Battlefield delay fears caused EA’s share price to drop 7 percent

Electronic Arts shares dropped and then later recovered on Wednesday after Battlefield 2042’s delay wasn’t as bad as initially feared.

EA shares initially fell following fears around early reports that Battlefield 2042 was set to be delayed, with multiple sources claiming that the shooter was due to slip.

The claims seemingly caused EA shares to drop as much as 7% to an intraday low of $135.84 on Wednesday, according to Market Watch.

The timing of the dip was significant enough for VentureBeat journalist Jeff Grubb – who first reported the delay – to make clear that none of the company’s staff are allowed to own stock for any company they cover.

However, later on Wednesday when EA officially announced the delay and confirmed that it wasn’t as bad as first expected – just a one month slip to November – its shares rebounded 3% immediately following the publication of the news.

At the time of publishing, the company’s shares haven’t quite recovered to the level of the day prior, but clearly, the market is less concerned than it was when Battlefield looked like it could well slip into 2022.

EA said on Wednesday it had decided to push back 2042’s release by a month because of “unforeseen challenges” for the game’s development team.

DICE studio GM Oskar Gabrielson said: “Building the next generation of Battlefield during a global pandemic has created unforeseen challenges for our development teams. Given the scale and scope of the game, we had hoped our teams would be back in our studios together as we move towards launch.

“With the ongoing conditions not allowing that to happen safely, and with all the hard work the teams are doing from home, we feel it is important to take the extra time to deliver on the vision of Battlefield 2042 for our players. Your enthusiasm for the game has been very inspiring. We believe in the game we’re making, and we thank you for your patience as we put some finishing touches into the experience.”

Updates on the open beta will be coming later this month, EA said.

Multiple sources had claimed on Wednesday that the shooter was due to slip. With just a month until its official release, EA still hadn’t confirmed specific plans for a promised Battlefield 2042 beta test, or detailed the shooter’s third major game mode.

The standard edition of Battlefield 2042 was previously due to release on October 22. However, players who choose to pre-order the Battlefield 2042 Gold Edition were set to receive early access to the game beginning on October 15.