Electronic Arts 2002 Annual Report Download - page 9

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EA’s strong performance in fiscal 2002 was made possible by the depth and breadth of our product
portfolio and the strength of our worldwide distribution system. Among a year of many blockbusters,
three titles stood out:
|•••»
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
™
– Based on the books and movie, this first game in our multi-
year agreement with Warner Bros. became the fastest selling title in EA history. Developed for just
four platforms, we sold 9.3 million units worldwide in less than five months. In fiscal 2003, our plans
for a new
Harry Potter
™
game will include next generation consoles for the first time.
|•••»
The Sims
™
– This wholly-owned franchise is now the best-selling PC game of all time and is popular
around the world. Our most valuable intellectual property will continue to deliver significant revenue
and high margins in the coming years.
|•••»
Madden NFL
™
2002
– This powerhouse franchise sold over 4.5 million units across eight platforms
and was the number one selling console game in North America in fiscal 2002.
FISCAL 2002 PERFORMANCE MEASURED
BY FOUR KEY INITIATIVES
At EA, we’ve established four strategic initiatives for guiding our success.These initiatives are as simple
as they are ambitious. Our goals are to be the number one software publisher on next generation con-
soles; to be number one on the PC; and to be number one online.The fourth key initiative is to make EA
the number one people company for high-performance teams and individuals.
INITIATIVE #1: LEADERSHIP ON NEXT GENERATION CONSOLES
EA was the undisputed global leader on next generation consoles in fiscal 2002. Across all systems we
were number one in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. In Japan, we were the leading Western
publisher in a market typically dominated by local companies and titles.
On the PlayStation 2 console, which established a decisive lead among the new consoles, EA was the
number one publisher with 28 percent market share and five of the top ten titles in the U.S. in fiscal
2002. Standout titles included
Madden NFL 2002
,
NBA Street
,
James Bond 007 in… Agent Under
Fire
™
,
FIFA Soccer 2002
and
Final Fantasy
®
X
,which we distribute in North America for our joint
venture partner—SquareSoft.
The year’s biggest headline was the launch of two new and impressive game consoles, the Xbox™
video game system from Microsoft and the Nintendo GameCube™
.Between the launch in November to the
end of our fiscal year, EA was the number one independent publisher on both the Xbox and Nintendo
GameCube in the U.S.
By year end, EA stood as the most prolific company on next generation platforms, releasing 18 titles
on the PlayStation 2 console, 10 on the Xbox and five on the Nintendo GameCube.
EA 2002 AR 5