SCi revs up almost $50m

More battleship sinking is on the way, according to the latest financial report from SCi Entertainment, parent company of Eidos Interactive. The real-time strategy game set during World War II was released on the Xbox 360 and the PC in February this year and entered the UK all-formats chart at number one. CEO Jane Cavanagh confirmed, "We are continuing to build this franchise and have a sequel in development."

Other titles currently in development from the company include Kane & Lynch: Dead Men, Crossfire: Search and Destroy, and Highlander. The company is scheduling 11 new published products for the financial year 2007, along with its first casual game releases. These casual titles include Diner Dash, Cubis 2, and Jewel Quest. Licensing deals with Warner Bros. have also been entered into, including games based on Batman, Looney Tunes, and the Hanna-Barbera catalogue.

Cavanagh believes that all three next-gen platforms are going to be successful, although the company is holding off timewise on releasing games for the PlayStation 3. Cavanagh explained, "As we do not believe that the installed base will be high enough until the second half of our 2008 financial year, most of our major product releases on the PlayStation 3 platform are not scheduled for release before that date." The company has already released "a number of" products for the 360, and its first Wii title will arrive in "spring 2007."

The company also reported its financial results, with revenue up £24.4 million ($47.9 million) to £74.5 million ($146.3 million) in the sixth months to December 31, 2006, as compared to the same period in 2005. Operation losses were also down £2 million ($3.9 million), from £19.9 million ($39 million) in the last period to £17.9 million ($35.1 million) in the second half of 2006.

The company also confirmed its acquisition of Bluefish Media, an online distribution company, earlier this week.