UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
FORM 10-Q
x | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Quarterly Period Ended December 31, 2003
OR
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Transition Period from | to | |||||
|
Commission File No. 0-17948
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
Delaware | 94-2838567 | |
(State or other jurisdiction of | (I.R.S. Employer | |
incorporation or organization) | Identification No.) | |
209 Redwood Shores Parkway | ||
Redwood City, California | 94065 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
(650) 628-1500
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15 (d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES x NO o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES x NO o
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuers classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Outstanding as of | ||||||||
Class of Common Stock | Par Value | February 4, 2004 | ||||||
Class A common stock |
$ | 0.01 | 298,905,714 |
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
FORM 10-Q
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2003
Table of Contents
Page | |||||||||
Part I FINANCIAL INFORMATION | |||||||||
Item 1. | Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements | ||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of
December 31, 2003 and March 31, 2003 |
3 | ||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for
the Three Months Ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 and
the Nine Months Ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 |
4 | ||||||||
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for
the Nine Months Ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 |
5 | ||||||||
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements |
7 | ||||||||
Item 2. | Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 21 | |||||||
Item 3. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 43 | |||||||
Item 4. | Controls and Procedures | 46 | |||||||
Part II OTHER INFORMATION | |||||||||
Item 1. | Legal Proceedings | 47 | |||||||
Item 6. | Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K | 47 | |||||||
Signature | 48 | ||||||||
Exhibit Index | 49 |
2
PART I FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(unaudited) | December 31, | March 31, | |||||||||
(In thousands, except share data) | 2003 | 2003 (a) | |||||||||
ASSETS |
|||||||||||
Current assets: |
|||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 573,010 | $ | 949,995 | |||||||
Short-term investments |
1,251,659 | 637,623 | |||||||||
Marketable equity securities |
2,090 | 1,111 | |||||||||
Receivables, net of allowances of $206,632 and $164,634, respectively |
837,021 | 82,083 | |||||||||
Inventories, net |
64,766 | 39,679 | |||||||||
Deferred income taxes |
61,749 | 117,180 | |||||||||
Other current assets |
117,945 | 83,466 | |||||||||
Total current assets |
2,908,240 | 1,911,137 | |||||||||
Property and equipment, net |
280,026 | 262,252 | |||||||||
Investments in affiliates |
13,551 | 20,277 | |||||||||
Goodwill |
89,858 | 86,031 | |||||||||
Other intangibles, net |
19,150 | 21,301 | |||||||||
Long-term deferred income taxes |
13,614 | 13,523 | |||||||||
Other assets |
13,989 | 45,012 | |||||||||
TOTAL ASSETS |
$ | 3,338,428 | $ | 2,359,533 | |||||||
LIABILITIES, MINORITY INTEREST AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
|||||||||||
Current liabilities: |
|||||||||||
Accounts payable |
$ | 158,743 | $ | 106,329 | |||||||
Accrued and other liabilities |
682,765 | 464,547 | |||||||||
Total current liabilities |
841,508 | 570,876 | |||||||||
Commitments and contingencies |
| | |||||||||
Minority interest in consolidated joint venture |
| 3,918 | |||||||||
Stockholders equity: |
|||||||||||
Preferred stock, $0.01 par value. 10,000,000 shares authorized |
| | |||||||||
Common stock |
|||||||||||
Class A common stock, $0.01 par value. 400,000,000
shares authorized; 298,433,515 and 288,266,610 shares issued and outstanding, respectively |
2,984 | 2,883 | |||||||||
Class B common stock, $0.01 par value. 100,000,000 shares authorized; 200,130
and 225,130 shares issued and outstanding, respectively |
2 | 2 | |||||||||
Paid-in capital |
1,065,001 | 856,428 | |||||||||
Retained earnings |
1,411,144 | 923,892 | |||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income |
17,789 | 1,534 | |||||||||
Total stockholders equity |
2,496,920 | 1,784,739 | |||||||||
TOTAL LIABILITIES, MINORITY INTEREST AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
$ | 3,338,428 | $ | 2,359,533 | |||||||
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
(a) | Derived from audited financial statements. |
3
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | 2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||||||
Net revenue |
$ | 1,475,323 | $ | 1,233,726 | $ | 2,358,709 | $ | 2,019,114 | ||||||||||
Cost of goods sold |
513,255 | 565,111 | 876,980 | 908,432 | ||||||||||||||
Gross profit |
962,068 | 668,615 | 1,481,729 | 1,110,682 | ||||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||
Marketing and sales |
180,174 | 139,492 | 303,299 | 260,380 | ||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
71,992 | 42,250 | 138,784 | 95,366 | ||||||||||||||
Research and development |
151,175 | 106,127 | 355,790 | 292,171 | ||||||||||||||
Amortization of intangibles |
623 | 2,245 | 2,113 | 6,736 | ||||||||||||||
Restructuring charges |
596 | 8,026 | 596 | 8,026 | ||||||||||||||
Asset impairment charges |
| 1,352 | | 1,352 | ||||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
404,560 | 299,492 | 800,582 | 664,031 | ||||||||||||||
Operating income |
557,508 | 369,123 | 681,147 | 446,651 | ||||||||||||||
Interest and other income (expense), net |
948 | (4,439 | ) | 14,927 | (115 | ) | ||||||||||||
Income before provision for income taxes
and minority interest |
558,456 | 364,684 | 696,074 | 446,536 | ||||||||||||||
Provision for income taxes |
166,160 | 113,052 | 208,822 | 138,426 | ||||||||||||||
Income before minority interest |
392,296 | 251,632 | 487,252 | 308,110 | ||||||||||||||
Minority interest in consolidated joint venture |
| (1,413 | ) | | (253 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 250,219 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 307,857 | ||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock: |
||||||||||||||||||
Net income: |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 253,694 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 317,495 | ||||||||||
Diluted |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 250,219 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 307,857 | ||||||||||
Net earnings per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 1.32 | $ | 0.89 | $ | 1.66 | $ | 1.13 | ||||||||||
Diluted |
$ | 1.26 | $ | 0.85 | $ | 1.59 | $ | 1.05 | ||||||||||
Number of shares used in computation: |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
297,787 | 283,777 | 294,001 | 280,386 | ||||||||||||||
Diluted |
311,463 | 296,050 | 306,737 | 293,721 | ||||||||||||||
Class B common stock: |
||||||||||||||||||
Net loss, net of retained interest in EA.com |
N/A | $ | (3,475 | ) | N/A | $ | (9,638 | ) | ||||||||||
Net loss per share: |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
N/A | $ | (0.86 | ) | N/A | $ | (1.84 | ) | ||||||||||
Diluted |
N/A | $ | (0.86 | ) | N/A | $ | (1.84 | ) | ||||||||||
Number of shares used in computation: |
||||||||||||||||||
Basic |
N/A | 4,051 | N/A | 5,247 | ||||||||||||||
Diluted |
N/A | 4,051 | N/A | 5,247 |
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
4
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||
December 31, | ||||||||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||||||
(In thousands) | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||
OPERATING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 487,252 | $ | 307,857 | ||||||||
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: |
||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
59,915 | 74,329 | ||||||||||
Equity
in net income of investments in affiliates |
(405 | ) | (4,213 | ) | ||||||||
Non-cash restructuring and asset impairment charges |
596 | 1,352 | ||||||||||
Other-than-temporary impairment of investments in affiliates |
589 | 10,590 | ||||||||||
Loss on sale of property, equipment and marketable equity securities |
583 | 379 | ||||||||||
Stock-based compensation |
666 | 864 | ||||||||||
Minority interest in consolidated joint venture |
| 253 | ||||||||||
Tax benefit from exercise of stock options |
41,845 | 36,765 | ||||||||||
Change in assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
(786,595 | ) | (416,763 | ) | ||||||||
Inventories, net |
(26,057 | ) | (19,086 | ) | ||||||||
Other assets |
(5,340 | ) | 3,569 | |||||||||
Accounts payable |
54,124 | 58,222 | ||||||||||
Accrued and other liabilities |
279,919 | 229,392 | ||||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
107,092 | 283,510 | ||||||||||
INVESTING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
(55,937 | ) | (34,470 | ) | ||||||||
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment |
113 | 679 | ||||||||||
Purchase of investments in affiliates |
(350 | ) | (531 | ) | ||||||||
Proceeds from sale of investments in affiliate |
8,467 | | ||||||||||
Purchase of short-term investments |
(1,890,779 | ) | (596,845 | ) | ||||||||
Proceeds from maturities and sales of short-term investments |
1,273,398 | 445,215 | ||||||||||
Proceeds from sale of marketable equity securities |
2 | 4,794 | ||||||||||
Purchase of minority interest |
(2,513 | ) | | |||||||||
Distribution from investment in affiliate |
| 3,000 | ||||||||||
Acquisition of subsidiary, net of cash acquired |
(958 | ) | (12,868 | ) | ||||||||
Net cash used in investing activities |
(668,557 | ) | (191,026 | ) | ||||||||
FINANCING ACTIVITIES |
||||||||||||
Proceeds from sales of common stock through employee stock plans and other plans |
166,260 | 109,877 | ||||||||||
Repurchase of Class B common stock |
(225 | ) | | |||||||||
Repayment of Class B notes receivable |
128 | | ||||||||||
Dividend to joint venture |
(2,587 | ) | (751 | ) | ||||||||
Net cash provided by financing activities |
163,576 | 109,126 | ||||||||||
Effect of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents |
20,904 | 11,632 | ||||||||||
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
(376,985 | ) | 213,242 | |||||||||
Beginning cash and cash equivalents |
949,995 | 552,826 | ||||||||||
Ending cash and cash equivalents |
573,010 | 766,068 | ||||||||||
Short-term investments |
1,251,659 | 399,258 | ||||||||||
Ending cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments |
$ | 1,824,669 | $ | 1,165,326 | ||||||||
5
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
CONTINUED
Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||
December 31, | ||||||||||||
(unaudited) | ||||||||||||
(In thousands, except share data) | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||
Supplemental cash flow information: |
||||||||||||
Cash paid during the period for income taxes |
$ | 12,735 | $ | 5,358 | ||||||||
Non-cash investing activities: |
||||||||||||
Change in unrealized appreciation (loss) on investments and marketable equity securities |
$ | (3,464 | ) | $ | 3,075 | |||||||
Non-cash financing activities: |
||||||||||||
Conversion of 2,000,000 shares of Class B common stock
for 412,908 shares of Class A common stock |
$ | | $ | 9,353 | ||||||||
See accompanying Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
6
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(unaudited)
(1) BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are unaudited and reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring accruals) that, in the opinion of management, are necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods presented. The results of operations for the current interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results to be expected for the current year or any other period. Certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the fiscal 2004 presentation.
These Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Electronic Arts Inc. Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 10, 2003.
On October 20, 2003, our Board of Directors authorized a two-for-one stock split of our Class A common stock which was distributed on November 17, 2003 in the form of a stock dividend for shareholders of record at the close of business on November 3, 2003. All issued and outstanding share and per share amounts related to the Class A common stock in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto have been restated to reflect the stock split for all periods presented.
(2) FISCAL YEAR AND FISCAL QUARTER
Our fiscal year is reported on a 52/53-week period that ends on the final Saturday of March in each year. The results of operations for fiscal 2004 and 2003 contain 52 weeks. The results of operations for the fiscal quarters ended December 31, 2003 and December 31, 2002 each contain 13 weeks ending on December 27, 2003 and December 28, 2002, respectively. For simplicity of presentation, all fiscal periods are treated as ending on a calendar month end.
(3) STOCK
Tracking Stock
On March 22, 2000, our stockholders authorized the issuance of a new series of common stock, designated as Class B common stock (Tracking Stock), which was intended to reflect the performance of the EA.com business segment. As a result, our existing common stock was re-classified as Class A common stock and was intended to reflect the performance of our core business segment (see discussion in Note 8 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements). With the authorization of the Tracking Stock, we transferred a portion of the consolidated assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses and cash flows to EA.com Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts Inc.
In March 2003, we consolidated the operations of the EA.com business segment into our core operations in order to increase efficiency, simplify our reporting structure and more directly integrate online activities into our core console and PC business. As a result, we have eliminated dual class reporting starting in fiscal 2004. The substantial majority of outstanding Class B options and warrants have been repurchased or converted to Class A shares and warrants.
Since March 2003, we have not issued, and we do not intend to issue, additional Class B common stock, stock options or warrants to purchase Class B common stock. No further options are available for grant under the Class B Equity Incentive Plan, and we are currently in the process of repurchasing remaining outstanding Class B shares acquired pursuant to the Class B Equity Incentive Plan.
Stock Based Compensation to Employees
We account for stock-based awards to employees using the intrinsic value method in accordance with Accounting Principles Board Opinion (APB) No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees and related interpretations. We have adopted the
7
disclosure-only provisions of Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation and SFAS No. 148, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation Transition and Disclosure an Amendment of FASB Statement No. 123.
Had compensation cost for our stock option plans and employee stock purchase plans been determined based on the estimated fair value at the grant dates in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123, our reported net income and net earnings per share would have been the amounts indicated below. The estimated fair value of each option grant is determined on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.
The following weighted-average assumptions are used for grants made under the stock plans:
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||||
Risk-free interest rate |
2.5 | % | 2.0 | % | 2.3 | % | 2.4 | % | ||||||||||||
Expected volatility |
48.0 | % | 68.0 | % | 50.9 | % | 69.4 | % | ||||||||||||
Expected life (in years) |
3.12 | 2.90 | 3.08 | 2.90 | ||||||||||||||||
Assumed dividends | None | None | None | None | ||||||||||||||||
Our calculations are based on a multiple-option valuation approach and
forfeitures are recognized when they occur. |
||||||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||||||
Consolidated | December 31, | December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
(In thousands) | 2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||||||||
Net income: |
||||||||||||||||||||
As reported |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 250,219 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 307,857 | ||||||||||||
Deduct: Total stock-based employee
compensation expense determined under fair value-based method for all awards, net of
related tax effects |
(25,080 | ) | (21,824 | ) | (69,003 | ) | (59,292 | ) | ||||||||||||
Add: Stock-based employee compensation
expense included in reported net income, net
of related tax effects |
25 | | 100 | | ||||||||||||||||
Proforma |
$ | 367,241 | $ | 228,395 | $ | 418,349 | $ | 248,565 | ||||||||||||
Earnings per share: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Please see Class A common stock table below
for earnings per share information |
8
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||
Class A common stock | December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | 2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | |||||||||||||||
Net income: |
|||||||||||||||||||
As reported basic |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 253,694 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 317,495 | |||||||||||
Deduct: Total stock-based employee
compensation expense determined under fair value-based method for all awards, net of
related tax effects |
(25,080 | ) | (22,094 | ) | (69,003 | ) | (59,824 | ) | |||||||||||
Add: Stock-based employee compensation
expense included in reported net income, net
of related tax effects |
25 | | 100 | | |||||||||||||||
Pro forma basic |
$ | 367,241 | $ | 231,600 | $ | 418,349 | $ | 257,671 | |||||||||||
As reported diluted |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 250,219 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 307,857 | |||||||||||
Deduct: Total stock-based employee
compensation expense determined under fair value-based method for all awards, net of
related tax effects |
(25,080 | ) | (22,148 | ) | (69,003 | ) | (59,951 | ) | |||||||||||
Add: Stock-based employee compensation
expense included in reported net income, net
of related tax effects |
25 | | 100 | | |||||||||||||||
Pro forma diluted |
$ | 367,241 | $ | 228,071 | $ | 418,349 | $ | 247,906 | |||||||||||
Earnings per share: |
|||||||||||||||||||
As reported basic |
$ | 1.32 | $ | 0.89 | $ | 1.66 | $ | 1.13 | |||||||||||
Pro forma basic |
$ | 1.23 | $ | 0.82 | $ | 1.42 | $ | 0.92 | |||||||||||
As reported diluted |
$ | 1.26 | $ | 0.85 | $ | 1.59 | $ | 1.05 | |||||||||||
Pro forma diluted |
$ | 1.19 | $ | 0.78 | $ | 1.38 | $ | 0.86 |
During the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 and 2002, compensation expense for Class B stock option plans, based on the estimated fair value at the grant dates in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123, would not have had a material impact on reported net income and net earnings per share.
At our Annual Meeting of Stockholders, held on July 31, 2003, the stockholders elected (i) to amend the 2000 Equity Incentive Plan to increase by 11,000,000 the number of shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan and (ii) to amend the 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan to increase by 300,000 the number of shares of Class A common stock reserved for issuance under the Plan.
9
(4) GOODWILL AND OTHER INTANGIBLE ASSETS, NET
In May 2003, we recorded an additional $1.2 million of goodwill as a result of our acquisition of Square Co., Ltd.s 30 percent interest in Electronic Arts Square K.K. See Note 14 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion on this joint venture termination. Additionally, in October 2003, we recorded $0.9 million of goodwill as a result of our acquisition of Studio 33 (UK) Limited. Goodwill information is as follows (in thousands):
Effects of | ||||||||||||||||||||
Foreign | ||||||||||||||||||||
Goodwill as of | Goodwill | Currency | Goodwill as of | |||||||||||||||||
March 31, 2003 | Acquired | Translation | December 31, 2003 | |||||||||||||||||
Goodwill |
$ | 86,031 | $ | 2,088 | $ | 1,739 | $ | 89,858 | ||||||||||||
Other intangibles assets, net, consisted of the following (in thousands): | ||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross | Other | |||||||||||||||||||
Carrying | Accumulated | Intangibles, | ||||||||||||||||||
Amount | Amortization | Impairment | Other | Net | ||||||||||||||||
Developed/Core Technology |
$ | 28,263 | $ | (18,886 | ) | $ | (9,377 | ) | $ | | $ | | ||||||||
Tradename |
35,169 | (14,872 | ) | (1,211 | ) | | 19,086 | |||||||||||||
Subscribers and Other Intangibles |
8,694 | (6,302 | ) | (1,776 | ) | (552 | ) | 64 | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 72,126 | $ | (40,060 | ) | $ | (12,364 | ) | $ | (552 | ) | $ | 19,150 | |||||||
March 31, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Gross | Other | |||||||||||||||||||
Carrying | Accumulated | Intangibles, | ||||||||||||||||||
Amount | Amortization | Impairment | Other | Net | ||||||||||||||||
Developed/Core Technology |
$ | 28,263 | $ | (18,886 | ) | $ | (9,377 | ) | $ | | $ | | ||||||||
Tradename |
35,169 | (12,763 | ) | (1,211 | ) | | 21,195 | |||||||||||||
Subscribers and Other Intangibles |
8,694 | (6,298 | ) | (1,776 | ) | (514 | ) | 106 | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 72,126 | $ | (37,947 | ) | $ | (12,364 | ) | $ | (514 | ) | $ | 21,301 | |||||||
Amortization expense for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 was $0.6 million and $2.1 million, respectively. Amortization expense for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002 was $2.2 million and $6.7 million, respectively. Other intangible assets are amortized using the straight-line method over the lesser of their estimated useful lives or the agreement terms, typically from two to twelve years. | ||||||||||||||||||||
As of December 31, 2003, future intangible asset amortization expense is estimated as follows (in thousands): | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal Year Ended March 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||
2004 (remaining three months) |
$ | 622 | ||||||||||||||||||
2005 |
2,489 | |||||||||||||||||||
2006 |
2,489 | |||||||||||||||||||
2007 |
2,489 | |||||||||||||||||||
2008 |
2,489 | |||||||||||||||||||
Thereafter |
8,572 | |||||||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 19,150 | ||||||||||||||||||
10
(5) PREPAID ROYALTIES, NET
Royalty advances are classified as current and non-current assets based upon estimated net product sales for the following year. The current portion of prepaid royalties, included in Other current assets, and the long-term portion, included in Other assets, is as follows (in thousands):
December 31, | March 31, | ||||||||
2003 | 2003 | ||||||||
Other current assets |
$ | 22,499 | $ | 25,371 | |||||
Other assets |
4,375 | 7,382 | |||||||
Prepaid royalties, net |
$ | 26,874 | $ | 32,753 | |||||
(6) INVENTORIES, NET
Inventories, net, are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out method) or market. Inventories, net, as of December 31, 2003 and March 31, 2003 consisted of (in thousands):
December 31, | March 31, | ||||||||
2003 | 2003 | ||||||||
Raw materials and work in process |
$ | 6,368 | $ | 2,762 | |||||
Finished goods |
58,398 | 36,917 | |||||||
Inventories, net |
$ | 64,766 | $ | 39,679 | |||||
(7) ACCRUED AND OTHER LIABILITIES
Accrued and other liabilities as of December 31, 2003 and March 31, 2003 consisted of (in thousands):
December 31, | March 31, | ||||||||
2003 | 2003 | ||||||||
Accrued income taxes |
$ | 249,141 | $ | 154,712 | |||||
Other accrued expenses |
190,395 | 111,878 | |||||||
Accrued compensation and benefits |
111,619 | 109,687 | |||||||
Accrued royalties |
119,515 | 77,681 | |||||||
Deferred revenue |
12,095 | 10,589 | |||||||
Accrued and other liabilities |
$ | 682,765 | $ | 464,547 | |||||
(8) SEGMENT INFORMATION
SFAS No. 131, Disclosures About Segments of An Enterprise And Related Information, establishes standards for the reporting by public business enterprises of information about operating segments, product lines, geographic areas and major customers. The method for determining what information to report is based on the way that management organizes the operating segments within the business enterprise for making operational decisions and assessments of financial performance.
Our Chief Operating Decision Maker is considered to be the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The CEO reviews financial information presented on a consolidated basis accompanied by disaggregated information about net revenue by geographic region and by product lines for purposes of making operating decisions and assessing financial performance.
11
In fiscal 2003, we operated and reviewed our business in two business segments:
| EA Core business segment: creation, marketing and distribution of interactive entertainment software. |
| EA.com business segment: creation, marketing and distribution of interactive entertainment software which can be played or sold online, ongoing management of subscriptions of online games and website advertising. |
In March 2003, we consolidated the operations of the EA.com business segment into our core business. We consider online functionality to be integral to our existing and future products. Accordingly, beginning April 1, 2003, we no longer manage our online products and services as a separate business segment, and have consolidated our reporting related to online products and services into our reporting for the overall development and publication of our core products for all reporting periods ending after that date. We believe that this better reflects the way in which the Chief Operating Decision Maker reviews and manages our business and reflects the importance of the online products and services relative to the rest of our business. Concurrently, we also eliminated separate reporting for Class B common stock for all reporting periods ending after April 1, 2003.
Information about our operations in North America and international geographies for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 is presented below (in thousands):
Asia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Pacific | ||||||||||||||||||||
North | (excluding | |||||||||||||||||||
America | Europe | Japan) | Japan | Total | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended December 31, 2003 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenue from unaffiliated
customers |
$ | 753,456 | $ | 658,322 | $ | 42,775 | $ | 20,770 | $ | 1,475,323 | ||||||||||
Interest income |
6,231 | 863 | 33 | | 7,127 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
21,293 | 7,409 | 269 | 97 | 29,068 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets |
2,356,505 | 890,223 | 57,650 | 34,050 | 3,338,428 | |||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
22,112 | 4,734 | 272 | 129 | 27,247 | |||||||||||||||
Long-lived assets |
241,606 | 142,760 | 2,327 | 2,341 | 389,034 | |||||||||||||||
Three months ended December 31, 2002 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenue from unaffiliated
customers |
$ | 695,630 | $ | 470,742 | $ | 38,208 | $ | 29,146 | $ | 1,233,726 | ||||||||||
Interest income |
4,404 | 575 | 34 | | 5,013 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
21,111 | 3,453 | 227 | 165 | 24,956 | |||||||||||||||
Total assets |
1,750,576 | 626,301 | 50,398 | 33,750 | 2,461,025 | |||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
8,550 | 1,894 | 470 | 170 | 11,084 | |||||||||||||||
Long-lived assets |
279,067 | 137,973 | 2,035 | 2,562 | 421,637 | |||||||||||||||
Nine months ended December 31, 2003 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenue from unaffiliated
customers |
$ | 1,310,481 | $ | 931,250 | $ | 74,863 | $ | 42,115 | $ | 2,358,709 | ||||||||||
Interest income |
18,502 | 2,525 | 97 | | 21,124 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
41,519 | 17,240 | 746 | 410 | 59,915 | |||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
44,380 | 10,538 | 879 | 140 | 55,937 | |||||||||||||||
Nine months ended December 31, 2002 |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net revenue from unaffiliated
customers |
$ | 1,182,768 | $ | 713,926 | $ | 67,200 | $ | 55,220 | $ | 2,019,114 | ||||||||||
Interest income |
12,688 | 1,368 | 128 | 1 | 14,185 | |||||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization |
62,410 | 10,771 | 689 | 459 | 74,329 | |||||||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
26,383 | 7,021 | 732 | 334 | 34,470 |
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Sales to Wal-mart Stores represented 12 and 13 percent of our total net revenue for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively. Sales to Wal-mart Stores represented 10 and 12 percent of our total net revenue for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002, respectively.
Information about our net revenue by product line for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 is presented below (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | |||||||||||||
PlayStation® 2 |
$ | 731,587 | $ | 459,407 | $ | 1,071,136 | $ | 752,717 | ||||||||
PC |
219,939 | 219,083 | 393,299 | 377,835 | ||||||||||||
Xbox® |
204,565 | 116,836 | 304,777 | 174,466 | ||||||||||||
Nintendo GameCube |
103,804 | 111,103 | 149,511 | 153,897 | ||||||||||||
Game Boy® Advance |
57,194 | 68,102 | 63,362 | 73,919 | ||||||||||||
Subscription Services |
11,781 | 11,236 | 36,536 | 28,096 | ||||||||||||
PlayStation® |
13,344 | 53,066 | 26,657 | 90,495 | ||||||||||||
Advertising, Programming, Licensing, and Other |
10,804 | 37,424 | 27,067 | 66,932 | ||||||||||||
Co-publishing and Distribution |
122,305 | 157,469 | 286,364 | 300,757 | ||||||||||||
Total net revenue |
$ | 1,475,323 | $ | 1,233,726 | $ | 2,358,709 | $ | 2,019,114 | ||||||||
(9) COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
SFAS No. 130, Reporting Comprehensive Income, requires classification of other comprehensive income in a financial statement and display of other comprehensive income separately from retained earnings and additional paid-in capital. Other comprehensive income primarily includes foreign currency translation adjustments and unrealized gains (losses) on investments.
The components of comprehensive income, net of tax, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 are summarized as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||||||||||||
2003 | 2002 | 2003 | 2002 | ||||||||||||||
Net Income |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 250,219 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 307,857 | |||||||||
Other comprehensive income: |
|||||||||||||||||
Change in unrealized appreciation (loss)
on investments, net of tax
(benefit)/expense of $(358),
$165, $(1,033), and $1,636, respectively |
(938 | ) | 153 | (2,442 | ) | 1,317 | |||||||||||
Adjustments
for loss (gain) on investments realized in net
income, net of tax (benefit)/expense
of $3, $(693), $0, and $(252), respectively |
7 | (1,544 | ) | | 374 | ||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustments |
5,822 | 3,737 | 18,697 | 11,509 | |||||||||||||
Total other comprehensive income |
$ | 4,891 | $ | 2,346 | $ | 16,255 | $ | 13,200 | |||||||||
Total comprehensive income |
$ | 397,187 | $ | 252,565 | $ | 503,507 | $ | 321,057 | |||||||||
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(10) CHANGE IN PROJECTED EFFECTIVE TAX RATE
During the three months ended December 31, 2003, we changed our projected annual effective income tax rate for fiscal 2004 to 30 percent. We previously projected this rate to be 31 percent. This change is primarily attributable to a higher portion of our projected income being international taxable income, which is subject to lower statutory rates, than previously anticipated. As a result of the change to our projected effective tax rate for fiscal 2004, we recognized $7.0 million (or $0.02 per basic and diluted share) less income tax expense during the three months ended December 31, 2003 than we would have recognized had our projected annual effective tax rate remained at 31 percent.
(11) NET EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE
The following summarizes the computations of Basic Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Diluted EPS. Basic EPS is computed as net earnings divided by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted EPS reflects the potential dilution that could occur from common shares issuable through stock-based compensation plans including stock options, restricted stock awards, warrants and other convertible securities using the treasury stock method.
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||
December 31, 2003 | December 31, 2003 | ||||||||||||||||
Class A | Class A | Class A | Class A | ||||||||||||||
common | common | common | common | ||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts): | stock - basic | stock - diluted | stock - basic | stock - diluted | |||||||||||||
Net income |
$ | 392,296 | $ | 392,296 | $ | 487,252 | $ | 487,252 | |||||||||
Shares used to compute net earnings per share: |
|||||||||||||||||
Weighted-average common shares |
297,787 | 297,787 | 294,001 | 294,001 | |||||||||||||
Dilutive stock equivalents |
| 13,676 | | 12,736 | |||||||||||||
Dilutive potential common shares |
297,787 | 311,463 | 294,001 | 306,737 | |||||||||||||
Net earnings per share: |
|||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 1.32 | N/A | $ | 1.66 | N/A | |||||||||||
Diluted |
N/A | $ | 1.26 | N/A | $ | 1.59 |
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Three Months Ended | |||||||||||||
December 31, 2002 | |||||||||||||
Class A | Class A | Class B | |||||||||||
common | common | common | |||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts): | stock - basic | stock - diluted | stock | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) before retained interest in EA.com |
$ | 279,179 | $ | 250,219 | $ | (28,960 | ) | ||||||
Net loss related to retained interest in EA.com |
(25,485 | ) | | 25,485 | |||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 253,694 | $ | 250,219 | $ | (3,475 | ) | ||||||
Shares used to compute net earnings (loss) per share: |
|||||||||||||
Weighted-average common shares |
283,777 | 283,777 | 4,051 | ||||||||||
Dilutive stock equivalents |
| 12,273 | | ||||||||||
Dilutive potential common shares |
283,777 | 296,050 | 4,051 | ||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) per share: |
|||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 0.89 | N/A | $ | (0.86 | ) | |||||||
Diluted |
N/A | $ | 0.85 | $ | (0.86 | ) |
Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||
December 31, 2002 | |||||||||||||
Class A | Class A | Class B | |||||||||||
common | common | common | |||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share amounts): | stock - basic | stock - diluted | stock | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) before retained interest in EA.com |
$ | 380,076 | $ | 307,857 | $ | (72,219 | ) | ||||||
Net loss related to retained interest in EA.com |
(62,581 | ) | | 62,581 | |||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 317,495 | $ | 307,857 | $ | (9,638 | ) | ||||||
Shares used to compute net earnings (loss) per share: |
|||||||||||||
Weighted-average common shares |
280,386 | 280,386 | 5,247 | ||||||||||
Dilutive stock equivalents |
| 13,335 | | ||||||||||
Dilutive potential common shares |
280,386 | 293,721 | 5,247 | ||||||||||
Net earnings (loss) per share: |
|||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 1.13 | N/A | $ | (1.84 | ) | |||||||
Diluted |
N/A | $ | 1.05 | $ | (1.84 | ) |
Excluded from the above computation of weighted-average shares for Class A Diluted EPS for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, were options to purchase 3,084,000 and 1,971,000 shares, respectively, as the options exercise prices were greater than the average market price of the common shares during the respective periods. For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, the weighted-average exercise prices of these options were $49.03 and $46.79 per share, respectively.
Excluded from the above computation of weighted-average shares for Class A Diluted EPS for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002, were options to purchase 551,000 and 2,665,000 shares, respectively, as the options exercise prices were greater than the average market price of the common shares during the respective periods. For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002, the weighted-average exercise prices of these options were $33.09 and $31.77 per share, respectively.
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002, the Diluted EPS calculation for Class A common stock, presented above, included the potential dilution from the conversion of Class B common stock to Class A common stock in the event that
15
the initial public offering for Class B common stock did not occur. Net income used for the calculation of Diluted EPS for Class A common stock was $250.2 million for the three months ended December 31, 2002 and $307.9 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2002. This net income included the remaining interest in EA.com, which was directly attributable to outstanding Class B common stock owned by third parties, and would have been included in the Class A common stock EPS calculation in the event that the initial public offering for Class B common stock did not occur. The remaining interest in EA.com was approximately 15 percent through August 2002, 12 percent through February 2003 and one percent through March 2003.
Due to the net loss attributable for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002 on a diluted basis to Class B common stock, stock options have been excluded from the Diluted EPS calculation as their inclusion would have been antidilutive. Had net income been reported for the nine months ended December 31, 2002, an additional 297,000 shares would have been added to diluted potential common shares for Class B common stock.
(12) RESTRUCTURING AND ASSET IMPAIRMENT CHARGES
2003 Studio Restructuring
During the third quarter of fiscal 2003, we closed our office located in San Francisco, California and our studio located in Seattle, Washington. The office and studio closures were a result of a strategic decision to consolidate local development efforts in Redwood City, California and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. We recorded total pre-tax charges of $9.4 million, consisting of $7.3 million for consolidation of facilities, $1.5 million for the write-off of non-current assets and $0.6 million for workforce reductions. The facilities charge was net of a reduction in deferred rent of $0.5 million.
Additionally, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003, we approved a plan to consolidate the Los Angeles, California, Irvine, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, studios into one major game studio in Los Angeles. These measures were taken in order to maximize efficiencies and streamline the creative development process and operations of our studios. In connection with these consolidation activities, we recorded a total pre-tax restructuring charge of $5.1 million, including $1.6 million for the shutdown of facilities related to non-cancelable lease payments for permanently vacated properties and associated costs, $2.0 million for the write-off of abandoned equipment and leasehold improvements at facilities that were permanently vacated and $1.5 million for employee severance expenses related to involuntary terminations.
Online Restructurings
Fiscal 2003 Restructuring
In March 2003, we consolidated the operations of the EA.com business segment
into our core business segment, and eliminated separate reporting for Class B
common stock for all reporting periods after fiscal 2003. During the fourth
quarter of fiscal 2003, we recorded restructuring charges of $67.0 million,
consisting of $1.8 million for workforce reductions, $2.3 million for
consolidation of facilities and other administrative charges, and $62.9 million
for the impairment of non-current assets. The estimated costs for workforce
reduction included severance charges for terminated employees, costs for
certain outplacement service contracts and costs associated with the tender
offer to retire employee Class B options. The consolidation of facilities
resulted in the closure of EA.coms Chicago, Illinois, and Charlottesville,
Virginia facilities and an adjustment for the closure of EA.coms San Diego,
California studio in fiscal 2002.
The impairment charges on long-lived assets of $62.9 million included $24.9 million relating to customized internal-use software systems for the EA.com infrastructure, $25.6 million for other long-lived assets and $12.4 million of finite-lived intangibles relating to EA.coms Kesmai and Pogo studios. The fair-value-based tests performed in accordance with our annual procedures did not indicate an impairment of the recorded goodwill at the EA.com reporting unit level.
Fiscal 2002 Restructuring
In October 2001, we announced a restructuring plan for the EA.com business
segment. The restructuring initiatives involved strategic decisions to
discontinue certain product offerings and focus only on key online priorities
that aligned with our fiscal 2003 operational objectives. During fiscal 2002,
we recorded restructuring charges of $20.3 million, consisting of $4.2 million
for workforce reductions, $3.3 million for consolidation of facilities and
other administrative charges, and $12.8 million for the write-off of
non-current assets and facilities. The estimated costs for workforce reduction
included severance charges for terminated employees and costs for certain
outplacement service contracts. The consolidation of facilities resulted in the
closure
16
of EA.coms San Diego, California, studio and consolidation of its San Francisco, California, and Charlottesville, Virginia, facilities.
Impairment charges on long-lived assets amounted to $12.8 million, including $11.2 million relating to abandoned technologies consisting of customized internal-use software systems for the EA.com infrastructure, $1.0 million of Kesmai intangibles associated with discontinued products and services and $0.6 million of goodwill charges relating to EA.coms San Diego studio closure.
The following table summarizes the activity in the accrued studio and online restructuring account for the nine months ended December 31, 2003 (in thousands):
Fiscal 2003 | Fiscal 2002 | |||||||||||||||
Restructuring Plan | Restructuring Plan | |||||||||||||||
Facilities - | Facilities - | |||||||||||||||
Workforce | related | related | Total | |||||||||||||
Accrued restructuring balance as of March 31, 2003 |
$ | 1,692 | $ | 8,223 | $ | 840 | $ | 10,755 | ||||||||
Adjustments |
(71 | ) | 667 | | 596 | |||||||||||
Charges utilized in cash |
(1,440 | ) | (2,940 | ) | (155 | ) | (4,535 | ) | ||||||||
Accrued restructuring balance as of December 31,
2003 |
$ | 181 | $ | 5,950 | $ | 685 | $ | 6,816 | ||||||||
We expect the remaining accrued restructuring balance of $6.8 million to be fully utilized by December 31, 2006.
As of December 31, 2003, the estimated costs for consolidation of facilities included contractual rental commitments of $9.9 million under real estate leases for unutilized office space offset by $3.9 million of estimated future sub-lease income, costs to close or consolidate facilities, and costs to write off a portion of the assets from these facilities.
The restructuring accrual is included in other accrued expenses in Note 7 of the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
(13) COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES
Lease commitments
In July 2003, we entered into a lease agreement with an independent third party (the Landlord) for a studio facility in Los Angeles, California, which commenced in October 2003 and expires in September 2013 with two five-year options to extend the lease term. Additionally, we have options to purchase the property after five and ten years based on the fair market value of the property at the date of sale, a right of first offer to purchase the property upon terms offered by the landlord, and a right to share in the profits from a sale of the property. We accounted for this arrangement as an operating lease in accordance with SFAS No. 13, Accounting for Leases, as amended. Existing campus facilities comprise a total of 243,000 square feet and provide space for research and development functions. The rental obligation under this agreement is $50.2 million over the initial ten-year term of the lease. We will take possession of the property over a period of 18 months as the facilities become available for use. The above commitment is offset by sublease income of $5.8 million for the sublet to an affiliate of the Landlord of 18,000 square feet of the Los Angeles facility, which commenced in October 2003 and expires in September 2013 with options of early termination by the affiliate after five years and by EA after four and five years.
Residual Value Guarantees
In February 1995, we entered into a build-to-suit lease with Keybank National Association on our headquarters facility in Redwood City, California, which was extended in July 2001 and expires in July 2006. We accounted for this arrangement as an operating lease in accordance with SFAS No. 13, as amended. Existing campus facilities developed in phase one comprise a total of 350,000 square feet and provide space for sales, marketing, administration and research and development functions. We have an option to purchase the property (land and facilities) for $145.0 million or, at the end of the lease, to arrange for (i) an
17
additional extension of the lease or (ii) sale of the property to a third party while we retain an obligation to the owner for the difference between the sale price and the guaranteed residual value of up to $128.9 million if the sales price is less than this amount, subject to certain provisions of the lease.
In December 2000, we entered into a second build-to-suit lease with Keybank National Association for a five-year term from December 2000 to expand our headquarters facilities and develop adjacent property adding approximately 310,000 square feet to our campus. Construction was completed in June 2002. We accounted for this arrangement as an operating lease in accordance with SFAS No. 13, as amended. The facilities provide space for marketing, sales and research and development. We have an option to purchase the property for $127.0 million or, at the end of the lease, to arrange for (i) an extension of the lease or (ii) sale of the property to a third party while we retain an obligation to the owner for the difference between the sale price and the guaranteed residual value of up to $118.8 million if the sales price is less than this amount, subject to certain provisions of the lease.
We believe the estimated fair value of both properties under these operating leases are in excess of their respective guaranteed residual values at December 31, 2003.
(14) SQUARE JOINT VENTURE
In May 1998, we completed the formation of two new joint ventures in North America and Japan with Square Co., Ltd. (Square), a leading developer and publisher of entertainment software in Japan. In North America, the companies formed Square Electronic Arts, LLC (Square EA), which had exclusive publishing rights in North America for future interactive entertainment titles created by Square. Additionally, we had the exclusive right to distribute in North America products published by this joint venture. We contributed $3.0 million and owned a 30 percent minority interest in this joint venture while Square owned 70 percent. This joint venture was accounted for under the equity method. The joint venture agreements with Square expired as of March 31, 2003. Our distribution of Square products in North America terminated on June 30, 2003. On May 30, 2003, Square acquired our remaining 30 percent ownership interest in the joint venture for $8.5 million and the investment was removed from the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet.
In Japan, the companies established Electronic Arts Square K.K. (EA Square KK) in 1998, which localized and published in Japan EAs properties originally created in North America and Europe, as well as developed and published original videogames in Japan. We contributed cash and had a 70 percent majority ownership interest, while Square contributed cash and owned 30 percent. Accordingly, the assets, liabilities and results of operations for EA Square KK were included in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations since June 1, 1998, the date of formation. Squares 30 percent interest in EA Square KK has been reflected as Minority interest in consolidated joint venture on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2003, and Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002.
In May 2003, we acquired Squares 30 percent ownership interest in EA Square KK for approximately $2.5 million in cash. As a result of the acquisition, EA Square KK has become our wholly owned subsidiary and has been renamed Electronic Arts K.K. The acquisition was accounted for as a step acquisition purchase and the excess purchase price over fair value of the net tangible assets acquired, $1.2 million, was allocated to goodwill.
(15) AMERICA ONLINE, INC. (AOL) AGREEMENT
In November 1999, Electronic Arts Inc., EA.com and AOL entered into a five-year $81.0 million carriage fee agreement (the Prior Agreement) which gave EA.com the exclusive right to provide online games and interactive entertainment content on the Games channels/areas of certain AOL online services and gain access to and sell our products to AOL subscribers and to users of AOL properties. This agreement provided for carriage fees, advertising commitments, advertising revenue sharing and other fees.
During the three months ended June 30, 2003, the Prior Agreement was terminated and we entered into a new two-year agreement (the New Agreement) under which we will continue to provide current online game content services, and launch new online game content and services, on the Games channels/areas of certain AOL online services in exchange for a programming fee from AOL.
18
Below is a discussion of the Prior Agreement and the changes in our relationship with AOL that are reflected in the New Agreement.
Carriage Fee
The Prior Agreement provided for total payments of $81.0 million in carriage fees to AOL over the term of the Prior Agreement. Of this amount, $36.0 million was paid upon signing the Prior Agreement with the remainder due in four equal annual installments of $11.25 million beginning with the first anniversary of the initial payment. We made carriage payments to AOL of $11.25 million in each of the fiscal years 2003, 2002 and 2001. Due to the termination of the Prior Agreement in June 2003, we are no longer required to make the last $11.25 million carriage payment. There was no carriage fee expense for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003. Carriage fee expense for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002 was $4.5 million and $13.4 million, respectively.
Carriage fee amounts paid under the Prior Agreement were capitalized as a prepaid asset as payments were made to AOL. Until April 1, 2003, the total carriage fee of $81.0 million that was provided for in the Prior Agreement was being expensed using the straight-line method over the remaining life of the Prior Agreement subsequent to EA.coms site launch in October 2000. As the carriage fee was expensed, we applied the portion that had been paid against the prepaid asset and recorded the remaining amount as a liability. Amortization expense was classified as Marketing and sales expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The prepaid asset and liability balances were classified as Other assets and Accrued and other liabilities, respectively, on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Under the New Agreement, in July 2003, AOL refunded $18.0 million in carriage fees that we had previously paid to AOL under the Prior Agreement. This refund was applied against the prepaid balance and the remaining asset, $6.4 million, is being amortized over the term of the New Agreement as a reduction to revenue.
Programming Fee
The New Agreement provides for AOL payments to us of $27.5 million over the two-year term of the New Agreement as a programming fee. Of the total $27.5 million, $20.8 million pertains to existing online games content and services that we currently provide on the Games channels/areas of the AOL properties, and is being recognized as revenue ratably over the term of the New Agreement. The remaining $6.7 million pertains to new online games content and services to be delivered during the term of the New Agreement. This portion of the programming fee will be recognized as revenue as the required new content and services are delivered. During the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, $2.6 million and $7.5 million have been recognized as programming fee revenue, respectively.
Advertising Commitment
Under the Prior Agreement, we also made a commitment to spend $15.0 million in offline media advertisements prior to March 31, 2005 consisting of:
| $10.0 million on television, radio, print and outdoor advertising promoting the availability of EA.com games on certain AOL online services; and |
| $5.0 million ($1.0 million per year over the five year agreement) on television, radio, print and outdoor advertising promoting the availability of a specific category of EA.com games (so-called parlor games) on certain AOL online services. |
Under the Prior Agreement, we were free to purchase this advertising from any television, radio, print or outdoor media property that we chose, not necessarily from any AOL-affiliated media property. We did not purchase any advertisements from AOL, though we purchased some qualifying advertising from AOL affiliates. Through March 31, 2003, we expensed the advertising as it was incurred. These costs were classified as Marketing and sales expense in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of March 31, 2003, we had spent approximately $4.3 million against this commitment.
Upon the termination of the Prior Agreement, this advertising commitment was extinguished, and there is no similar commitment provided for in the New Agreement.
19
Advertising Revenue and Revenue Sharing
Advertising revenue is derived principally from the sale of banner and in-game advertisements. Banner and in-game advertising is typically generated from contracts in which either we or AOL provide a minimum number of impressions over the term of the agreed-upon commitment. Revenue is recognized as the impressions are delivered, provided that no significant obligations remain and collection of the related receivable is probable. Under the Prior Agreement, advertising revenue generated on the AOL Games Channel was recorded net of the applicable revenue share owed to AOL.
The Prior Agreement required that AOL pay us 50 percent of all revenue collected by AOL from the sale of advertisements on our online games sites, until advertising revenue reached $16.0 million in a year (measured from October 1 through the following September 30). Thereafter, the Prior Agreement provided that AOL would pay us 70 percent of all advertising revenue collected by AOL from the sale of advertisements on our game sites. Under the New Agreement, AOL is entitled to retain all advertising revenue they collect from the sale of advertisements on our games sites on the AOL properties, until net advertising revenue reaches $20.0 million in the twelve months ended March 31, 2004, and until net advertising revenue reaches $35.0 million for the remainder of the term of the New Agreement. After advertising revenue exceeds these thresholds, AOL is required to pay us 50 percent of the additional net advertising revenue.
Other Fee Arrangements
Under the Prior Agreement, we were also required to pay AOL a percentage of our subscription, e-commerce and anchor tenancy revenue that exceeded certain amounts. These costs were expensed as incurred and were classified as Cost of goods sold in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. We do not net these costs against revenue because we maintain responsibility for providing e-commerce products and subscription services directly to the consumer and retain the primary inventory risk for our products and games service.
Under the New Agreement, we are required to pay AOL a percentage of revenue derived from game service subscriptions, e-commerce, downloadable games and prize games that we makes available on the AOL online services. We account for these amounts in a similar manner as described above.
(16) IMPACT OF RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (FIN 46). This interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, Consolidated Financial Statements, addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities (VIEs) that either (i) do not have sufficient equity investment at risk to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, or (ii) are owned by equity investors who lack an essential characteristic of a controlling financial interest. This interpretation applies immediately to VIEs created after January 31, 2003. With regard to VIEs already in existence prior to February 1, 2003, the implementation of FIN 46 has been delayed and currently applies to the first fiscal year or interim period beginning after December 15, 2003. FIN 46 requires disclosure of VIEs in financial statements issued after January 31, 2003, if it is reasonably possible that as of the transition date (i) we will be the primary beneficiary of an existing VIE that will require consolidation, or (ii) we will hold a significant variable interest in, or have significant involvement with, an existing VIE. We do not believe that we have any entities that will require disclosure or new consolidation as a result of adopting the provisions of FIN 46.
In January 2003, the Emerging Issues Task Force reached consensus on Issue No. 00-21 (EITF 00-21), Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. EITF 00-21 provides guidance on how to determine whether an arrangement involving multiple deliverables requires that such deliverables be accounted for separately. EITF 00-21 allows for prospective adoption for arrangements entered into after June 15, 2003 or adoption via a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principal. We adopted EITF 00-21 in the quarter ended June 30, 2003; however, it did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.
In November 2003, the Emerging Issues Task Force reached consensus on paragraph 18 of Issue No. 03-01 (EITF 03-01), The Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and Its Application to Certain Investments. EITF 03-01 requires that certain quantitative and qualitative disclosures should be required for debt and marketable equity securities classified as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity under SFAS No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities and SFAS No. 124, Accounting for Certain Investments Held by Not-for-Profit Organizations that are impaired at the balance sheet date but for which an other-than-temporary impairment has not been recognized. We adopted EITF 03-01 in the quarter ended December 31, 2003; however, it did not have a material impact on the disclosures in our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
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Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, including statements regarding industry prospects and future results of operations or financial position, made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q are forward looking. We use words such as anticipates, believes, expects, intends, future and similar expressions to help identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risk and managements expectations, and are inherently uncertain and difficult to predict. Our actual results could differ materially from managements expectations due to such risks. We will not necessarily update information if any forward-looking statement later turns out to be inaccurate. Risks and uncertainties that may affect our future results include, but are not limited to, those discussed in this report below under the heading Risk Factors, as well as in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 10, 2003 and in other documents we have filed with the SEC.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, contingent assets and liabilities, and revenue and expenses during the reporting period. The policies discussed below are considered by management to be critical because they are not only important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations but also because application and interpretation of these policies requires both judgment and estimates on matters that are inherently uncertain and unknown. As a result, actual results may differ materially from our estimates.
Sales allowances and bad debt reserves
We principally derive revenue from sales of packaged interactive software games designed for play on videogame platforms (such as the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube), PCs and hand-held game machines (such as the Nintendo Game Boy Advance). Product revenue is recognized net of sales allowances. We also have stock-balancing programs for our PC products, which allow for the exchange of PC products by resellers under certain circumstances. We may decide to provide price protection for both our personal computer and videogame system products. In making this determination, we evaluate inventory remaining in the channel, the rate of inventory sell-through in the channel, and our remaining inventory on hand. It is our general practice to exchange products or give credits, rather than give cash refunds.
We estimate potential future product returns, price protection and stock-balancing programs related to current period product revenue. We analyze historical returns, current sell-through of distributor and retailer inventory of our products, current trends in the videogame market and the overall economy, changes in customer demand and acceptance of our products and other related factors when evaluating the adequacy of the sales returns and price protection allowances. In addition, management monitors and manages the volume of our sales to retailers and distributors and their inventories, as substantial overstocking in the distribution channel can result in high returns or substantial price protection requirements in subsequent periods. In the past, actual returns have not generally exceeded our reserves. However, actual returns and price protections may materially exceed our estimates as unsold products in the distribution channels are exposed to rapid changes in consumer preferences, market conditions or technological obsolescence due to new platforms, product updates or competing products. For example, the risk of product returns for our products may increase as the Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and PlayStation 2 consoles pass the midpoint of their lifecycle and an increasing number and aggregate amount of competitive products heighten pricing and competitive pressures. While management believes it can make reliable estimates regarding these matters, these estimates are inherently subjective. Accordingly, if our estimates changed, our returns reserves would change, which would impact the net revenue we report. For example, if actual returns were significantly greater than the reserves we have established, our actual results would decrease our reported net revenue. Conversely, if actual returns were significantly less than our reserves, this would increase our reported net revenue.
Similarly, significant judgment is required to estimate our allowance for doubtful accounts in any accounting period. We determine our allowance for doubtful accounts by evaluating customer creditworthiness in the context of current economic trends. Depending upon the overall economic climate and the financial condition of our customers, the amount and timing of our bad debt expense could change significantly.
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We cannot predict customer bankruptcies or an inability of any of our customers to meet their financial obligations to us. Therefore, our estimates could differ materially from actual results.
Prepaid royalties
Prepaid royalties consist primarily of advances paid to our co-publishing and/or distribution affiliates and license fees paid to celebrities, professional sports organizations and other organizations for our use of their trade names and content. Also included in prepaid royalties are prepayments made to independent software developers under development arrangements that have alternative future uses. Prepaid royalties are expensed at the contractual or effective royalty rate as cost of goods sold based on actual net product sales. We evaluate the future realization of prepaid royalties quarterly to determine amounts we deem unlikely to be realized through product sales. Any impairments determined before the launch of a product are charged to research and development expense. Impairments determined post launch are charged to cost of goods sold. In either case, we rely on forecasted revenue to evaluate the future realization of prepaid royalties. If actual revenue, or revised sales forecasts, falls below the initial forecasted sales, the charge taken may be larger than anticipated in any given quarter. If a charge has been taken prior to the product launch, that amount will not be expensed in future quarters when the product has shipped.
Valuation of long-lived assets
We evaluate both purchased intangible assets and other long-lived assets in order to determine if events or changes in circumstances indicate a potential impairment in value exists. This evaluation requires us to estimate, among other things, the remaining useful lives of the assets and future cash flows of the business. These evaluations and estimates require the use of judgment. Our actual results could differ materially from our current estimates.
Under current accounting standards, we make judgments about the remaining useful lives of purchased intangible assets and other long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate a potential impairment in the remaining value of the assets recorded on our balance sheet. In order to determine if a potential impairment has occurred, management makes various assumptions about the future value of the asset by evaluating future business prospects and estimated cash flows. Our future net cash flows are primarily dependent on the sale of products for play on proprietary videogame consoles, hand-held game machines and PCs (platforms). The success of our products is affected by our ability to accurately predict which platforms and which products we develop will be successful. Also, our revenue and earnings are dependent on our ability to meet our product release schedules. Due to product sales shortfalls, we may not realize the future net cash flows necessary to recover our long-lived assets, which may result in an impairment charge being recorded in the future. During the nine months ended December 31, 2003 we did not record impairment charges on long-lived assets. During the nine months ended December 31, 2002, we recorded $1.4 million of impairment charges on long-lived assets.
Income taxes
In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. As part of the process of preparing our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements for each fiscal period, we are required to estimate our income taxes in each of the jurisdictions in which we operate prior to the completion and filing of tax returns for such periods. This process requires estimating both our geographic mix of income and our current tax exposures in each jurisdiction where we operate. These estimates involve complex issues, require extended periods of time to resolve, and require us to make judgments, such as the determination of deferred tax liabilities and the recoverability of deferred tax assets. A valuation allowance is established to the extent recovery of deferred tax assets is not likely based on our estimation of future taxable income in each jurisdiction. To determine our projected tax rate each quarter, we are required to make a projection of several items, including our projected mix of full-year income in each jurisdiction in which we operate and the related income tax expense in each jurisdiction. The estimated effective tax rate is also adjusted for taxes related to significant unusual items. Changes in our valuation allowance, geographic mix, applicable tax laws and regulations, or estimated level of annual pre-tax income can also affect the overall effective tax rate. Finally, we are frequently audited by domestic and foreign taxing authorities. Developments in these audits are reflected in the effective tax rate as appropriate.
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RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Revenue
We principally derive revenue from sales of packaged interactive software games designed for play on videogame platforms, PCs and handheld devices. We also derive revenue from selling subscriptions to some of our online games, selling advertisements on our online web pages, receiving programming fees for integrated online content and by allowing other companies to manufacture and sell our products in conjunction with other products.
Geographically, our net revenue for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 is presented below (in thousands):
Net Revenue for the Three | December 31, | December 31, | Increase/ | |||||||||||||
Months Ended | 2003 | 2002 | (Decrease) | % Change | ||||||||||||
North America |
$ | 753,456 | $ | 695,630 | $ | 57,826 | 8 | % | ||||||||
Europe |
658,322 | 470,742 | 187,580 | 40 | % | |||||||||||
Asia Pacific |
42,775 | 38,208 | 4,567 | 12 | % | |||||||||||
Japan |
20,770 | 29,146 | (8,376 | ) | (29 | %) | ||||||||||
International |
721,867 | 538,096 | 183,771 | 34 | % | |||||||||||
Consolidated Net Revenue |
$ | 1,475,323 | $ | 1,233,726 | $ | 241,597 | 20 | % | ||||||||
Net Revenue for the Nine | December 31, | December 31, | Increase/ | |||||||||||||
Months Ended | 2003 | 2002 | (Decrease) | % Change | ||||||||||||
North America |
$ | 1,310,481 | $ | 1,182,768 | $ | 127,713 | 11 | % | ||||||||
Europe |
931,250 | 713,926 | 217,324 | 30 | % | |||||||||||
Asia Pacific |
74,863 | 67,200 | 7,663 | 11 | % | |||||||||||
Japan |
42,115 | 55,220 | (13,105 | ) | (24 | %) | ||||||||||
International |
1,048,228 | 836,346 | 211,882 | 25 | % | |||||||||||
Consolidated Net Revenue |
$ | 2,358,709 | $ | 2,019,114 | $ | 339,595 | 17 | % | ||||||||
Net Revenue
Net revenue for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 increased by 20 and 17 percent, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. A significant percentage of our business is transacted in foreign currencies which can have a material impact on our results of operations. For example, the average exchange rate for the Euro during the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, increased approximately 19 percent, as compared with the corresponding periods of the prior year. We estimate that foreign exchange rates (primarily the Euro and the Pound Sterling) strengthened reported net revenue by approximately $83 million, or 7 percent, in the three months ended December 31, 2003, and approximately $119 million, or 6 percent, in the nine months ended December 31, 2003. The overall increase in net revenue can also be attributed to (1) strong sales of our PlayStation 2 and Xbox products, which we believe was driven by an increase in the installed base on these consoles and (2) an 11 percent increase in the number of titles released on these platforms during the nine month period ended December 31, 2003, compared to the nine month period ended December 31, 2002. These increases were partially offset by (1) declines in net revenue from PlayStation products as we transition away from that platform, (2) declines in advertising revenue related to the revised terms of our renegotiated relationship with AOL during the three months ended June 30, 2003, and (3) declines in co-publishing and distribution net revenue primarily due to the termination of our Square EA joint venture during the three months ended June 30, 2003.
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North America
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from sales in North America increased by 8 and 11 percent, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. Net revenue increased from sales of products on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms by $158.7 million and $251.9 million for the three and nine months, ended December 31, 2003, respectively, but these increases were partially offset by decreases across other platforms.
The net revenue increases in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 were primarily driven by sales of products released in the three months ended December 31, 2003 in the Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, The Sims, SSX and Lord of the Rings franchises, which were greater than sales of last years products in each of those franchises. Higher sales in these franchises resulted in increases in net revenue of $211.0 and $166.5 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. Continued strong performance from our Madden NFL, Tiger Woods, NBA Street and Def Jam franchises, which had products released in the first six months of fiscal 2004, increased net revenue by $24.3 and $158.0 million in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively.
This increase in net revenue was partially offset by:
| Decreased net revenue from our Bond franchise as a result of the scheduled release of James Bond 007:Everything or Nothing (on all platforms except the Game Boy Advance) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, compared to the strong prior-year sales of James Bond 007: NIGHTFIRE, which was released in the third quarter of fiscal 2003. |
| Decreased net revenue from our Harry Potter franchise, as the current release, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, had no associated movie release, while last years product, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was released in conjunction with the blockbuster movie of the same title. |
| A decrease in co-publishing and distribution net revenue, due in large part to strong prior-year sales in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002 of Kingdom Hearts (from our Square EA joint venture which was terminated in the three months ended June 30, 2003) and Ty the Tazmanian Tiger, partially offset by the current fiscal year release of Freedom Fighters. |
Together, these decreases accounted for $180.7 and $207.8 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002.
International
Europe
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from sales in Europe increased by 40 and 30 percent, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. We estimate foreign exchange rates strengthened reported European net revenue by approximately $73 million or 16 percent for the three months ended December 31, 2003 and approximately $105 million or 14 percent for the nine months ended December 31, 2003. Net revenue from products on the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC platforms increased by $211.6 and $216.6 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively, partially offset by a decrease in PlayStation and other net revenue of $24.4 and $32.4 million, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002.
The net revenue increases in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 were led by sales of products released in the three months ended December 31, 2003 in the Medal of Honor, Need for Speed, FIFA, The Sims, Lord of the Rings, SSX and Football Manager franchises. Higher sales in these franchises resulted in increases in net revenue of $264.9 and $271.5 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, as compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. Continued strong performance from our fiscal 2004 second quarter releases in the Tiger Woods and Command & Conquer franchises increased net revenue by $11.6 and $22.6 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively. In addition, co-publishing and distribution net revenue increased by $1.7 and $34.5 million for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively, primarily due to Freedom Fighters, Looney Tunes Back in Action and other European co-publishing and distribution products.
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The increase in net revenue was partially offset by:
| Decreased net revenue from our Bond franchise, as a result of the scheduled release of James Bond 007:Everything or Nothing (on all platforms except the Game Boy Advance) in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, compared to the strong prior-year sales of James Bond 007: NIGHTFIRE, which was released in the third quarter of fiscal 2003. |
| Decreased net revenue from our Harry Potter franchise, as the current product, Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, had no associated movie release, while last years release, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, was released in conjunction with the blockbuster movie of the same title. |
| An expected decrease in sales of our World Cup franchise due to strong sales in the nine months ended December 31, 2002 in conjunction with the World Cup event and no similar event in the nine months ended December 31, 2003. |
Together, these decreases accounted for $98.2 and $127.6 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002.
Asia Pacific
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from sales in the Asia Pacific region, excluding Japan, increased by 12 percent and 11 percent, respectively compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. We estimate foreign exchange rates strengthened reported Asia Pacific net revenue by approximately $8 million or 20 percent, for the three months ended December 31, 2003 and approximately $12 million or 17 percent, for the nine months ended December 31, 2003. Excluding the effect of foreign exchange rates, Asia Pacific net revenue decreased by approximately $3.1 million or 8 percent and $3.9 million or 6 percent, respectively, from the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003. Net revenue increased from sales of products on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms by $8.9 and $11.7 million, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively, but was partially offset by decreases across other platforms. The top three titles were Medal of Honor Rising Sun, Need for Speed Underground and The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King, partially offset by declines in the Bond and Harry Potter franchises.
Japan
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from sales in Japan decreased by 29 and 24 percent, respectively compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. We estimate foreign exchange rates strengthened reported net revenue in Japan by approximately $2 million or 8 percent, and approximately $3 million or 6 percent, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. Net revenue from products on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox platforms decreased by $1.6 and $8.9 million, respectively, from the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002, primarily due to declines in the FIFA, Harry Potter and World Cup franchises.
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Net Revenue by Product Line
Our worldwide net revenue by product line for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 and 2002 is summarized below (in thousands):
Net Revenue for the Three | December 31, | December 31, | Increase/ | |||||||||||||
Months Ended | 2003 | 2002 | (Decrease) | % Change | ||||||||||||
PlayStation 2 |
$ | 731,587 | $ | 459,407 | $ | 272,180 | 59.2 | % | ||||||||
PC |
219,939 | 219,083 | 856 | 0.4 | % | |||||||||||
Xbox |
204,565 | 116,836 | 87,729 | 75.1 | % | |||||||||||
Nintendo GameCube |
103,804 | 111,103 | (7,299 | ) | (6.6 | %) | ||||||||||
Game Boy Advance |
57,194 | 68,102 | (10,908 | ) | (16.0 | %) | ||||||||||
Subscription Services |
11,781 | 11,236 | 545 | 4.9 | % | |||||||||||
PlayStation |
13,344 | 53,066 | (39,722 | ) | (74.9 | %) | ||||||||||
Advertising, Programming,
Licensing, and Other |
10,804 | 37,424 | (26,620 | ) | (71.1 | %) | ||||||||||
1,353,018 | 1,076,257 | 276,761 | 25.7 | % | ||||||||||||
Co-publishing and Distribution |
122,305 | 157,469 | (35,164 | ) | (22.3 | %) | ||||||||||
Total Net Revenue |
$ | 1,475,323 | $ | 1,233,726 | $ | 241,597 | 19.6 | % | ||||||||
Net Revenue for the Nine | December 31, | December 31, | Increase/ | |||||||||||||
Months Ended | 2003 | 2002 | (Decrease) | % Change | ||||||||||||
PlayStation 2 |
$ | 1,071,136 | $ | 752,717 | $ | 318,419 | 42.3 | % | ||||||||
PC |
393,299 | 377,835 | 15,464 | 4.1 | % | |||||||||||
Xbox |
304,777 | 174,466 | 130,311 | 74.7 | % | |||||||||||
Nintendo GameCube |
149,511 | 153,897 | (4,386 | ) | (2.8 | %) | ||||||||||
Game Boy Advance |
63,362 | 73,919 | (10,557 | ) | (14.3 | %) | ||||||||||
Subscription Services |
36,536 | 28,096 | 8,440 | 30.0 | % | |||||||||||
PlayStation |
26,657 | 90,495 | (63,838 | ) | (70.5 | %) | ||||||||||
Advertising, Programming,
Licensing, and Other |
27,067 | 66,932 | (39,865 | ) | (59.6 | %) | ||||||||||
2,072,345 | 1,718,357 | 353,988 | 20.6 | % | ||||||||||||
Co-publishing and Distribution |
286,364 | 300,757 | (14,393 | ) | (4.8 | %) | ||||||||||
Total Net Revenue |
$ | 2,358,709 | $ | 2,019,114 | $ | 339,595 | 16.8 | % | ||||||||
PlayStation 2 Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 731,587 | 49.6 | % | $ | 459,407 | 37.2 | % | 59.2 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 1,071,136 | 45.4 | % | $ | 752,717 | 37.3 | % | 42.3 | % |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from PlayStation 2 products increased by 59 percent to $731.6 million versus $459.4 million for the three months ended December 31, 2002. The increase was primarily due to strong sales of Medal of Honor, Need for Speed, The Sims and FIFA franchise products in the quarter ended December 31, 2003, as a result of current quarter releases of Medal of Honor Rising Sun, Need for Speed Underground and FIFA Soccer 2004. These increases were partially offset by decreases in net revenue from sales of our Bond and Harry Potter franchise products. Eleven titles were released on the PlayStation 2 platform in the three months ended December 31, 2003 versus nine in the same period in the prior fiscal year.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from PlayStation 2 products increased by 42 percent to $1,071.1 million versus $752.7 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2002. The increase was primarily due to current fiscal
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year sales of hit titles Madden NFL 2004, Need for Speed Underground, FIFA Soccer 2004, and franchise products including The Sims, SSX and NBA Street. These increases were partially offset by decreases in net revenue from sales of our Bond and Harry Potter franchise products. Twenty titles were released on the PlayStation 2 platform in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 versus 17 in the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Personal Computer Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 219,939 | 14.9 | % | $ | 219,083 | 17.8 | % | 0.4 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 393,299 | 16.7 | % | $ | 377,835 | 18.7 | % | 4.1 | % |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from products for the PC remained relatively flat, increasing by 0.4 percent to $219.9 million versus $219.1 million in the three months ended December 31, 2002. The slight increase is primarily attributable to sales of our Lord of the Rings and Command & Conquer franchise products, specifically The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King, Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour and Command & Conquer Generals. These increases were substantially offset by lower net revenue from sales of our Harry Potter franchise products.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from products for the PC increased by 4 percent to $393.3 million versus $377.8 million in the nine months ended December 31, 2002. The increase was primarily due to stronger current year net revenue from sales of our Command & Conquer and Lord of the Rings franchise products, partially offset by lower net revenue from the sales of our Harry Potter franchise products. Significant current fiscal year releases include Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour, Command & Conquer Generals and The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King. In addition, prior fiscal year releases continued to generate strong sales, particularly The Sims Deluxe and The Sims Unleashed. Nineteen titles were released on the PC platform in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 versus 14 titles released in the same period of the prior fiscal year.
Xbox Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 204,565 | 13.9 | % | $ | 116,836 | 9.5 | % | 75.1 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 304,777 | 12.9 | % | $ | 174,466 | 8.6 | % | 74.7 | % |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue of Xbox products increased by 75 percent to $204.6 million versus $116.8 million in the three months ended December 31, 2002. The increase was primarily due to the sales of our Need for Speed, Medal of Honor, Lord of the Rings and The Sims franchise products. Significant titles released in the current quarter included Need for Speed Underground, Medal of Honor Rising Sun and The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King. These increases were partially offset by decreases in net revenue from sales of our Bond franchise products. Eleven titles were released in the three months ended December 31, 2003 versus eight in the same period in the prior fiscal year.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue of Xbox products increased by 75 percent to $304.8 million versus $174.5 million in the nine months ended December 31, 2002. The increase was primarily due to strong sales of our Lord of the Rings, Need for Speed, The Sims, Medal of Honor and Madden NFL franchise products. Significant titles released in the current fiscal year included Madden NFL 2004, Need for Speed Underground, Medal of Honor Rising Sun and The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King. These increases were partially offset by decreases in net revenue from sales of our Bond franchise products. Eighteen titles were released on the Xbox platform in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 versus 13 in the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Nintendo GameCube Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 103,804 | 7.0 | % | $ | 111,103 | 9.0 | % | (6.6 | %) | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 149,511 | 6.3 | % | $ | 153,897 | 7.6 | % | (2.8 | %) |
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For the three months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from Nintendo GameCube products decreased by 7 percent to $103.8 million versus $111.1 million for the three months ended December 31, 2002. The decrease was primarily due to lower sales of our franchise products including Bond, Harry Potter and Madden NFL, partially offset by increased franchise sales of Lord of the Rings, The Sims and SSX.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from Nintendo GameCube products decreased by 3 percent to $149.5 million versus $153.9 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2002. The slight decrease was attributable to lower sales of our Bond and Harry Potter franchise products in the current fiscal year, partially offset by increased sales of our Lord of the Rings, The Sims and Def Jam franchise products. Sixteen titles were released on the Nintendo GameCube platform in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 versus 15 in the same period in the prior fiscal year.
Game Boy Advance Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 57,194 | 3.9 | % | $ | 68,102 | 5.5 | % | (16.0 | %) | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 63,362 | 2.7 | % | $ | 73,919 | 3.7 | % | (14.3 | %) |
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from our Game Boy Advance products was $57.2 million and $63.4 million, respectively, compared to $68.1 million and $73.9 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. This represented a 16 and 14 percent decrease for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively. Net revenue from Game Boy Advance products decreased primarily due to strong sales of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. This was partially offset by current year releases including Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup, The Sims Bustin Out, James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing and Medal of Honor Infiltrator.
Subscription Services Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 11,781 | 0.8 | % | $ | 11,236 | 0.9 | % | 4.9 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 36,536 | 1.5 | % | $ | 28,096 | 1.4 | % | 30.0 | % |
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from subscription fees for our online games was $11.8 million and $36.5 million, respectively, compared to $11.2 million and $28.1 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. This represented a 5 and 30 percent increase for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively. Subscription services net revenue increased primarily due to a higher number of users for The Sims Online (launched in December 2002) compared to the same periods a year ago, Club Pogo (launched in July 2003) and Pogo Downloadables (launched in May 2003), partially offset by a decrease in subscription net revenue from Motor City Online (which was discontinued in August 2003). In addition, a portion of the increase for the nine months ended December 31, 2003 was attributable to Earth & Beyond, which was launched in September 2002.
PlayStation Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 13,344 | 0.9 | % | $ | 53,066 | 4.3 | % | (74.9 | %) | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 26,657 | 1.1 | % | $ | 90,495 | 4.5 | % | (70.5 | %) |
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For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from PlayStation products was $13.3 million and $26.7 million, respectively, compared to $53.1 million and $90.5 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. This represented a 75 and 71 percent decrease for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively. As we expected, the decrease in net revenue was attributable to the market transition to newer generation console systems. Although our PlayStation products are playable on the PlayStation 2 console, we expect sales of current PlayStation products to continue to decline throughout the remainder of fiscal 2004. We released one and three new titles on the PlayStation platform in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively, versus three and six titles in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002, respectively.
Advertising, Programming, Licensing and Other Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 10,804 | 0.7 | % | $ | 37,424 | 3.0 | % | (71.1 | %) | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 27,067 | 1.1 | % | $ | 66,932 | 3.3 | % | (59.6 | %) |
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from advertising, programming, licensing and other was $10.8 million and $27.1 million, respectively, compared to $37.4 million and $66.9 million, respectively, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. This represented a 71 and 60 percent decrease, for the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, respectively. Advertising net revenue decreased primarily due to the revised terms of our renegotiated relationship with AOL during the three months ended June 30, 2003. In addition, the decrease in other net revenue was primarily due to the net revenue decrease from our Harry Potter franchise products on the Game Boy Color platform in the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003 versus the same periods in the prior fiscal year. No titles were released on the Game Boy Color platform in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 versus one title released in the nine months ended December 31, 2002.
Co-publishing and Distribution Net Revenue (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 122,305 | 8.3 | % | $ | 157,469 | 12.8 | % | (22.3 | %) | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 286,364 | 12.1 | % | $ | 300,757 | 14.9 | % | (4.8 | %) |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from co-publishing products and distribution products decreased 22 percent to $122.3 million compared to $157.5 million in the three months ended December 31, 2002. This decrease was primarily due to strong sales in the three months ended December 31, 2002, of Kingdom Hearts and Ty the Tazmanian Tiger partially offset by sales of Freedom Fighter in the three months ended December 31, 2003.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, net revenue from co-publishing products and distribution products decreased 5 percent to $286.4 million compared to $300.8 million in the nine months ended December 31, 2002. The slight decrease was primarily due to strong sales in the nine months ended December 31, 2002, of Kingdom Hearts and Ty the Tazmanian Tiger partially offset by current year titles sales of Freedom Fighters, Looney Tunes: Back in Action and the Battlefield franchise products.
Cost of Goods Sold (In thousands)
Cost of goods sold for our disk-based and cartridge-based products consists of (1) actual product costs, (2) royalties expense for celebrities, professional sports and other organizations and independent software developers, (3) manufacturing royalties, net of volume discounts, (4) expense for defective products, (5) write-off of post-launch prepaid royalty costs, and (6) operations expense. Cost of goods sold for our online product subscription business consists primarily of data center and bandwidth costs associated with hosting our websites, credit card fees and royalties for use of third party properties. Cost of goods sold for our website advertising business consists primarily of ad serving costs.
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December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 513,255 | 34.8 | % | $ | 565,111 | 45.8 | % | (9.2 | %) | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 876,980 | 37.2 | % | $ | 908,432 | 45.0 | % | (3.5 | %) |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, cost of goods sold as a percentage of net revenue decreased by 11.0 percentage points to 34.8 percent from 45.8 percent for the three months ended December 31, 2002. In the three months ended December 31, 2002, we had significant sales from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and James Bond 007: NIGHTFIRE titles across multiple platforms, which included PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and PC. These two titles had significantly higher license royalty rates than the highest net revenue generating titles in the three months ended December 31, 2003. We also had lower development royalties due to a higher mix of titles that were developed internally versus externally. We estimate that lower development royalties increased gross margin by 2 percentage points, which was spread across multiple platforms including PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and PC. The decrease in development royalties classified in costs of goods sold was offset by an increase in internal development costs classified in research and development. By platform, the decrease in costs of goods sold is primarily due to:
| Higher gross margins for PlayStation 2 products contributing 4.4 percentage points to total gross margin. The increase in gross margins was due to lower royalties noted in the paragraph above. In addition, Need for Speed Underground had a lower royalty rate in the three months ended December 31, 2003 than Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 in the three months ended December 31, 2002. |
| Higher Nintendo GameCube gross margins contributing 1.4 percentage points to total gross margin. This increase in gross margin was due to the lower royalties noted in the paragraph above and pricing discounts from Nintendo on titles released in the nine months ended December 31, 2003. |
| Higher Xbox gross margins contributing a 1.2 percentage point to total gross margin. The increase in gross margin was due to the lower royalties noted in the above paragraph and a volume discount received from Microsoft for the Medal of Honor Rising Sun product in the three months ended December 31, 2003. |
| Higher PC gross margins contributing a 0.9 percentage point increase to total gross margin. The increase in gross margins was due to lower royalties noted in the paragraph above and lower direct and indirect product costs as a result of lower packaging costs and improved efficiencies. |
| Favorable product mix contributing a 2.0 percentage point increase to total gross margin due to an increase in the percentage of net revenue being derived from higher-gross-margin product lines, such as products for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox and a decrease in the percentage of net revenue derived from lower-gross-margin product lines such as those for the PlayStation and co-publishing and distribution products. Also, within the co-publishing and distribution product line we had a higher proportion of net revenue from co-publishing titles that have a higher gross margin and a lower proportion of net revenue from distribution products that have a lower gross margin. |
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, cost of goods sold as a percentage of net revenue decreased by 7.8 percentage points to 37.2 percent from 45.0 percent for the nine months ended December 31, 2003. In the three months ended December 31, 2002, we had significant sales from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and James Bond 007: NIGHTFIRE titles across multiple platforms, which included PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and PC. These two titles had significantly higher license royalty rates than the highest net revenue generating titles in the nine months ended December 31, 2003. We also had lower development royalties due to a higher mix of titles that were developed internally versus externally. We estimate that lower development royalties increased gross margin by 2 percentage points, which was spread across multiple platforms including PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and PC. The decrease in development royalties classified in costs of goods sold is offset by an increase in internal development costs classified in research and development. By platform, the decrease in costs of goods sold is primarily due to:
| Higher gross margins for PlayStation 2 products contributing a 2.5 percentage point increase to the total gross margin. The increase in gross margins was due to the lower royalties noted in the paragraph above and lower royalty rates for Need for Speed Underground in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 compared to Need for Speed Hot Pursuit 2 and 2002 FIFA World Cup in the nine months ended December 31, 2002. |
| Higher gross margins for Nintendo GameCube products contributing a 1.1 percentage point increase to the total gross margin. The increase in gross margins was due to lower royalties noted in the paragraph above, as well as a pricing discount received from Nintendo on titles released in the nine months ended December 31, 2003 and high returns on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets which resulted in lower effective royalty rates in the nine months ended December 31, 2003. |
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| Higher gross margins for PC products contributing a 0.7 percentage point increase to the total gross margin. The increase in gross margins was due to lower royalties noted in the paragraph above and lower direct and indirect product costs as a result of lower packaging costs and improved efficiencies. |
| Higher gross margins for Xbox products contributing a 0.8 percentage point increase to the total gross margin. The increase in gross margin was due to lower royalties noted in the paragraph above and a volume discount received from Microsoft for the Medal of Honor Rising Sun product in the nine months ended December 31, 2003. |
| Favorable product mix contributing a 1.9 percentage point increase to total gross margin due to an increase in the percentage of net revenue being derived from higher-gross-margin product lines, such as products for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox and a decrease in the percentage of net revenue derived from lower-gross-margin product lines such as those for the PlayStation and co-publishing and distribution products. Also, within the co-publishing and distribution product line we had a higher proportion of net revenue from co-publishing titles that have a higher gross margin and a lower proportion of net revenue from distribution products that have a lower gross margin. |
Marketing and Sales (In thousands)
Marketing and sales expenses consist of personnel-related costs and advertising, marketing and promotional expenses, net of co-op advertising expense reimbursements. In addition, marketing and sales expense in fiscal 2003 included the amortization of the carriage fees payable for the distribution of our online games on AOL, which we are no longer required to pay.
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 180,174 | 12.2 | % | $ | 139,492 | 11.3 | % | 29.2 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 303,299 | 12.9 | % | $ | 260,380 | 12.9 | % | 16.5 | % |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, marketing and sales expenses increased by 29.2 percent as compared to the three months ended December 31, 2002 primarily due to:
| An increase in our advertising, contract services and promotional expenses of $39.0 million as we incrementally increased our advertising and our television and video media campaigns, primarily in Europe, to support the release of our new titles during the quarter, which included FIFA Soccer 2004, NBA Live 2004, Need for Speed Underground, SSX3, The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King, Medal of Honor Rising Sun, and The Sims Bustin Out on multiple platforms. |
| A 14 percent increase in headcount to support the growth of our marketing and sales functions worldwide, which resulted in personnel-related costs increasing by approximately $5.0 million. |
| Partially offset by the discontinuance of carriage fee payments to AOL, which resulted in a decrease of $4.5 million. |
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, marketing and sales expenses increased by 16.5 percent as compared to the nine months ended December 31, 2002 primarily due to:
| An increase in our advertising, contract services and promotional expenses of $44.8 million as we incrementally increased our advertising and our television and video media campaigns, primarily in Europe, to support the release of our new titles during the period, which included FIFA Soccer 2004, NBA Live 2004, Need for Speed Underground, SSX3, The Lord of the Rings; The Return of the King, Medal of Honor Rising Sun, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 2004, NASCAR Thunder 2004, NCAA Football 2004, and The Sims Bustin Out on multiple platforms. |
| A 12 percent increase in headcount to support the growth of our marketing and sales functions worldwide, which resulted in personnel-related costs increasing by approximately $13.0 million. |
| Partially offset by the discontinuance of carriage fee payments to AOL, which resulted in a decrease of $13.4 million. |
General and Administrative (In thousands)
General and administrative expenses consist of personnel and related expenses of executive and administrative staff, fees for professional services such as legal and accounting, and allowances for bad debts.
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 71,992 | 4.9 | % | $ | 42,250 | 3.4 | % | 70.4 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 138,784 | 5.9 | % | $ | 95,366 | 4.7 | % | 45.5 | % |
31
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, general and administrative expenses increased by 70.4 percent as compared to the three months ended December 31, 2002 due to:
| An increase in depreciation expense of approximately $11.0 million primarily due to the one-time acceleration of depreciation on equipment and software that are being replaced and to write-off assets that were taken out of service. |
| An increase in contributions of $8.1 million as we invest in our strategic university relationships. |
| An increase of approximately 17 percent in personnel-related costs to support the continued growth of our business. |
| An increase of approximately $6.0 million in professional services, information technology and facilities expenses. |
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, general and administrative expenses increased by 45.5 percent as compared to the nine months ended December 31, 2002 due to:
| An increase in depreciation expense of approximately $13.0 million primarily due to accelerated depreciation on equipment and software that are being replaced and to write-off assets that were taken out of service. |
| An increase in contributions of $8.3 million as we invest in our strategic university relationships. |
| An increase of approximately 17 percent in personnel-related costs to support the continued growth of our business. |
| An increase of approximately $14.0 million in professional services, information technology and facilities expenses. |
| Partially offset by a decrease in bad debt expense of $4.7 million, primarily as a result of being able to collect on accounts that we had previously deemed uncollectible. As of December 31, 2003, bad debt expense continued to be less than 0.5 percent of net revenue. |
Research and Development (In thousands)
Research and development expenses consist of expenses incurred by our production studios for personnel-related costs, consulting, equipment depreciation, customer relationship management expenses associated with our products and any impairment of prepaid royalties for pre-launch products. Research and development expenses for our online business include expenses incurred by our studios consisting of direct development costs and related overhead costs in connection with the development and production of our online games. Research and development expenses also include expenses associated with development of website content, depreciation on server equipment to support online games, network infrastructure direct expenses, software licenses and maintenance, and network and management overhead.
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 151,175 | 10.2 | % | $ | 106,127 | 8.6 | % | 42.4 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 355,790 | 15.1 | % | $ | 292,171 | 14.5 | % | 21.8 | % |
For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, research and development expenses increased by 42.4 percent and 21.8 percent, respectively, compared to the three and nine months ended December 31, 2002. The increases were expected as we continue to support the global growth of research and development. In recent quarters, we have begun to shift the development of a greater number of titles in-house in order to better control the quality of the finished product and to spread the costs of development over a larger franchise base. The increases noted during the three months ended December 31, 2003 were primarily driven by the following:
| Increases in personnel-related costs of $29.8 million of which approximately $17.5 million resulted from a 29 percent increase in regular full-time employee headcount. |
| An overall increase in external development expenses of $24.8 million related to development of new products. |
| Partially offset by a decrease in depreciation and other operating expenses due to asset impairments recognized in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2003. |
32
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, the increases were primarily driven by the following:
| Increases in personnel-related costs of $70.7 million of which approximately $47.7 million resulted from a 21 percent increase in regular full-time employee headcount. |
| An overall increase in external development expenses of $16.8 million related to development of new products. |
| Partially offset by a decrease in depreciation and other operating expenses due to asset impairments recognized in the third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2003. |
The increase in research and development spending is expected to continue in fiscal 2004 due to an increase in development spending for current generation console products including the PlayStation 2, Xbox and Nintendo GameCube, as well as extending our investment in the PC and future platforms.
Interest and Other Income (Expense), Net (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | |||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 948 | 0.1 | % | $ | (4,439 | ) | (0.4 | %) | |||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 14,927 | 0.6 | % | $ | (115 | ) | (0.0 | %) |
For the three months ended December 31, 2003, interest and other income (expense), net, increased from the three months ended December 31, 2002, primarily due to:
| Other-than-temporary impairment of investments in affiliates of $10.1 million, offset by income of $2.9 million recorded from our equity investment in Square EA LLC and a realized gain of $2.1 million on the sale of marketable securities during the three months ended December 31, 2002. |
| Higher interest income of $2.1 million, as a result of higher average cash balances during the three months ended December 31, 2003. |
| Offset by increased foreign currency losses of $2.6 million, as a result of fluctuations in rates, primarily for the Euro and British Pound, and the purchase of foreign currency options during the three months ended December 31, 2003. |
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, interest and other income (expense), net, increased from the nine months ended December 31, 2002 primarily due to:
| Other-than-temporary impairment of investments in affiliates of $10.6 million, offset by income of 1.2 million recorded from our equity investment in Square EA LLC during the nine months ended December 31, 2002. |
| Higher interest income of $6.9 million, as a result of higher average cash balances during the nine months ended December 31, 2003. |
Income Taxes (In thousands)
December 31, | % of net | December 31, | % of net | |||||||||||||||||
2003 | revenue | 2002 | revenue | % Change | ||||||||||||||||
Three months ended |
$ | 166,160 | 11.3 | % | $ | 113,052 | 9.2 | % | 47.0 | % | ||||||||||
Nine months ended |
$ | 208,822 | 8.9 | % | $ | 138,426 | 6.9 | % | 50.9 | % |
During the three months ended December 31, 2003, we changed our projected annual effective income tax rate for fiscal 2004 to 30 percent. We previously projected this rate to be 31 percent for the first six months of fiscal 2004 and all of fiscal 2003. This change is primarily attributable to a higher portion of our projected income being international taxable income, which is subject to lower statutory rates, than previously anticipated. As a result of the change to our projected effective tax rate for fiscal 2004, we recognized $7.0 million (or $0.02 per basic and diluted share) less income tax expense during the three months ended December 31, 2003 than we would have recognized had our projected annual effective tax rate remained at 31 percent. Accordingly, our effective income tax rate for the three months ended December 31, 2003 was 29.75 percent, reflecting the adjustment recognized during the quarter to reduce our effective income tax rate for the nine months ended December 31, 2003 to 30 percent.
33
We intend to indefinitely reinvest our international earnings outside the U.S. and, accordingly, have not provided U.S. taxes that would be incurred if such earnings were repatriated back to the U.S. In addition, tax rates fluctuate and our actual effective tax rate for fiscal 2004 and for future periods could change because of several factors, including a change in mix of income between international and domestic operations, changes to applicable tax laws and regulations, or developments in tax audit matters with various tax authorities.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Nine Months Ended | |||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||||||||
(In millions) | 2003 | 2002 | Change | ||||||||||
Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments |
$ | 1,825 | $ | 1,165 | $ | 660 | |||||||
Marketable equity securities |
2 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||
$ | 1,827 | $ | 1,166 | $ | 661 | ||||||||
Percentage of total assets |
54.7 | % | 47.4 | % |
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||||||||
(In millions) | 2003 | 2002 | Change | ||||||||||
Cash provided by operating activities |
$ | 107 | $ | 284 | $ | (177 | ) | ||||||
Cash used in investing activities |
(669 | ) | (191 | ) | (478 | ) | |||||||
Cash provided by financing activities |
164 | 109 | 55 | ||||||||||
Effect
of foreign exchange on cash and cash equivalents |
21 | 11 | 10 | ||||||||||
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents |
$ | (377 | ) | $ | 213 | $ | (590 | ) | |||||
Changes in Cash Flow
During the nine months ended December 31, 2003, we generated $107.1 million of cash from operating activities compared to $283.5 million for the nine months ended December 31, 2002. This decline was primarily the result of an increase in operating costs during the three months ended December 31, 2003. We expect a significant increase in operating cash flow during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004, compared to the same period in fiscal 2003, due to the collection of our third quarter accounts receivable, partially offset by payments for advertising, royalties, income taxes and other related seasonal expenses. We expect this increase in operating cash flow to more than offset the decline in operating cash flow we experienced during the first nine months of fiscal 2004. For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, our primary uses of cash in non-operating activities consisted of net purchases of $617.4 million in short-term investments and $55.9 million in capital expenditures, primarily related to software and leasehold improvements. These non-operating expenditures were offset by $166.3 million in proceeds from the sale of our common stock through employee stock and other plans during the nine months ended December 31, 2003.
Accounts Receivable
Our gross accounts receivable balance was $1,043.7 million and $246.7 million as of December 31, 2003 and March 31, 2003, respectively. Reserves for product returns, pricing allowances and doubtful accounts increased 25.5 percent from $164.6 million at March 31, 2003 to $206.6 million at December 31, 2003. The increase in our accounts receivable balance was primarily due to increased sales during the three months ended December 31, 2003, compared to the three months ended March 31, 2003. We expect to collect a substantial portion of these amounts in January and February 2004. The increase in the overall reserves as of December 31, 2003 was due to expected sales returns associated with our seasonal volume, partially offset by the return and price protection credits processed in the first nine months of fiscal 2004 for products sold in prior periods. Although the absolute dollar amounts of the sales return and price protection reserves had increased as of December 31, 2003, both remained constant compared to March 31, 2003 as a percentage of trailing six and nine months net revenue. We believe these reserves are adequate based on historical experience and our current estimate of potential returns and allowances.
34
Inventories, net
Inventories, net, increased to $64.8 million at December 31, 2003 from $39.7 million at March 31, 2003 primarily due to the seasonality of our business and overall growth in Europe. We typically have a higher inventory balance, as a percentage of net revenue, on hand in Europe compared to North America, due to the need to provide multiple language versions of each title for those countries. No title represented more than $6.0 million (or 10%) at December 31, 2003.
Other current assets
Other current assets increased to $117.9 million at December 31, 2003 from $83.5 million at March 31, 2003 primarily due to increases in volume rebates and advertising credits owed to us by our suppliers and VAT receivable, both relating to the seasonality of our business.
Accounts payable
Accounts payable increased to $158.7 million at December 31, 2003 from $106.3 million at March 31, 2003 due to higher inventory purchases, seasonality and the overall increase in our sales during the first nine months of fiscal 2004. We anticipate this balance to decline with our seasonal volume during the three months ended March 31, 2004.
Accrued and other liabilities
Our accrued and other liabilities increased to $682.8 million at December 31, 2003 from $464.5 million at March 31, 2003, as a result of the overall increase in our sales and related operational expenses and seasonality. The increase was due to increases in our accruals for advertising, royalties, VAT and taxes payable. We anticipate this balance to decline with our seasonal volume during the three months ended March 31, 2004.
Financial Condition
We believe the existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term investments, marketable equity securities and cash generated from operations will be sufficient to meet our operating requirements for at least the next twelve months, including working capital requirements, capital expenditures and potential future acquisitions or strategic investments. We may choose at any time to raise additional capital to strengthen our financial position, facilitate expansion, pursue strategic investments or to take advantage of business opportunities as they arise.
A portion of our cash is generated from operations domiciled in foreign tax jurisdictions (approximately $177.5 million as of December 31, 2003) that is designated as permanently invested in the respective tax jurisdiction. While we do not currently believe there is a need to repatriate these funds to the United States in the short term, if these funds are required for our operations in the United States, we would be required to accrue and pay additional taxes to repatriate these funds.
On January 8, 2004, we filed an amended registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This registration statement, including the base prospectus contained therein, became effective on January 15, 2004 and uses a shelf registration process. This shelf registration statement allows us, at any time, to offer any combination of securities described in the prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total amount of $2.0 billion. Unless otherwise specified in a prospectus supplement accompanying the base prospectus, we will use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered pursuant to the shelf registration statement for general corporate purposes, including for working capital, financing capital expenditures, research and development, marketing and distribution efforts and, if opportunities arise, for acquisitions or strategic alliances. We currently have no definitive plans, and are not in negotiations, relating to acquisitions, investments or strategic alliances to be financed through proceeds from the sale of securities under the shelf registration statement. Pending such uses, we may invest the net proceeds in interest bearing securities. In addition, we may conduct concurrent or other financings at any time.
Our ability to maintain sufficient liquidity could be affected by various risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to, those related to customer demand and acceptance of our titles on new platforms and new versions of our titles on existing platforms, our ability to collect our accounts receivable as they become due, successfully achieving our product release schedules and attaining our forecasted sales objectives, the impact of competition, the economic conditions in the domestic and international
35
markets, seasonality in operating results, risks of product returns and the other risks described in the Risk Factors section below.
Commitments
Lease Commitments
We lease certain of our current facilities and certain equipment under
non-cancelable capital and operating lease agreements. We are required to pay
property taxes, insurance and normal maintenance costs for certain of our
facilities and will be required to pay any increases over the base year of
these expenses on the remainder of our facilities.
In February 1995, we entered into a build-to-suit lease with Keybank National Association on our headquarters facility in Redwood City, California, which was extended in July 2001 and expires in July 2006. We accounted for this arrangement as an operating lease in accordance with Statements of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 13, Accounting for Leases", as amended. Existing campus facilities developed in phase one comprise a total of 350,000 square feet and provide space for sales, marketing, administration and research and development functions. We have an option to purchase the property (land and facilities) for $145.0 million or, at the end of the lease, to arrange for (i) an extension of the lease or (ii) sale of the property to a third party while we retain an obligation to the owner for the difference between the sale price and the guaranteed residual value of up to $128.9 million if the sales price is less than this amount, subject to certain provisions of the lease.
In December 2000, we entered into a second build-to-suit lease with Keybank National Association for a five-year term beginning December 2000 to expand our Redwood City, California headquarters facilities and develop adjacent property adding approximately 310,000 square feet to our campus. Construction was completed in June 2002. We accounted for this arrangement as an operating lease in accordance with SFAS No. 13, as amended. The facilities provide space for marketing, sales and research and development. We have an option to purchase the property for $127.0 million or, at the end of the lease, to arrange for (i) an extension of the lease, or (ii) sale of the property to a third party while we retain an obligation to the owner for the difference between the sale price and the guaranteed residual value of up to $118.8 million if the sales price is less than this amount, subject to certain provisions of the lease.
We believe the estimated fair value of both properties under these operating leases are in excess of their respective guaranteed residual values at December 31, 2003.
In July 2003, we entered into a lease agreement with an independent third party (the Landlord) for a studio facility in Los Angeles, California, which commenced in October 2003 and expires in September 2013 with two five-year options to extend the lease term. Additionally, we have options to purchase the property after five and ten years based on the fair market value of the property at the date of sale, a right of first offer to purchase the property upon terms offered by the landlord, and a right to share in the profits from a sale of the property. We have accounted for this arrangement as an operating lease in accordance with SFAS No. 13, as amended. Existing campus facilities comprise a total of 243,000 square feet and provide space for research and development functions. Our rental obligation under this agreement is $50.2 million over the initial ten-year term of the lease. We will take possession of the property over a period of 18 months as the facilities become available for use. This commitment is offset by sublease income of $5.8 million for the sublet to an affiliate of the Landlord of 18,000 square feet of the Los Angeles facility, which commenced in October 2003 and expires in September 2013 with options of early termination by the affiliate after five years and by EA after four and five years. The contractual obligations table below has been updated to include our gross lease commitment under this lease.
Lease rates are based upon the Commercial Paper Rate. The two lease agreements with Keybank National Association, as described above, require us to maintain certain financial covenants as shown below, all of which we were in compliance with as of December 31, 2003.
Minimum | Actual as of | ||||||||
Financial Covenants | Requirement | December 31, 2003 | |||||||
Consolidated Net Worth | $1,616 million | $2,496 million | |||||||
Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio |
3.00 | 43.24 | |||||||
Total Consolidated Debt to Capital |
60 | % | 9.1 | % | |||||
Quick Ratio Q1 & Q2 |
1.00 | N/A | |||||||
Q3 & Q4 |
1.75 | 10.69 |
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Letters of Credit
In July 2002, we provided an irrevocable standby letter of credit to Nintendo of Europe. The standby letter of credit guarantees performance of our obligations to pay Nintendo of Europe for trade payables of up to 8.0 million Euros. The standby letter of credit expires in July 2005. As of December 31, 2003, we had 1.6 million Euros payable to Nintendo of Europe covered by this standby letter of credit.
In August 2003, we provided an irrevocable standby letter of credit to 300 California Associates II, LLC in replacement of our security deposit for office space. The standby letter of credit guarantees performance of our obligations to pay our lease commitment up to $1.1 million. The standby letter of credit expires in December 2006. As of December 31, 2003, we did not have a payable balance on this standby letter of credit.
Development, Celebrity, League and Content Licenses: Payments and Commitments
The products produced by our studios are designed and created by our employee designers, artists, software programmers and by non-employee software developers (independent artists). We typically advance development funds to the independent artists during development of our games, usually in installment payments made upon the completion of specified development milestones. These payments are considered advances against subsequent royalties based on the sales of the products. These terms are typically set forth in written agreements entered into with the independent artists. In addition, we have certain celebrity, league and content license contracts that contain minimum guarantee payments and marketing commitments that are not dependent on any deliverables. Celebrities and organizations with whom we have contracts include: FIFA (soccer); NASCAR (stock car racing); John Madden (professional football); National Basketball Association; PGA TOUR (golf); Tiger Woods (golf); National Hockey League and NHLPA (hockey); Warner Bros. (Harry Potter and Superman); MGM/Danjaq (James Bond); New Line Productions (The Lord of the Rings); National Football League and Players Inc. (professional football); Collegiate Licensing Company (collegiate football and basketball); ISC (stock car racing); Major League Baseball Properties; MLB Players Association (baseball) and Island Def Jam (wrestling). These developer and content license commitments represent the sum of (i) the cash payments due under non-royalty-bearing licenses and services agreements, and (ii) the minimum payments and advances against royalties due under royalty-bearing licenses and services agreements. These minimum guarantee payments and marketing commitments are included in the following table.
The following table summarizes our minimum contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of December 31, 2003 (in thousands), and the effect we expect them to have on our liquidity and cash flow in future periods:
Contractual Obligations | Commercial Commitments | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Fiscal Year | Developer/ | Bank and | Letters | |||||||||||||||||||||
Ended | Licensee | Other | of | |||||||||||||||||||||
March 31, | Leases | Commitments | Marketing | Guarantees | Credit | Total | ||||||||||||||||||
2004 (remaining three months) | $ | 7,072 | $ | 13,713 | $ | 5,421 | $ | 60 | $ | 1,976 | $ | 28,242 | ||||||||||||
2005 | 23,336 | 37,131 | 12,893 | 234 | | 73,594 | ||||||||||||||||||
2006 | 24,821 | 34,313 | 8,476 | 204 | | 67,814 | ||||||||||||||||||
2007 | 19,384 | 11,837 | 9,664 | 204 | | 41,089 | ||||||||||||||||||
2008 | 17,141 | 15,116 | 9,692 | 203 | | 42,152 | ||||||||||||||||||
Thereafter | 45,200 | 20,021 | 22,095 | 203 | | 87,519 | ||||||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 136,954 | $ | 132,131 | $ | 68,241 | $ | 1,108 | $ | 1,976 | $ | 340,410 | ||||||||||||
The lease commitments disclosed above exclude commitments included in our restructuring activities for contractual rental commitments of $9.9 million under real estate leases for unutilized office space, offset by $3.9 million of estimated future sub-lease income. These amounts were expensed in the periods of the related restructuring and are included in our accrued liabilities
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reported on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2003. (See Note 12 in the Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.)
Transactions with Related Parties
On June 24, 2002, we hired Warren Jenson as our Executive Vice President and Chief Financial and Administrative Officer and agreed to loan Mr. Jenson $4.0 million, to be forgiven over four years based on his continuing employment. Two million dollars of the note will be forgiven after two years employment, and the remainder forgiven after four years. The entire balance of the loan was outstanding as of December 31, 2003.
In April 2002, we agreed to pay certain taxes incurred by Bruce McMillan, Executive Vice President, Group Studio Head of EA Canada, arising from his temporary employment with us in the United Kingdom. Mr. McMillan agreed to reimburse us for those payments upon receipt of his corresponding tax refund from the Canadian taxing authorities. We subsequently paid approximately $168,704 and $32,931 in October 2002 and April 2003, respectively, to the UK Inland Revenue for taxes incurred by Mr. McMillan. In May 2003, Mr. McMillan became an executive officer of Electronic Arts. As of January 22, 2004, Mr. McMillan had repaid us the entire amount of the tax payments we made on his behalf.
Impact of Recently Issued Accounting Standards
In January 2003, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Interpretation No. 46, Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities (FIN 46). This interpretation of Accounting Research Bulletin No. 51, "Consolidated Financial Statements, addresses consolidation by business enterprises of variable interest entities (VIEs) that either (i) do not have sufficient equity investment at risk to permit the entity to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, or (ii) are owned by equity investors who lack an essential characteristic of a controlling financial interest. This interpretation applies immediately to VIEs created after January 31, 2003. With regard to VIEs already in existence prior to February 1, 2003, the implementation of FIN 46 has been delayed and currently applies to the first fiscal year or interim period beginning after December 15, 2003. FIN 46 requires disclosure of VIEs in financial statements issued after January 31, 2003, if it is reasonably possible that as of the transition date (i) we will be the primary beneficiary of an existing VIE that will require consolidation, or (ii) we will hold a significant variable interest in, or have significant involvement with, an existing VIE. We do not believe that we have any entities that will require disclosure or new consolidation as a result of adopting the provisions of FIN 46.
In January 2003, the Emerging Issues Task Force reached consensus on Issue No. 00-21 (EITF 00-21), Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables. EITF 00-21 provides guidance on how to determine whether an arrangement involving multiple deliverables requires that such deliverables be accounted for separately. EITF 00-21 allows for prospective adoption for arrangements entered into after June 15, 2003 or adoption via a cumulative effect of a change in accounting principal. We adopted EITF 00-21 in the quarter ended June 30, 2003; however, it did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial position or results of operations.
In November 2003, the Emerging Issues Task Force reached consensus on paragraph 18 of Issue No. 03-01 (EITF 03-01), The Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and Its Application to Certain Investments. EITF 03-01 requires that certain quantitative and qualitative disclosures should be required for debt and marketable equity securities classified as available-for-sale or held-to-maturity under SFAS No. 115, Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities and SFAS No. 124, Accounting for Certain Investments Held by Not-for-Profit Organizations that are impaired at the balance sheet date but for which an other-than-temporary impairment has not been recognized. We adopted EITF 03-01 in the quarter ended December 31, 2003; however, it did not have a material impact on the disclosures in our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
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RISK FACTORS
Our business is subject to many risks and uncertainties, which may affect our future financial performance. The risks and uncertainties discussed below are not the only ones we face. There may be additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently do not believe are material that could harm our business and financial performance. If any of the events or circumstances described below occurs, our business and financial performance could be harmed and the market value of our securities could decline.
The success of our business is highly dependent on being able to predict which new videogame platforms will be successful, and on the market acceptance and timely release of those platforms.
We derive most of our revenue from the sale of products for play on proprietary videogame platforms of third parties, such as Sonys PlayStation 2. Therefore, the success of our products is driven in large part by the success of new videogame hardware systems and our ability to accurately predict which platforms will be most successful in the marketplace. We must make product development decisions and commit significant resources well in advance of the anticipated introduction of a new platform. A new platform for which we are developing products may be delayed, may not succeed or may have a shorter life cycle than anticipated. If the platforms for which we are developing products are not released when anticipated or do not attain wide market acceptance, our revenue growth will suffer.
Our platform licensors set the royalty rates and other fees that we must pay to publish games for their platforms, and therefore have significant influence on our costs. If one or more of the platform licensors adopt a different fee structure for future game consoles, our profitability may suffer.
In the next few years, we expect our platform licensors to introduce new game machines into the market. In order to publish products for a new game machine, we must take a license from the platform licensor which gives the platform licensor the opportunity to set the fee structure that we must pay in order to publish games for that platform. Similarly, the platform licensors have retained the flexibility to change their fee structures for online gameplay and features for their consoles. The control that platform licensors have over the fee structures for their future platforms and online access makes it difficult for us to predict our costs and profitability in the medium to long term. Because publishing products for videogame consoles is the largest portion of our business, any increase in fee structures would have a significant negative impact on our business model and profitability.
If we do not accurately predict the importance to consumers of online game play for different console products, our sales may be limited in the future.
Sony and Microsoft have introduced online game play for their respective PlayStation 2 and Xbox consoles. We anticipate that Nintendo will do so for its Nintendo GameCube console. We have agreed to support online game features for our Sony PlayStation 2 products but do not currently offer similar capability for our Xbox products. We currently cannot predict how important these features are (or will be) to consumers, or whether, and to what extent, our support for online game features will affect our sales of console products. For example, if consumers consider online play capability to be a must have component of games for the Xbox, our sales of products for the Xbox would decline significantly.
Our business is both seasonal and cyclical. If we fail to deliver our products at the right times, our sales will suffer.
Our business is highly seasonal, with the highest levels of consumer demand, and a significant percentage of our revenue, occurring in the December quarter. The timing of hardware platform introduction is often tied to the year-end holiday season and is not within our control. If we miss this key selling period, due to product delays or delayed introduction of a new platform for which we have developed products, our sales will suffer disproportionately. Our industry is also cyclical. Videogame platforms have historically had a life cycle of four to six years. As one group of platforms is reaching the end of its cycle and new platforms are emerging, consumers often defer game software purchases until the new platforms are available, causing sales to decline. This decline may not be offset by increased sales of products for the new platform. For example, the market for products for Sonys older PlayStation game console has declined significantly since the launch of the PlayStation 2 platform.
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Our business is intensely competitive and increasingly hit driven. If we do not continue to deliver hit products, our success will be limited.
Competition in our industry is intense, and new products are regularly introduced. During calendar year 2003, approximately 19 percent of the sales of videogames in North America consisted of only 20 hit products out of thousands published. These hit titles are increasingly expensive to produce. If our competitors develop more successful products, or if we do not continue to develop consistently high-quality products, our revenue will decline.
If we are unable to maintain or acquire licenses to intellectual property, we will publish fewer hit titles and our revenue will decline. Competition for these licenses may make them more expensive, and increase our costs.
Many of our products are based on or incorporate intellectual property owned by others. For example, our EA SPORTS products include intellectual property licenses from the major sports leagues and players associations. Similarly, many of our hit EA Games franchises, such as James Bond, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings, are based on key film and literary licenses. Competition for these licenses is intense. If we are unable to maintain these licenses and obtain additional licenses with significant commercial value, we will be unable to increase our revenue in the future. Competition for these licenses may also drive up the advances, guarantees and royalties that must be paid to the licensor, which could significantly increase our costs.
If patent claims continue to be asserted against us, we may be unable to sustain our current business models or profits.
Many patents have been issued that may apply to widely used game technologies. Additionally, infringement claims under many recently issued patents are now being asserted against Internet implementations of existing games. Several such claims have been asserted against us. Such claims can harm our business. We incur substantial expenses in evaluating and defending against such claims, regardless of the merits of the claims. In the event that there is a determination that we have infringed a third-party patent, we could incur significant monetary liability and be prevented from using the rights in the future.
Other intellectual property claims may increase our product costs or require us to cease selling affected products.
Many of our products include extremely realistic graphical images, and we expect that as technology continues to advance, images will become even more realistic. Some of the images and other content are based on real-world examples that may inadvertently infringe upon the intellectual property rights of others. Although we believe that we make reasonable efforts to ensure that our products do not violate the intellectual property rights of others, it is possible that third parties still may claim infringement. From time to time, we receive communications from third parties regarding such claims. Existing or future infringement claims against us, whether valid or not, may be time consuming and expensive to defend. Such claims or litigations could require us to stop selling the affected products, redesign those products to avoid infringement, or obtain a license, all of which would be costly and harm our business.
Our business, our products and our distribution are subject to increasing regulation in key territories of content, consumer privacy and online delivery. If we do not successfully respond to these regulations, our business may suffer.
Legislation is continually being introduced that may affect both the content of our products and their distribution. For example, privacy laws in the United States and Europe impose various restrictions on our web sites. Those rules vary by territory although the Internet recognizes no geographical boundaries. Other countries, such as Germany, have adopted laws regulating content both in packaged goods and those transmitted over the Internet that are stricter than current United States laws. In the United States, the federal and several state governments are considering content restrictions on products such as ours, as well as restrictions on distribution of such products. Any one or more of these factors could harm our business by limiting the products we are able to offer to our customers and by requiring additional differentiation between products for different territories to address varying regulations. This additional product differentiation would be costly.
If we do not consistently meet our product development schedules, we will experience fluctuations in our operating results.
Product development schedules, particularly for new hardware platforms, high-end multimedia PCs and the Internet, are difficult to predict because they involve creative processes, use of new development tools for new platforms and the learning process, research and experimentation associated with development for new technologies. We have in the past experienced development delays for several of our products. Failure to meet anticipated production or go live schedules may cause a shortfall in our revenue and profitability and cause our operating results to be materially different from expectations. Delays that prevent release of our products during peak selling seasons may reduce lifetime sales of those products.
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Technology changes rapidly in our business, and if we fail to anticipate new technologies, the quality, timeliness and competitiveness of our products will suffer.
Rapid technology changes in our industry require us to anticipate, sometimes years in advance, which technologies our products must take advantage of in order to make them competitive in the market at the time they are released. Therefore, we usually start our product development with a range of technical development goals that we hope to be able to achieve. We may not be able to achieve these goals, or our competition may be able to achieve them more quickly than we can. In either case, our products may be technologically inferior to competitive products, or less appealing to consumers, or both. If we cannot achieve our technology goals within the original development schedule of our products, then we may delay products until these technology goals can be achieved, which may delay or reduce revenue and increase our development expenses. Alternatively, we may increase the resources employed in research and development in an attempt to accelerate our development of new technologies, either to preserve our product launch schedule or to keep up with our competition, which would increase our development expenses.
If we do not continue to attract and retain key personnel, we will be unable to effectively conduct our business.
The market for technical, creative, marketing and other personnel essential to the development and marketing of our products and management of our businesses is extremely competitive. In the last fiscal year, notwithstanding the downturn of the economy generally, competitive recruiting efforts aimed at our employees and executives continued. For example, in fiscal 2003, a team of employees that developed one of our hit Medal of Honor products left the company to develop products for a competitor. Our leading position within the interactive entertainment industry makes us a prime target for recruiting of executives and key creative talent. In addition, the cost of real estate in the San Francisco Bay area the location of our headquarters and one of our largest studios remains high, and has made recruiting from other areas and relocating employees to our headquarters more difficult. If we cannot successfully recruit and retain the employees we need, our ability to develop and manage our businesses will be impaired.
Our platform licensors are our chief competitors and frequently control the manufacturing of and/or access to our videogame products. If they do not approve our products, we will be unable to ship to our customers.
Our agreements with hardware licensors (such as Sony for the PlayStation 2, Microsoft for the Xbox and Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube), who are also our chief competitors, typically give significant control to the licensor over the approval and manufacturing of our products, which could, in certain circumstances, leave us unable to get our products approved, manufactured and shipped to customers. In most events, control of the approval and manufacturing process by the platform licensors increases both our manufacturing lead times and costs as compared to those we can achieve independently. While we believe that our relationships with our hardware licensors are currently good, the potential for delay or refusal to approve or manufacture our products exists. Such occurrences would harm our business and our financial performance.
In addition, as online capabilities for videogame platforms emerge, our platform licensors will control our ability to provide online game capabilities for our console platform products and will in large part establish the financial terms on which these services are offered to consumers. Currently, both Microsoft and Sony provide online capabilities for Xbox and PlayStation 2 products, respectively. In each case, compatibility code and the consent of the licensor are required for us to include online capabilities in our products. In addition, the business model for Microsofts and Sonys online businesses for their videogame products may compete with our online business. As these capabilities become more significant, the failure or refusal of our licensors to approve our products, or the successful deployment by these licensors of services competitive to ours, may harm our business.
Our international net revenue is subject to currency fluctuations.
For the nine months ended December 31, 2003, international net revenue comprised 44 percent of our total consolidated net revenue. For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003, international net revenue comprised 42 percent of our total consolidated net revenue. We expect foreign sales to continue to account for a significant and growing portion of our revenue. Such sales are subject to unexpected regulatory requirements, tariffs and other barriers. Additionally, foreign sales are primarily made in local currencies, which may fluctuate against the dollar. While we utilize foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge foreign currency exposures of underlying assets and liabilities, primarily certain intercompany receivables that are denominated in foreign currencies, and foreign currency option contracts to hedge foreign currency forecasted transactions, primarily related to
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revenue generated by our foreign subsidiaries, our results of operations and financial condition may, nonetheless, be adversely affected by foreign currency fluctuations.
Our reported financial results could be affected if significant changes in current accounting principles are adopted.
Recent actions and public comments from the SEC have focused on the integrity of financial reporting generally. Similarly, Congress has considered a variety of bills that could affect certain accounting principles. The FASB and other regulatory accounting agencies have recently introduced several new or proposed accounting standards, such as accounting for stock options, some of which represent a significant change from current practices. Changes in our accounting for stock options could materially increase our reported expenses.
Our stock price has been volatile and may continue to fluctuate significantly.
As a result of the factors discussed in this report and other factors that may arise in the future, the market price of our common stock historically has been, and we expect will continue to be, subject to significant fluctuations. These fluctuations may be due to factors specific to us, to changes in analysts earnings estimates, or to factors affecting the computer, software, Internet, entertainment, media or electronics businesses.
The majority of our sales are made to a relatively small number of key customers. If these customers reduce their purchases of our products or become unable to pay for them, our business could be harmed.
In the U.S. in fiscal 2003, over 66 percent of our sales were made to six key customers. In Europe, our top ten customers accounted for over 40 percent of our sales in that territory in fiscal 2003. Worldwide, we had sales to one customer, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., which represented 12 percent of net revenue in fiscal 2003. Though our products are available to consumers through a variety of retailers, the concentration of our sales in one, or a few, large customers could lead to short-term disruption in our sales if one or more of these customers significantly reduced their purchases or ceased to carry our products, and could make us more vulnerable to collection risk if one or more of these large customers became unable to pay for our products. Additionally, our receivables from these large customers increase significantly in the last quarter of the calendar year as they stock up for the holiday selling season. Also, having such a large portion of our net revenue concentrated in a few customers reduces our negotiating leverage with these customers.
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
MARKET RISK
We are exposed to various market risks, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. Market risk is the potential loss arising from changes in market rates and prices. Foreign exchange and option contracts used to hedge foreign currency exposures and short-term investments are subject to market risk. We do not consider our cash and cash equivalents to be subject to interest rate risk due to their short maturities. We do not enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk
We utilize foreign exchange contracts to hedge foreign currency exposures of
underlying assets and liabilities, primarily certain intercompany receivables
that are denominated in foreign currencies, thereby limiting our risk. Our
foreign exchange contracts are accounted for as derivatives whereby the gains
and losses on these contracts are reflected in the Condensed Consolidated
Statements of Operations. Gains and losses on open contracts at the end of
each accounting period resulting from changes in the forward rate are
recognized in earnings and are designed to offset gains and losses on the
underlying foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities. As of December
31, 2003, we had foreign exchange contracts, all with maturities of less than
one month, to sell approximately $635.1 million in foreign currencies,
consisting primarily of British Pounds, Euros, Swedish Krona, and Danish Krone.
Of this amount, $554.8 million represents contracts to sell foreign currency in
exchange for U.S. dollars and $80.3 million represents contracts to sell
foreign currency in exchange for British Pounds.
From time-to-time, we hedge our foreign currency risk related to forecasted sales transactions by purchasing option contracts that generally have maturities of one year or less. If qualified, these transactions are designated as cash flow hedges. For the three and nine months ended December 31, 2003, we recognized a loss of $1.9 million.
The counterparties to these contracts and options are substantial and creditworthy multinational commercial banks. The risks of counterparty nonperformance associated with these contracts and options are not considered to be material. Notwithstanding our efforts to manage foreign exchange risks, there can be no assurances that our hedging activities will adequately protect us against the risks associated with foreign currency fluctuations.
The following table provides information about our foreign currency forward exchange and option contracts as of December 31, 2003. The information is provided in U.S. dollar equivalents and presents the notional amount (forward or option amount), the weighted average contractual foreign currency exchange rates and fair value. Fair value represents the difference in value of the contracts at the spot rate and the forward or option rate.
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Weighted | |||||||||||||
Notional | Average | ||||||||||||
(In thousands, except contract rates) | Amount | Contract Rate | Fair Value | ||||||||||
Foreign currency to be sold under contract: |
|||||||||||||
British Pound |
$ | 267,817 | 1.7504 | $ | (1,310 | ) | |||||||
Euro |
254,280 | 1.2314 | (1,777 | ) | |||||||||
Swedish Krona |
36,457 | 0.1371 | 195 | ||||||||||
Danish Krone |
19,020 | 0.1668 | (1 | ) | |||||||||
Norwegian Krone |
16,499 | 0.1514 | 295 | ||||||||||
Japanese Yen |
15,322 | 0.0093 | 7 | ||||||||||
Australian Dollar |
14,816 | 0.7408 | 164 | ||||||||||
Swiss Franc |
6,361 | 0.7952 | (14 | ) | |||||||||
South African Rand |
4,534 | 0.1563 | 379 | ||||||||||
Total |
$ | 635,106 | $ | (2,062 | ) | ||||||||
Foreign currency to be purchased under contract: |
|||||||||||||
British Pound |
$ | 80,330 | 1.7630 | $ | 924 | ||||||||
Option contracts purchased
Euro |
$ | 93,064 | 1.2409 | $ | 464 | ||||||||
While the contract amounts provide one measurement of the volume of these transactions, they do not represent the amount of our exposure to credit risk. As these contracts can be settled on a net basis at our option, the amounts (arising from the possible inabilities of counterparties to meet the terms of their contracts) are generally limited to the amounts, if any, by which the counterparties obligations exceed our obligations. We control credit risk through credit approvals, limits and monitoring procedures.
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Interest Rate Risk
Our exposure to market rate risk for changes in interest rates relates
primarily to our investment portfolio. We do not use derivative financial
instruments in our investment portfolio. We manage our interest rate risk by
maintaining an investment portfolio primarily consisting of debt instruments of
high credit quality and relatively short average maturities. Though we maintain
sufficient cash and cash equivalent balances such that we are typically able to
hold our investments to maturity, currently, the majority of our short-term
investments are callable by the issuer. As there can be no assurance as to how
long these investments will be held, classification of these securities as
short-term investments is based on call date.
As of December 31, 2003, our cash equivalents and short-term investments included $1.5 billion of debt securities, consisting primarily of government agency bonds and money market funds. Notwithstanding our efforts to manage interest rate risks, there can be no assurances that we will be adequately protected against the risks associated with interest rate fluctuations.
The table below presents the amounts (in thousands) and related weighted average interest rates of our investment portfolio as of December 31, 2003:
Average | |||||||||||||
Interest Rate | Cost | Fair Value | |||||||||||
Cash equivalents |
|||||||||||||
Fixed rate |
1.22 | % | $ | 44,600 | $ | 44,600 | |||||||
Variable rate |
1.00 | % | $ | 284,307 | $ | 284,307 | |||||||
Short-term investments |
|||||||||||||
Fixed rate |
2.05 | % | $ | 963,814 | $ | 962,742 | |||||||
Fixed-step rate |
1.53 | % | $ | 85,000 | $ | 83,958 | |||||||
Variable rate |
1.52 | % | $ | 205,000 | $ | 204,959 |
Maturity dates for short-term investments range from 5 months to 32 months, with call dates ranging from 1 month to 12 months.
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Item 4. Controls and Procedures
DEFINITION AND LIMITATIONS OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS
Our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) are controls and other procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Exchange Act, such as this report, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SECs rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures are also designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Our management evaluates these controls and procedures on an ongoing basis.
There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures. These limitations include the possibility of human error, the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures and reasonable resource constraints. In addition, because we have designed our system of controls based on certain assumptions, which we believe are reasonable, about the likelihood of future events, our system of controls may not achieve its desired purpose under all possible future conditions. Accordingly, our disclosure controls and procedures provide reasonable assurance, but not absolute assurance, of achieving their objectives.
EVALUATION OF DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, after evaluating the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures, believe that as of the end of the period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective in providing the requisite reasonable assurance that material information required to be disclosed in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SECs rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding the required disclosure.
CHANGES IN INTERNAL CONTROLS
During our last fiscal quarter, no change occurred in our internal control over financial reporting that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. However, over the past year, in response to the certification requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and new SEC Regulations, we have enhanced our internal controls and disclosure systems, through various measures including: detailing certain internal accounting policies; establishing a formal disclosure committee for the preparation of all periodic SEC reports; establishing a formal internal audit function; and requiring certifications from various trial balance controllers and other financial personnel responsible for our financial statements.
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PART II OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. | Legal Proceedings |
We are subject to pending claims and litigation. Our management, after review and consultation with counsel, considers that any liability from the disposition of such lawsuits, individually or in the aggregate would not have a material adverse effect upon our consolidated financial position or results of operations. |
Item 6. | Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K |
(a) | The following exhibits, other than exhibits 32.1 and 32.2, are filed as part of this report: |
Exhibit | ||
Number | Title | |
3.02 | Amended and Restated Bylaws. | |
10.33 | Amending Agreement among Ontrea Inc. (the Landlord), Electronic Arts (Canada), Inc. (the Tenant), and Electronic Arts Inc. (the Indemnifier), dated October 30, 2003. | |
31.1 | Certification of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
31.2 | Certification of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
Additional exhibits furnished with this report: | ||
32.1 | Certification of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
32.2 | Certification of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
(b) | Reports on Form 8-K: |
On October 22, 2003, we filed a current report on Form 8-K relating to the announcement of our financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2003 and a two-for-one stock split of our Class A common stock. |
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SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
ELECTRONIC ARTS INC. | ||
(Registrant) | ||
/s/ Warren C. Jenson | ||
|
||
DATED: | WARREN C. JENSON | |
February 10, 2004 | Executive Vice President, | |
Chief Financial and Administrative Officer |
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ELECTRONIC ARTS INC.
FORM 10-Q
FOR THE PERIOD ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2003
EXHIBIT INDEX
EXHIBIT | ||
NUMBER | EXHIBIT TITLE | |
3.02 | Amended and Restated Bylaws. | |
10.33 | Amending Agreement among Ontrea Inc. (the Landlord), Electronic Arts (Canada), Inc. (the Tenant), and Electronic Arts Inc. (the Indemnifier), dated October 30, 2003. | |
31.1 | Certification of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
31.2 | Certification of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) of the Exchange Act, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
Additional exhibits furnished with this report: | ||
32.1 | Certification of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. | |
32.2 | Certification of Executive Vice President, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(b) of the Exchange Act and 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. |
49