Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for Electronic Arts (EA) with a target price of $179.80 [1][11]. Core Insights - EA reported FY26Q1 net revenue of $1.67 billion, exceeding consensus expectations by 7.4% and showing a year-over-year increase of 0.7%. Net bookings reached $1.3 billion, surpassing expectations by 4% and reflecting a year-over-year growth of 2.9% [1]. - The growth is primarily driven by the strong performance of core products, particularly the global football and rugby series, while the decline in "Apex Legends" was less severe than anticipated. Despite increased investment in new game releases leading to a 4.9 percentage point drop in net profit margin to 12%, the company achieved a net profit of $201 million, exceeding expectations by 51.6% [1]. - EA plans to release "Battlefield 6" within FY26 and maintains its full-year guidance unchanged [1]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - FY26Q1 net bookings were $1.3 billion, higher than the previous guidance of $1.23 billion. Game net bookings were $214 million, up 27.4% year-over-year, driven by the new title "Split Fiction" [1]. - Real-time service net bookings were $1.08 billion, down 0.9% year-over-year, impacted by the performance of "FC" and the rugby series, partially offset by the better-than-expected decline in "Apex Legends" [1]. - Key game series performance: 1. "FC" series net bookings showed single-digit growth year-over-year, with "FC Online" achieving double-digit growth and "FC Mobile" surpassing 50 million installations. 2. Rugby series net bookings maintained positive growth year-over-year, although a decline of 8% is expected in Q2 due to high base effects, with a recovery anticipated in H2. 3. "F1 25" launched in Q1, benefiting from the concurrent F1 movie release, resulting in a 27% year-over-year increase in net bookings [1]. Earnings Forecast and Valuation - The report slightly lowers FY26-28E net revenue estimates by 1%, 0.8%, and 0.8% to $7.19 billion, $8.11 billion, and $8.36 billion, respectively, primarily due to pressure on net bookings from the rugby series [3]. - FY26-28E net profit estimates are also reduced by 4.7%, 2.3%, and 2.6% to $911 million, $1.38 billion, and $1.43 billion, respectively, due to rising promotional costs for "Battlefield 6" [3]. - The valuation is switched to FY27, assigning a PE of 33x, consistent with peer averages, leading to a target price of $179.80, down from a previous estimate of $184.60 [3][11]. Upcoming Releases - The first trailer for "Battlefield 6" was released on July 24, with over 7 million views by July 29. The game is expected to launch within FY26 on PS5, Xbox XJS, and PC, with the highest historical investment in its development [2]. - The core football game "FC 26" is set to release on September 26 across all platforms, including Switch 2, focusing on enhancing player experience with competitive and realistic gameplay modes [2].