EA Sports Facebook revenue ‘$56 per paying user’

The average lifetime revenue from customers playing EA Sports games on Facebook is $56 for each paying user, Electronic Arts has said.

That figure is drawn from in-game payments on three Facebook-hosted EA Sports Games; FIFA Superstars, Madden Superstars, and World Series Superstars.

The $56 per customer “surpasses the net revenue we received from players on consoles” Electronic Arts said. It is not clear whether the comparison is lifetime Facebook game revenues versus a single boxed EA game sale, or average lifetime revenues from console customers.

Yet the figure puts into perspective the rapid pace of the digital games sector, which EA is positioning as a priority target for growth.

EA insists the Facebook revenue figure is on an upward path. Company CEO John Riccitiello said the Facebook platform could eventually have as many as 75 per cent of customers with their accounts tied to their bank.

EA Sports chief Peter Moore said Facebook is “not only a scalable, standalone business, but also a gateway for bringing new players to deeper EA Sports experiences on consoles, tablets and smartphones.”

The Superstars series of Facebook games work on a free-to-play basis. Customers can, if they wish, purchase in-game items to enhance their experience.

EA said the number of paying customers, versus non-paying, is in the “low single digits” – likely less than five per cent.