EA's FIFA 15 Available For Pre-order, Slated For Sep Launch - Analyst Blog

Electronic Arts EA recently announced that FIFA 15 is available for pre-order. The new installment of the popular FIFA franchise is set to be launched in September on Microsoft's MSFT Xbox One, Sony's SNE PlayStation 4 and personal computers.

A slightly different version of FIFA 15 will be launched on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo's Wii and 3DS gaming system. Gamers pre-ordering FIFA 15 Ultimate Team Edition will receive gifts worth approximately $40.00.

FIFA 15 brings a different kind of game-play for die-hard soccer fans. With “Emotional Intelligence”, gamers can experience the different emotional stage a player goes through on the soccer field. The new title comprises 600 reaction animations.

FIFA 15 promises “Authentic Player Visuals” and “Living Pitch” making the game livelier for soccer fans. Other features like “Agility & Control”, “Man to Man Battles” and “Team Tactics” are expected to make the game much more attractive.

With FIFA 15, EA is trying to cash in on the emotions and excitement associated with the FIFA World Cup 2014 among soccer fans all over the world. We believe that this timely update of the yearly FIFA franchise will attract existing as well as new gamers in the near term.

FIFA is an important franchise for EA. For the last couple of years, the franchise has contributed a significant part of (FIFA 13 represented 17.0% in fiscal 2013) revenues. FIFA 14, which was the first soccer game on new consoles, has also gained good traction in the recent times.

Although EA faces stiff competition from the likes of Activision Blizzard ATVI and Take-Two Interactive, we believe that EA's strong digital portfolio and continuing growth in the tablet and smartphone market are the key growth catalysts.

Innovative product pipeline will continue to boost EA's market share on new consoles in the long run. Moreover, the company's efforts to optimize costs through overhead reductions will be beneficial, going forward.

Currently, EA sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).