don’t doubt that Battlefield V could benefit from more time to perfect its gameplay, we believe the core reason for the delay is a crowded release slate in October. Battlefield V’s original launch date of Oct. 20 is sandwiched between two highly anticipated games, Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Take-Two’s Red Dead Redemption 2. The latter title is a sequel to the 2010 Western shooter from Rockstar Games, which was one of the best-selling games of the previous console generation. We (along with many other analysts) expect RDR2 to be one of the top-selling games of 2018 as critic and fan excitement appears much higher for the title than competitors like Battlefield V.
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