Big Pre-tax Profit for SCi and Eidos

When SCi motioned to take control of Eidos Interactive last year, the folks behind the move must have known they were onto a good thing. Tomb Raider was an ongoing concern, having been handed to Crystal Dynamics for development, and a new Hitman game was in the pipeline. Along with new iterations in the Championship Manager and Conflict series, all were destined to some degree of success.

Well, things have gone better than surely anyone expected for the company over this last financial year, up to 30 June 2006, with the revelation today that SCi has boosted its coffers considerably. Looking back at this time last year, the company posted revenue of £18 millon. Twelve months on, and the figure is a staggering £179.1 million, making for a pre-tax profit of £8.1 million. Looks like that £71 million spent on Eidos by SCi was well worth it.

Jane Cavanagh, SCi’s chief executive said, “SCi’s results for the 2006 financial year demonstrate the success of the Eidos acquisition. In twelve months, through strong management action, we have made it profitable, reversing its previous losses. We have successfully re-launched key brands and built a comprehensive and high-quality product portfolio to underpin future profitable growth. SCi is financially robust and ideally positioned to take advantage of the growth in next generation consoles and the growing demand for mobile and on-line content.”

If you were looking forward to seeing SCi/Eidos games on your shiny new PS3 come November and March, you're in for a bit of a wait. SCi's finance director Rob Murphy told investment website Citywire there would be "no new PS3 games until 2008." However, with the upcoming Kane & Lynch and big hits Just Cause and Reservoir Dogs continuing the success story into the new financial year on existing platforms, it’s looking like blue ‘Sci’s’ all the way (oh dear! – Pun Monitor Ed.)