More than 70 million players have jumped into Apex Legends since its launch on February 4th.

In its earnings report, publisher Electronic Arts revealed that not only has the battle royale shooter - which had the biggest release month for any free-to-play game - seen impressive numbers, but the average monthly player count for The Sims 4 has increased more than 40 per cent year-on-year.

Both the FIFA and Madden Ultimate teams saw an increase of unique players, achieving 22 per cent and 19 per cent year-on-year respectively.

The publishing giant has confirmed that its titles will return to Steam, following rising speculations last week.

“It was an excellent second quarter for Electronic Arts. Our new EA Sports titles are thrilling core fans and bringing in new players, and our ongoing live services are growing with deeply-engaged communities,” said Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson.

“With new games like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Need for Speed, Plants vs. Zombies and more great content across our top franchises, we’re set to deliver a lot of fun and excitement to players this holiday season, and continue our momentum in this fiscal year.”

EA COO and CFO Blake Jorgensen continued: “The strong results this quarter illustrate the power of our live services and our core franchises. Strength in Ultimate Team, The Sims 4 and FIFA Online drove live services performance above our expectations.

“Looking ahead, we are doubling down on live services combined with our core franchises. We’re investing in games that people play for longer and engage with much more deeply. This focus will continue to drive growth and profitability for the company through the remainder of this year and beyond.”