SCi Reports Beats Forecasts After Eidos Acquisition

Representatives from British publisher and developer SCi, owners of Eidos Interactive, have revealed details of the company’s full year financial details, in which it enjoyed extremely positive results despite the costs involved in the Eidos acquisition. SCi’s core earnings totaled £28.8 million ($54.4m), in the year ending June 30th, 25 percent higher than expected. The company also saw revenues of £179.1 million ($338.7m), which were 7 percent above expectations, and a pre-tax profit of £8.1 million ($15.3m). CEO Jane Cavanagh commented, "Both revenues and earnings were higher than in the previous financial period because of our acquisition and integration of Eidos. Our strong level of revenues has given us nearly 5 percent share of the UK market in 2006, which compares favorably to companies such as Sony and Nintendo with a 6 percent market share.” The company’s most successful title during the year was Tomb Raider Legend on PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PC and PSP, which shipped over 2.9 million units in total. The game’s performance was higher than forecast and made the game the best selling new release in the UK so far this year. Hitman: Blood Money and distribution revenue from Lego Star Wars also contributions to the positive financial results. When discussing future products Cavanagh confirmed that versions of Tomb Raider Legend on GameCube, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance would be released during the 2007 financial year. Other new titles planned for the second half of the next financial year include a tenth anniversary edition of the original Tomb Raider and the latest yearly update to soccer management title Championship Manager. 2008 products include a sequel to Tomb Raider Legend, including a version for the PlayStation 3, and many other “key franchises.” The company also plans to see new franchises from developer Crystal Dynamics (Tomb Raider Legend) and Io Interactive (Hitman).