NEWS CORP NOT GAME FOR EIDOS BUYOUT
Copyright 2005 www.tombraiderchronicles.com

[ February 26th 2005 ]

London publisher Eidos and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp have both dismissed claims the video-game company was the target of a potential takeover as reported by Games Industry earlier this week. A source within the News Corp empire said: "We're not even in talks with them, so we'd be struggling to be about to buy them. It's weird; there's someone internally saying, 'Oh, it's happening next week,' so I'd love to know if that person has bought the stock then watched it go up after leaking the rumour. That's the situation. Eidos may be on the verge of being sold, but not to us."

Eidos has become an item of choice for potential corporate buyers in recent months, with most major publishers being tied to acquisition talks with the company. In January, Europe's third-largest video games publisher Ubisoft said it had not ruling out buying British rival Eidos as part of its defence options against a potential takeover by Electronics Arts. "We are still interested in this company (Eidos). Short-term we are (more focused on) analysing how to organise in the face of recent events rather than on buying Eidos," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Yves Guillemot confirmed. "That said, this is a defence option we have not yet ruled out," he added.

Eidos confirmed its intention of seeking a buyer during the company's AGM in November 2004. "Eidos remains committed to a sale of the Company in the best interests of its shareholders and will continue to pursue the discussions still under way with a view to securing an offer as soon as possible." concludes Eidos' post-AGM statement.