Infogrames: 'We want to stop losing money'

By Emma Boyes, GameSpot UKPosted Apr 11, 2008 9:49 am PT

CEO David Gardner believes that upcoming horror title Alone in the Dark will save the cash-hemorrhaging company.

Infogrames CEO David Gardner is optimistic. Today, the newly appointed executive told Reuters that the Atari parent--which hasn't posted an annual profit since 1999--will see a financial turnaround thanks to its remake of Alone in the Dark.

Set for a June 20 release in Europe and a June 24 ship in North America, Alone in the Dark sees the return of series protagonist Edward Carnby. This time around, he is tasked with getting to the bottom of a series of supernatural phenomena occurring in New York City's Central Park that are tearing the metropolis apart.

Despite Uwe Boll's critically lambasted film version, Gardner believes in the fan base of the Alone in the Dark series, which began in 1992 on the PC. He predicts the latest game will sell 2 to 3 million copies during Infogrames' current fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2009. Developed by Eden Games on the PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3, and by Hydravision Entertainment on the PlayStation 2 and Wii, the newest Alone in the Dark is the fifth installment in the survival-horror franchise.

As for his overall strategy for Infogrames, Gardner told Reuters, "We want to stop losing money... This management team's number one goal is to get a business plan together that gets us to a break-even level." The executive didn't have a timetable as to when the France-based firm would become financially solvent.

133 Comments

  • konradak

    Posted Apr 11, 2008 9:56 am PT

    I hope they do, the game looks AMAZING and it's always sad to see people lose their jobs.

  • megatroll2590

    Posted Jun 23, 2008 10:52 pm PT

    i have to agree the fanbase is strong we were hoping and praying that infogrames would make more alone in the dark games despite uwe bowel (i know how to spell his name but since in my opinion his movies are crap thats how im spelling it) ruined the concept of alone in the dark 4 then had the gall to blame it on tera reid. now that they are making it and its released the night i get my pay check a chunk of it might just go to buying my copy of it i mean the game version of alone in the dark 4 compared to the movie knock off of it rocks i mean the concepts in the movie were from the game and they changed it all to make it cheesey scifi instead of even remotely believable. the puzzles were challenging but not too much. so with this release i hope to see more infograme releases to come.

  • rumtumtugger

    Posted May 26, 2008 4:53 am PT

    I want to stop losing money too, come to think about it.

  • rumtumtugger

    Posted May 26, 2008 4:44 am PT

    I want to stop losing money too, come to think about it.

  • uk_beny

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 8:11 am PT

    i probley will get this game and im not sure but looking at the amount of preorders at my local game store im sure itll sell a fair amount

  • taurian0205

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 1:53 am PT

    im buying the game, this is their last chance to flip so i dont want to see a promising flop, whos with me? JAGUAR! JAGUAR! JAGUAR!

  • i_got_you60

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 5:47 am PT

    well alone in the dark 5 looks good iam sure it will do good on the sales chart it will be sad to see infogrames go down if it doesnt

  • xcr33px

    Posted Apr 15, 2008 5:45 pm PT

    I agree with konradak,
    its sad seeing people put in so much work for a total game failure, but this game looks great so far!
    i'ma deff pick up a copy of this

  • DrDoom007

    Posted Apr 15, 2008 9:40 am PT

    "He predicts the latest game will sell 2 to 3 million copies during Infogrames' current fiscal year"

    That's a very bold statement, I do hope that Infogrames manage to meet and beat that estimate.

    I loved the original Alone in the Dark series, as the first created the survival horror genre as we know it today, I do hope that the new one to be a very good horror game, as the title was back in the 92 instead of a dumbed down action game, such as Alone in the Dark 2, 3 and 4

  • normsta

    Posted Apr 15, 2008 7:48 am PT

    Ohhh so they want to start making money... OH! I GOT IT! make good games.

  • drangel_jam

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 6:07 pm PT

    I hope this game turns out great with fewer bugs as possible.

    I love the premise and the trailers, can't wait for the demo; but I'm skeptical about the frame rate.

  • luc11044

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 2:52 pm PT

    I would love for Alone in the Dark to be a smash hit in order to help turn this company around. So far, from everything I've seen, it looks pretty darn good. Let's cross our fingers.

  • fgjnfgh

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 1:58 pm PT

    2 to 3 million copies will be sold said by Atari. Uh I hate optimistic people sometimes. I'll buy it since I buy every shooter game but It's not that big hit

  • gbrading Site moderator

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 12:59 pm PT

    I'm not surprised Infogrames doesn't want to stop loosing money. Maybe Alone in the Dark will save them, but I'm not entirely sure.

  • Phazevariance

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 11:38 am PT

    make good/fun and unique games, then get $$$ thats how it works. They could always make a GTA like game to compete, and if good, it will make them some $$ but uniquness and quality is what really drives game sales

  • Rect_Pola

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 6:30 am PT

    That's a fine to want

  • markharris31

    Posted Apr 14, 2008 5:09 am PT

    When did Infogrames appoint Captain Obvious as CEO? What a brilliant business mind! Stop losing money? Who would ever have thought of that!?!?

  • pourya_ahmadian

    Posted Apr 13, 2008 11:36 pm PT

    my best game ar 15 years ago was ALONE IN DARK;abd the INFO brand was so holly but they kick themselves out of roof;
    they must creat new way;

  • aramitz

    Posted Apr 13, 2008 6:22 pm PT

    As a fan of the original games I wish they'd call the protaganist something else. The original trilogy was sequential and it doesn't make any sense having another young Edward Carnby about 70 years on from the old one.
    Not a huge deal in the big scheme of things I know. Still if they're going to try and revive an old franchise then at least do it right for the original fans and not just the kids who think this is all brand new territory.

  • Sins-of-Mosin

    Posted Apr 13, 2008 5:01 pm PT

    They could always throw the white flag and let someone else do the work for them.

Alone in the Dark Quick Links

Summary | Reviews | News | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum | Check Prices

advertisement
advertisement
Click Here
Alone in the Dark Boxshot Enlarge the boxshot
Alone in the Dark

Game Stats

Full Game Details »Close
Also on

Games you may like…

Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.

See More Similar Games