Item 1: Business

Overview

We are a global leader in digital interactive entertainment, with a mission to inspire the world to play. We develop, market, publish and distribute games, content and services that can be played on a variety of platforms, including game consoles, PCs, mobile phones and tablets.

Our Strategic Pillars

There are three core pillars to our strategy:

• Players First

• Commitment to Digital

• One EA

These strategic pillars are built on our focus of delivering a broad and deep portfolio of games and services that engages players across a wide range of geographies, platforms and business models.

Players First

Players are the foundation of our success, and we are committed to thinking about players first in everything we do. Our goal is to build deep, on-going and meaningful relationships with our players. We aim to build these relationships by creating amazing games and services that deliver long-lasting fun and enduring value, by connecting with our players across platforms and social channels, and by delivering flexibility and innovation in our business models.

Our games and services are based on a portfolio of intellectual property that includes established brands such as FIFA, Madden NFL, Star Wars, Battlefield, the Sims and Need for Speed. We develop and publish a broad and deep portfolio of games and services that engage players across geographies, platforms and business models.

Commitment to Digital

Players increasingly purchase our games as digital downloads, as opposed to purchasing physical discs, and engage with the live services that we provide on an ongoing basis. Our live services provide additional depth and engagement opportunities for our players and include microtransactions, extra content, subscriptions, and esports. For example, the Ultimate Team mode associated with our sports franchises and live services provided for our Star Wars, Battlefield and Sims franchises, have extended the life of those games by engaging players over longer periods of time. The digital transformation also is creating opportunities in platforms, content models and the way in which players engage with our games and services. For example, we have leveraged brands and assets from franchises historically associated with consoles and traditional PC gaming, such as FIFA, Madden NFL, The Sims, SimCity, and Star Wars, to create successful mobile games that are monetized through live services provided with the game. We also offer subscription services, such as EA Access and Origin Access, as we look to build deeper relationships with our players.

We have significantly increased our digital net revenue from $2.409 billion in fiscal year 2016 to $2.874 billion in fiscal year 2017 and $3.450 billion during fiscal year 2018. It now comprises 67% of our total net revenue. We believe that our digital revenue, which generally has a higher gross margin relative to packaged goods revenue, will continue to increase during fiscal year 2019, both relative to packaged goods revenue and in absolute terms as we continue to focus on developing and monetizing products and services that can be delivered digitally.

One EA

As a global leader in digital interactive entertainment, we have an opportunity to leverage our scale to deliver engaging games and services to more players across more platforms. Our “One EA” model provides strategic advantages. For example, we have moved substantially all of our PC and console development to one game engine and are working to do the same for the development of our mobile games and services. This transition has created operational flexibility as our development teams now code on a consistent engine and can work across titles. In addition, it has accelerated the pace of our development as content and technological advances are leveraged across franchises. We also can transition our products and services to new platforms quickly and cost-effectively.

We also are strengthening our player network, connecting our players to each other and to the games they love. We are adopting consistent, cross-company methodologies to better understand our players’ needs and continue to invest in technology that enables us to build personalized player relationships that can last for years instead of days or weeks by connecting our players to us and to each other. This connection allows us to market and deliver content and services for popular franchises like FIFA, Battlefield and Star Wars to our players more efficiently. That same foundation also enables new player-centric ways to discover and try new games and experiences, such as our subscription-based EA Access and Origin Access services.

Our Games and Services

We develop, market, publish and deliver games and services that can be played on a variety of platforms, including consoles, PCs, mobile phones and tablets. We market and sell our games and services through digital distribution channels and through retail channels. We believe that flexibility across platforms, distribution channels and business models is critical to maintaining and growing our player base, as well as increasing engagement with our games and services. New platforms, engagement models and business models are expected to continue to emerge in the future, and we intend to evaluate these opportunities on a case-by-case basis.

Digitally, our console games and services can be purchased through third-party storefronts, such as the digital stores of our console platform partners Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo. Our direct sales to Sony and Microsoft represented approximately 27 percent and 16 percent of total net revenue, respectively, in fiscal 2018; approximately 19 percent and 17 percent of total net revenue, respectively, in fiscal 2017; and approximately 16 percent and 14 percent of total net revenue, respectively, in fiscal 2016. Our mobile and tablet games and services are available through third-party application storefronts such as the Apple App Store and Google Play. Our PC games and services can be downloaded directly through our Origin platform, as well as through third-party online download stores. We also partner with third parties to publish our mobile and PC games and services on their platforms in certain Asian territories, such as our partnerships with Tencent Holdings Limited and Nexon Co. Ltd. for FIFA Online in China and Korea, respectively. Players also can access a selection of our console and PC games and services through our EA Access and Origin Access subscription services. Our packaged goods games are sold directly to mass market retailers, electronics specialty stores and game software specialty stores or through distribution arrangements.

In our games and services, we use brands that we either wholly own (such as Battlefield, Mass Effect, Need for Speed, The Sims and Plants v. Zombies) or license from others (such as FIFA, Madden NFL and Star Wars). We develop and publish games and services across diverse genres such as sports, first-person shooter, action, role-playing and simulation. We believe that the breadth and depth of our portfolio gives us the opportunity to engage an increasing number of players across more platforms and geographies and through more business models.

Our largest and most popular game is FIFA, the annualized version of which is consistently one of the best-selling games in the marketplace. Net revenue from FIFA 18, FIFA 17, and FIFA 16 represented approximately 11 percent of our total net revenue in fiscal years 2018, 2017, and 2016, respectively.

Within our games, we offer live services, including microtransactions, downloadable content, subscriptions, and esports, that provide additional depth and engagement opportunities for our players. Our live services net revenue comprised 40% of our total net revenue during fiscal year 2018 and we expect that live services net revenue will continue to be material to our business. Our most popular live service is the Ultimate Team mode associated with our sports franchises. Ultimate Team allows

players to collect and trade current and former professional players in order to build, and compete as, a personalized team. Net revenue from Ultimate Team represented approximately 21 percent, 16 percent and 15 percent of our total net revenue during fiscal year 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively, a substantial portion of which was derived from FIFA Ultimate Team.

We also are investing in a number of long-term initiatives that we believe will allow us to better serve and deepen our engagement with our players, such as our focus on esports through our Competitive Gaming Division. We believe that the interest and enthusiasm that surrounds esports will drive sales of our games and engagement with our live services in addition to providing revenue through partnerships with sponsors and broadcasters.

Significant Relationships

Sony & Microsoft. Under the terms of agreements we have entered into with Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and its affiliates and with Microsoft Corporation and its affiliates, we are authorized to develop and distribute disc-based and digitally-delivered software products and services compatible with PlayStation and Xbox consoles, respectively. Under these agreements with Sony and Microsoft, we are provided with the non-exclusive right to use, for a fixed term and in a designated territory, technology that is owned or licensed by them to publish our games on their respective platform. With respect to our digitally-delivered products and services, the console manufacturers pay us either a wholesale price or a “royalty” percentage on the revenue they derive from their sales of our products and services. Our transactions for packaged goods products are made pursuant to individual purchase orders, which are accepted on a case-by case basis by Sony or Microsoft (or their designated replicators), as the case may be. For packaged goods products, we pay the console manufacturers a per-unit royalty for each unit manufactured. Many key commercial terms of our relationships with Sony and Microsoft — such as manufacturing terms, delivery times, platform policies and approval conditions — are determined unilaterally, and are subject to change by the console manufacturers.

The platform license agreements also require us to indemnify the console manufacturers for any loss, liability and expense resulting from any claim against the console manufacturer regarding our games and services, including any claims for patent, copyright or trademark infringement brought against the console manufacturer. Each platform license may be terminated by the console manufacturer if a breach or default by us is not cured after we receive written notice from the console manufacturer, or if we become insolvent. The console manufacturers are not obligated to enter into platform license agreements with us for any future consoles, products or services.

Apple, Google and Other App Stores. We have agreements to distribute our mobile applications and additional content through distributors such as Apple and Google. Our applications are downloaded for mobile devices from third party application storefronts. The distributor charges consumers for content purchased within the application or charges consumers a one-time fee to download the application. Our distribution agreements establish the amounts that are retained by the distributor and the amounts passed through to us. These arrangements are typically terminable on short notice. The agreements generally do not obligate the distributors to market or distribute any of our applications.

Publishing Partners in Asia. We have entered into agreements whereby we partner with certain companies, including Tencent Holdings Limited and Nexon Co., Ltd. or their respective affiliates, pursuant to which these companies publish our mobile and PC free-to-download games in certain Asian territories, including China and Korea. Our players access games from the publishers’ platforms and are charged for additional content purchased within our game environment. The agreements generally establish the amounts that are retained by the publisher, and the amounts passed through to us.

Competition

The market for interactive entertainment is intensely competitive and changes rapidly as new products and platforms are introduced. We also face competition for the right to use certain intellectual property included in our products. We face significant competition from companies such as Activision Blizzard, Take-Two Interactive, Ubisoft, Bethesda, Epic Games Tencent, Sony and Microsoft, primarily with respect to developing games and services that operate on consoles, PCs and/or mobile devices.

More broadly, we compete against providers of different sources of entertainment, such as motion pictures, television, social networking, online casual entertainment and music that our players could enjoy in their free time. Important competitive factors in our industry include game quality and ease of use, innovation, compatibility of products with certain platforms, brand recognition, publisher reputation, reliability, security, price, marketing, and quality of customer service.

Intellectual Property

To establish and protect our intellectual property, we rely on a combination of copyrights, trademarks, patents, patent applications, trade secrets, know-how, license agreements, confidentiality provisions and procedures and other contractual provisions. We actively engage in enforcement and other activities to protect our intellectual property. In addition, we engage in activities designed to limit the impact of abuse of our digital products and services, including monitoring our games for evidence of exploitation and re-balancing our game environments in the event that such abuse is discovered.

Governmental Regulation

We are subject to a number of foreign and domestic laws and regulations that affect companies conducting business on the Internet. In addition, laws and regulations that may have an impact on our business relating to user privacy, data collection, retention, electronic commerce, virtual items and currency, consumer protection, content, advertising, localization and information security have been adopted or are being considered for adoption by many countries throughout the world.

Seasonality

We have historically experienced the highest percentage of our sales in our third fiscal quarter due to seasonal holiday demand and the launch timing of our games. While we expect this trend to continue in fiscal year 2019, there is no assurance that it will. In addition, we have historically deferred the recognition of a significant amount of net revenue over an extended period of time. As a result, the quarter in which we generated the highest net bookings has been different from the quarter in which we recognized the highest amount of net revenue. ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606), which is effective for us at the beginning of fiscal year 2019, will decrease the amount of net revenue that we defer as compared to our historical practices. As a result, we expect our net revenue and net bookings to align more closely during fiscal year 2019 and beyond.

Employees

As of March 31, 2018, we had approximately 9,300 regular, full-time employees, over 5,800 of whom were outside the United States. We believe that our ability to attract and retain qualified employees is a critical factor in the successful development of our products and services and that our future success will depend, in large measure, on our ability to continue to attract and retain qualified employees. Approximately 9 percent of our employees, all of whom work for our DICE development studio in Sweden, are represented by a union.

Investor Information

Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act, as amended, are available free of charge on the Investor Relations section of our website at http://ir.ea.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Except as expressly set forth in this Form 10-K annual report, the contents of our website are not incorporated into, or otherwise to be regarded as part of this report.

Company Information

We were incorporated originally in California in 1982. In September 1991, we were reincorporated under the laws of Delaware. Our principal executive offices are located at 209 Redwood Shores Parkway, Redwood City, California 94065 and our telephone number is (650) 628-1500.

Information about Geographic Areas and Research & Development Expense

Information regarding financial data by geographic area is set forth in Part II, Item 8 of this Form 10-K in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Note 17, “Segment Information”. Information regarding financial data is set forth in Part II, Item 6 of this Form 10-K under the heading “Selected Financial Data” and information regarding certain risks attendant to our foreign operations is set forth in Part I, Item 1A of this Form 10-K under the heading “Risk Factors”. For the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, research and development expenses were $1,320 million, $1,205 million and $1,109 million, respectively.

Executive Officers

The following table sets forth information regarding our executive officers as of May 23, 2018:

Name	Age	Position
Andrew Wilson	43	Chief Executive Officer
Blake Jorgensen	58	Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Patrick Söderlund	44	Chief Design Officer
Laura Miele	48	Chief Studios Officer
Kenneth Moss	52	Chief Technology Officer
Christopher Bruzzo	48	Chief Marketing Officer
Joel Linzner	66	Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Affairs
Mala Singh	46	Chief People Officer
Matthew Bilbey	42	Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth
Kenneth A. Barker	51	Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer
Jacob J. Schatz	49	Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Mr. Wilson has served as EA’s Chief Executive Officer and as a director of EA since September 2013. Prior to his appointment as our Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Wilson held several positions within the Company since joining EA in May 2000, including Executive Vice President, EA SPORTS from August 2011 to September 2013. Mr. Wilson serves as a director of Intel Corporation and is chairman of the board of the privately-held World Surf League.

Mr. Jorgensen has served as EA’s Chief Financial Officer since September 2012 and, in addition, became EA’s Chief Operating Officer in April 2018. Prior to joining EA, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Levi Strauss & Co. from July 2009 to August 2012. From June 2007 to June 2009, Mr. Jorgensen served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Yahoo! Inc. Mr. Jorgensen earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University.

Mr. Söderlund has served as EA’s Chief Design Officer since April 2018. From September 2013 to April 2018, he was Executive Vice President, EA Worldwide Studios. Prior to that time, he served as Executive Vice President, EA Games Label from August 2011 to September 2013. Mr. Söderlund joined EA in October 2006 when EA purchased DICE studios where he was the Chief Executive Officer.

Ms. Miele has served as EA’s Chief Studios Officer since April 2018. Ms. Miele joined the Company in March 1996 and has held several positions at the Company, including Executive Vice President, Global Publishing from April 2016 to April 2018, Senior Vice President of Americas Publishing from June 2014 to April 2016, General Manager of the Company’s Star Wars business from June 2013 to June 2014, and several senior roles in the Company's marketing organization. Ms. Miele serves on the board of Silicon Valley Community Foundation.

Mr. Moss has served as EA’s Chief Technology Officer since July 2014. He served as Vice President of Market Places Technology, Science and Data at eBay Inc. from November 2011 to July 2014. Prior to joining eBay, he co-founded CrowdEye, Inc. and served as its Chief Executive Officer from October 2008 to November 2011. Mr. Moss graduated from Princeton University.

Mr. Bruzzo has served as EA’s Chief Marketing Officer since September 2014. Prior to joining EA, he served as Senior Vice President at Starbucks Corporation from June 2011 to August 2014. Mr. Bruzzo graduated from Whitworth University.

Mr. Linzner has served as EA’s Executive Vice President, Worldwide Business Affairs since April 2016. From March 2005 until April 2016, Mr. Linzner was EA's Executive Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs. Prior to joining EA in July 1999, Mr. Linzner served as outside litigation counsel to EA and several other companies in the video game industry. Mr. Linzner earned his J.D. from Boalt Hall at the University of California, Berkeley, after graduating from Brandeis University.

Ms. Singh has served as EA’s Chief People Officer since October 2016. Ms. Singh was previously employed by EA from 2009 to 2013, serving as Vice President, Human Resources, EA Labels from 2011 to 2013. Prior to rejoining EA, Ms. Singh served as the Chief People Officer of Minted, LLC from January 2014 to October 2016. Ms. Singh earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Rutgers University - New Brunswick.

Mr. Bilbey has served as EA’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth since April 2018. Mr. Bilbey joined EA in 1995 and has held several positions within the Company, including Chief Operating Officer, Worldwide Studios from August 2016 to April 2018, Senior Vice President, Group General Manager from November 2013 to January 2017, and Vice President, General Manager Development and Marketing, Soccer from January 2009 to November 2013.

Mr. Barker has served as Senior Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer since April 2006. From February 2012 to September 2012, he also served as Interim Chief Financial Officer. From June 2003 to April 2006, Mr. Barker held the position of Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to joining EA, Mr. Barker was at Sun Microsystems, Inc., as their Vice President and Corporate Controller from October 2002 to June 2003 and Assistant Corporate Controller from April 2000 to September 2002. Prior to that, he was an audit partner at Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Barker serves on the Board of Directors of Gatepath, a non-profit organization, and on the Accounting Advisory Board for the University of Notre Dame. Mr. Barker graduated from the University of Notre Dame.

Mr. Schatz has served as EA’s General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since June 2014. Mr. Schatz joined EA in 1999, and prior to his current role, he served as Deputy General Counsel and as Vice President from 2006 to 2014. Mr. Schatz earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, and received his undergraduate degree from Pomona College. Mr. Schatz is a member of the Bar of the State of California and is admitted to practice in the United States Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and several United States District Courts.

EA - Electronic Arts Inc.