EA's "FIFA 12," "Madden" Sales Pacing Ahead Of Last Year's Totals

Electronic Arts Inc., reporting earnings for its fiscal second quarter last Thursday, said it has sold more than 8 million units of "FIFA 12," and more than 3 million units of "Madden NFL 12." Sales of both games, each released within the last two months, are tracking strongly ahead of last year's paces. For "FIFA 12" in particular, the sell-through rate is up by 25%, the company said. EA's total revenue for the quarter rose 17% to $1.03B, ahead of analyst projections. But the company also posted a net loss of $340M, compared to $201M for the same quarter a year ago, as costs of marketing, and research and development each grew by double-digit percentages.