Electronic Arts Extends NHL and UFC Licenses

Electronic Arts

announced today the extension in the license of the National Hockey League and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

NHL has given EA a “multi-year renewal” no more details were revealed but it’s estimated that the extended partnership between the publisher and the league could see EA securing the exclusivity of producing AAA games featuring all the teams of the league for at least ten years. The vision for the NHL franchise is to  “accelerate authentic and innovative hockey simulation experiences”.

EA revealed more details of the partnership with the UFC, the license has been granted to the publisher until 2030. There are some limitations to the Chinese market.

“The [UFC] partnership will include more forms of play and self-expression, available on more platforms, including expanded future offerings for mobile players,” EA said. “This partnership will also focus on design, visualization, and development innovations for the games to grow and deepen the world of EA Sports UFC, impacting how they play and feel, and how players connect to the sport as it happens.”

Back in May, EA extended its partnership with the NFL for the Madden franchise, the football simulation series is secured at least until the 2025 season and can be extended to 2026 if the publisher succeeds in “achieving certain revenue goals. It’s important to mention that some companies like Take-Two Interactive were interested in acquiring the license of the NFL, with other popular sports leagues being rumored.

Electronic Arts made the announcement just in time for the preliminary financial results for its second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2020. As expected, the company reported significant revenues and promises to be even stronger after the launch of Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.

“Thanks to the incredible work of our teams and everything they continue to do for players while working from home, we’re delivering more fan-favorite games, growing our leading live services, and engaging more players across more platforms than ever before,” said CEO Andrew Wilson. “Our business has grown significantly this year, and we are projecting continued expansion into FY22 and beyond.”

“We delivered a quarter well above our guidance, driven by our live services, particularly Madden and FIFA. This resulted in a new record trailing twelve-month cash flow of $2.04 billion. We are pleased to announce a new share repurchase program and also to initiate a dividend for the first time in EA history,” said COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen. “We are on track to deliver strong growth this year and expect continued growth in fiscal 2022 and in the years to come. Apex Legends is on track to become our latest billion-dollar franchise by the end of the fiscal year. All of our studios continue to execute amazingly well and have enabled us to launch an industry-leading eight games since the beginning of the fiscal year, while continuing to deliver live services content and expand onto new platforms.”

Source: GamesIndustry

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