Eidos announces release schedule and console platform update for TR Underworld

tombnews · 10-01-08, 19:09

TOMB RAIDER UNDERWORLD ANNOUNCED DURING TRADING STATEMENT
Copyright 2008 Eidos plc Press Release

[ January 10th 2008 ]

On 27 September 2007 the Company announced that it was in discussions with a number of interested parties with respect to a potential offer. Discussions have been ongoing since that announcement with various interested parties but the Company has not received a formal offer within the timeframe requested.

The Company is announcing today that the Board no longer believes that a sale of the Company for its full value is likely to be achieved at the current time and has reached the view that it is not in the Company's or its Shareholders' interests to prolong these discussions further and therefore offer related
discussions have been terminated today. However, as a result of these discussions certain commercial and strategic opportunities have emerged which
the Company is continuing to explore and progress.

Following a review of our 2008 platform and product line up, we have decided to move the release date of 4 titles into the 4th calendar quarter. The most
significant of these titles is the next Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Underworld, which we are now scheduling to launch on 6 platforms (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, NDS, Wii and PS2) simultaneously during the Christmas season as opposed to the previously planned 3 platforms (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) in June.

As a result of these changes the Board now expects that the Company will make an operating loss in FY08, but the Board believes that these simultaneous multi-platform launches in the key buying period, optimises the value that these franchises can deliver to the Company over the long term.

The product slate for the remainder of FY08 comprises 10 titles over 17 platforms including Conflict: Denied Ops and products targeting the growing
casual market on NDS and Wii platforms, such as the first in our Warner Bros line-up (including Looney Tunes and Wacky Races) and the next instalment of the highly successful Pony Friends game.

As part of the decision to make these changes to the platform and release schedule, the Company has reviewed the impact this may have on its working
capital needs and has identified sources of additional working capital which may be required.

The Board is pleased with the Company's Christmas trading results and in particular the performance of Kane and Lynch, which was launched on 13 November
in the US and 23 November in Europe. Indications are that this title has now sold through over 1 million units at retail since launch. We anticipate a
positive sales trend to continue through the remainder of FY08 and for Kane and Lynch to firmly establish itself as another key franchise for the Group. As a
guide to the success of this game, sales-to-date in the comparable period have now exceeded those of the highly acclaimed and successful title Hitman: Blood Money.

Pony Friends, first launched in May 2007, has also continued to perform well with life-to-date sell through now exceeding 600,000 units on NDS alone.

Tomb Raider: Anniversary on Wii was launched into the Christmas market and has also performed well with reorders already made.

Please visit our Tomb Raider Underworld microsite for more info, and thank you to Daniel from Tomb News for the early delivery.

amiro1989 · 10-01-08, 19:11

Meaning today?

Thanks for the article

Evan C. · 10-01-08, 19:12

Thanks

kill bill · 10-01-08, 19:12

PS2? DS? why not psp. Anyway woohoo for wii!,xbox-360 and pc.

ajrich17901 · 10-01-08, 19:13

Yes Ps2!!!!!!!!!!! I Can Play It Hahaha

Carbonek_0051 · 10-01-08, 19:13

Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

I Want It In June!!!!!!!

Tomb Raider Master · 10-01-08, 19:14

Thanks for the news.

TombRaiderLover · 10-01-08, 19:14

How can they port a next-gen game to the PS2?

There'll be serious downgrading.

amiro1989 · 10-01-08, 19:14

I just noticed that it will come out for PS2. GOSH! I hope they didn't build those level based on the PS2...

ThomasCroft · 10-01-08, 19:15

Yeah ... really looks like Underworld will be a fully next-gen game right ... ? Pushing game limitations to the max right ... ?

Whatever.

Disappointing. Very disappointing.

Oh, and predictable.

10-01-08, 19:09	#1
tombnews Hobbyist Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Deventer, Netherlands Posts: 73	Eidos announces release schedule and console platform update for TR Underworld TOMB RAIDER UNDERWORLD ANNOUNCED DURING TRADING STATEMENT Copyright 2008 Eidos plc Press Release [ January 10th 2008 ] On 27 September 2007 the Company announced that it was in discussions with a number of interested parties with respect to a potential offer. Discussions have been ongoing since that announcement with various interested parties but the Company has not received a formal offer within the timeframe requested. The Company is announcing today that the Board no longer believes that a sale of the Company for its full value is likely to be achieved at the current time and has reached the view that it is not in the Company's or its Shareholders' interests to prolong these discussions further and therefore offer related discussions have been terminated today. However, as a result of these discussions certain commercial and strategic opportunities have emerged which the Company is continuing to explore and progress. Following a review of our 2008 platform and product line up, we have decided to move the release date of 4 titles into the 4th calendar quarter. The most significant of these titles is the next Tomb Raider game, Tomb Raider: Underworld, which we are now scheduling to launch on 6 platforms (PC, PS3, Xbox 360, NDS, Wii and PS2) simultaneously during the Christmas season as opposed to the previously planned 3 platforms (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360) in June. As a result of these changes the Board now expects that the Company will make an operating loss in FY08, but the Board believes that these simultaneous multi-platform launches in the key buying period, optimises the value that these franchises can deliver to the Company over the long term. The product slate for the remainder of FY08 comprises 10 titles over 17 platforms including Conflict: Denied Ops and products targeting the growing casual market on NDS and Wii platforms, such as the first in our Warner Bros line-up (including Looney Tunes and Wacky Races) and the next instalment of the highly successful Pony Friends game. As part of the decision to make these changes to the platform and release schedule, the Company has reviewed the impact this may have on its working capital needs and has identified sources of additional working capital which may be required. The Board is pleased with the Company's Christmas trading results and in particular the performance of Kane and Lynch, which was launched on 13 November in the US and 23 November in Europe. Indications are that this title has now sold through over 1 million units at retail since launch. We anticipate a positive sales trend to continue through the remainder of FY08 and for Kane and Lynch to firmly establish itself as another key franchise for the Group. As a guide to the success of this game, sales-to-date in the comparable period have now exceeded those of the highly acclaimed and successful title Hitman: Blood Money. Pony Friends, first launched in May 2007, has also continued to perform well with life-to-date sell through now exceeding 600,000 units on NDS alone. Tomb Raider: Anniversary on Wii was launched into the Christmas market and has also performed well with reorders already made. Please visit our Tomb Raider Underworld microsite for more info, and thank you to Daniel from Tomb News for the early delivery. Last edited by tlr online; 10-01-08 at 19:44. Reason: Added Full Press Release

10-01-08, 19:12	#3
Evan C. Professor Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Buenos Aires;Argentina. Posts: 4,503	Thanks __________________ "Easy comes,easy goes..."

10-01-08, 19:13	#5
ajrich17901 Tomb Raider Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: USA Posts: 11,935	Yes Ps2!!!!!!!!!!! I Can Play It Hahaha __________________ PSN = trfanatic17901 - XBL = XxCRASHXx17

10-01-08, 19:13	#6
Carbonek_0051 Legend Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Station of Awakening Posts: 34,578	Noooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! I Want It In June!!!!!!! __________________ So many are still waiting for their new beginning, their birth by sleep.

10-01-08, 19:14	#8
TombRaiderLover Tomb Raider Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Shropshire, England Gender: Male Posts: 13,638	How can they port a next-gen game to the PS2? There'll be serious downgrading. __________________ "More Human Than Human" is our motto.

10-01-08, 19:11	#2
amiro1989 Relic Hunter Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Montreal, Quebec Posts: 6,333	Meaning today? Thanks for the article

10-01-08, 19:12	#4
kill bill Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Laras Legend Manor. Posts: 5,977	PS2? DS? why not psp. Anyway woohoo for wii!,xbox-360 and pc.

10-01-08, 19:14	#7
Tomb Raider Master Tomb Raider Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Croatia Posts: 20,980	Thanks for the news.

10-01-08, 19:15	#10
ThomasCroft Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: England, Croydon Posts: 2,142	Yeah ... really looks like Underworld will be a fully next-gen game right ... ? Pushing game limitations to the max right ... ? Whatever. Disappointing. Very disappointing. Oh, and predictable.