GAME HINT TAKES EIDOS TO NEW LEVEL
Copyright 2003 www.tombraiderchronicles.com

[ June 11th 2003 ]

Rumours that Eidos will release Republic, its long-awaited strategy game, before the end of this month enabled the software publisher to reverse the recent slide in its shares. Most attention on Eidos has recently focused on the prospects for the new Lara Croft title, Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, which finally goes on sale next Friday. But Republic proved the talking point yesterday of industry gossip that the title will be released on June 27.

Eidos failed to mention the game at last month’s E3 exhibition in Los Angeles, when it gave an update on its release schedule, prompting analysts to assume that it would slip into the company’s next financial year, which starts in July. However, a June 27 release would enable Eidos to book the revenues in its current financial year, which would have a material effect on forecasts. Peter Read at Evolution Beeson Gregory expects sales of 300,000 units, prompting him to upgrade his pre-tax profit forecast by £3 million to £15 million and bringing him into the middle of the forecast range. Eidos rose 10p at 154½p, with the FTSE 250 up 15.0 points at 4,997.6p.