Industry analyst MauroNL shared a report from Games Wirtschaft earlier today that suggested physical versions of EA games, including FIFA and Battlefield, would no longer be sold in select parts of Europe (i.e., Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Scandinavia). EA has now published a statement to clarify that the distribution of physical games in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland has not been stopped and how players can continue to buy disc-based versions of its games from local retailers in the future, although it’s unclear whether this also applies to Scandinavia, which was missing from EA’s statement, according to Games Wirtschaft’s updated report. The original story was prompted by a statement found in EA Deutschland’s latest annual report that implied it would “no longer generate sales with packaged goods.”
Electronic Arts GmbH, located in Rheinauhafen in Germany, has announced it will no longer sell physical copies of its games across the supply area in Germany, Austria, Switzerland & Scandinavia.
— MauroNL (@MauroNL3) October 27, 2022
Games like FIFA & Battlefield can only be bought digitally.https://t.co/y6bEbvHTbz
From Games Wirtschaft’s updated report:
Electronic Arts published a statement a few minutes ago. According to this, the distribution of physical games in Germany, Austria and Switzerland has not been stopped – players can continue to purchase EA products from retailers in the future.
The two-liner does not address who will be responsible for distributing EA games on data carriers in German-speaking countries in the future. The related questions have not yet been answered.
From the original story:
EA Deutschland’s latest annual report states: “The ongoing shift from physical goods to digital downloads continues to have a negative impact on sales development. Revenue from digital downloads is not processed through EA, but through an affiliate.”
Therefore, an “economic restructuring” was initiated: Local customer contracts had already been terminated in May 2022 – after the restructuring, Electronic Arts GmbH “will no longer generate sales with packaged goods.”