MILLIONAIRE GAMES
LOSE THEIR APPEAL
Copyright 2001 www.guardian.com
[ December 12th 2001 ]
Eidos,
the computer games maker, has confirmed the popularity
of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? is on the wane
as it revealed sales of its version of the hit
show were disappointing. The news comes a day
after Avesco, which co-owns the worldwide rights
to the quiz format, warned the show had lost its
lustre. Eidos said its PlayStation and PC versions
of the Chris Tarrant quiz failed to take off,
contributing to a major slump in sales.
Avesco
said the show's problems stemmed from the US market,
where audience sensitivities changed following
the September 11 attacks. But the news from Eidos
indicates Millionaire is also suffering in the
UK market. In its interim results statement, Eidos
said new editions of its Millionaire games had
failed to match last year's bumper sales.
"The
various new versions of Millionaire failed to
achieve the levels originally anticipated," Eidos
said. The company added total revenues for the
first half of the year had slumped 42% to £31m.
"We released fewer new titles in the period, compared
with the previous year. Some of these performed
below expectations, leading to a reduction in
turnover compared with the same period last year,"
said Mike McGarvey, the chief executive of London
based Eidos Interactive.
But
Eidos reported a reduced operating loss of £19.6m
- against £20.5m in the same period last year
- as it kept a tight lid on costs. The company
has been hit by a series of profit warnings and
executive resignations over the past 18 months,
but it is expected to receive a massive revenue
boost over Christmas.
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