LOS ANGELES, July 23 — Electronic Arts Inc, maker of the FIFA football and Titanfall video games, delayed the release of Battlefield Hardline, a major holiday title, until next year.

The shooter game will go on sale in early 2015, Electronic Arts said yesterday in a statement, a delay from October 21. Dragon Age Inquisition, due October 7, was postponed to November 18 in North America.

The Redwood City, California-based company pushed back the release of Battlefield Hardline for additional work, missing out on Christmas sales for an important title. The delay overshadowed fiscal first-quarter sales and profit that beat analysts’ estimates on gains from FIFA soccer, Titanfall, Battlefield 4 and EA Sports UFC.

“Some people are spooked because one of the games is delayed out of the quarter,” said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities in Los Angeles who recommends buying the stock. “It’s not that big of a deal. It’s not that they’re going to permanently lose sales.”

With the delay, Electronic Arts reiterated its outlook for the year that ends next March. The company is forecasting sales of US$4.1 billion (RM13 billion) on an adjusted basis and profit of US$1.85 a share, excluding items. Analysts project US$1.88 a share, with sales of US$4.14 billion.

The outlook “reflects the launch date changes for Battlefield Hardline and Dragon Age Inquisition,” the company said in its statement.

‘Right thing’

“We decided that the right thing to do was to take more time to ensure Hardline is the best, most innovative Battlefield experience we can give to you,” the company said on its blog.

Electronic Arts could recoup the delayed revenue as Battlefield Hardline sells over a longer period of time and may raise its outlook later if circumstances warrant, said Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen.

“It doesn’t signal anything negative or positive,” Jorgensen said in a telephone interview. “We’re still very early in the year.”

First-quarter earnings, excluding items, totalled 19 cents a share, Electronic Arts said, compared with a loss of 40 cents a year ago. Analysts had forecast a loss of 4 cents, the average of 23 estimates. Sales, including adjustments, grew 57 per cent to US$775 million in the period ended June 30, beating estimates of US$714.3 million.

Electronic Arts fell 0.5 per cent to US$38.24 in extended trading after the announcement. The stock closed unchanged at US$38.42 yesterday in New York and is up 67 per cent this year.

New consoles

Net income for the quarter jumped 51 per cent to US$335 million, or US$1.04 a share, from a year earlier, Electronic Arts said. Revenue advanced 28 per cent to US$1.21 billion.

With new consoles from Microsoft Corp. and Sony Corp. on sale, the company generated growth in both packaged games and online purchases. Electronic Arts had several top-selling titles in the U.S. during the quarter, according to researcher NPD Group Inc., including Titanfall, FIFA soccer and UFC.

Digital revenue increased 28 per cent to US$482 million in the period, while sales of packaged games more than doubled to US$293 million, the company said.

This quarter, Electronic Arts expects profit of 50 cents a share, excluding items, compared with the 52-cent average of analysts’ estimates. Sales on an adjusted basis will be US$1.14 billion, in line with projections, fuelled by FIFA, The Sims, Madden NFL and EA Sports NHL, the company said. — Bloomberg