DLC in games can be a range of things, from new maps for that latest first person shooter to new car skins for a racing simulator or even actual full games.

 

According to Gamespot, EA CFO Eric Brown, speaking at UBS's 38th Annual Media and Communications Conference today, commented on the growing role of digital sales in the gaming business. During this fiscal year alone, EA is expecting to earn as much as 20% of its revenue through downloadable content, as much as $750 million.

 

Brown noted a particularly successful example in the FIFA games' Ultimate Team mode. This mode has players construct fantasy teams through trading cards that allows players to add certain stars to their team for a limited number of games. These cards can be earned through normal gameplay, but they can be purchased much quicker through DLC.

 

“We see people spending $500, $600, $700 on digital card packs to play Ultimate Team simulation mode,” Brown told investors. The mode has been available in FIFA titles since FIFA 09, and last year's FIFA 10 brought in roughly $30 million for the company. No stats on FIFA 11 numbers have been released yet.

 

Full game downloads have seen a similar rise in demand, with EA expecting to earn $90 million to $100 million from PC full-game downloads this year. Battlefield 1943, a stand-alone title for Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, has also earned about $16 million in revenue and sported a development cost in the single-digit millions.