EA slashes release slate in half

Electronic Arts’ ruthless culling of dead wood – if not Dead Space – will hit a new high next year: Its FY2011 (Apr 1st 2010 – Mar 31st 2011) line-up will be 50 per cent lighter than its games roster from FY2009.

That’s according to CEO John Riccitiello, who told investors during an earnings call last night – following EA’s Q2 financial results – that the company will release just 30-something boxed titles in its next full fiscal year.

That would be near-half the 60-odd games that the publisher released onto the market in its FY2009 (Apr 1st 2008 – Mar 31st 2009).

In line with the firm’s promise to cut back on risky new IP during a tough economic period, Riccitiello said:

"We felt that we wanted to position ourselves better to drive our titles to the very tops of the charts. It’s nice to be number one. We’d like to be number one by a wider margin and to do so with fewer titles."

When asked how many titles EA would release in FY2011, he added:

"In rough numbers, mid-60s would have been the way to think about last year [FY2009]. [We’ll release] approximately 50 this year and something in the high 30s next year. So when you consolidate this thing, it’s about a 50 per cent cut over two years."

EA’s fiscal year 2010 ends on March 30th, 2010.