14 DAY TRIAL // With games like Tomb Raider and Hitman in their vault, people could consider SCi a real moneymaker - but that would be totally wrong. Even though the franchise featuring Lara Croft has been resuscitated with Legend and things seemed to be ready for a major income frenzy, it was just an illusion.
With a new CEO, Phil Rogers, replacing the Officer of the British Empire prize winner Jane Cavanagh, SCi also has new plans to turn things around and become, once again, a profitable company. A radical new business plan has been revealed - 200 people were fired and 14 unnamed games were canned in order to reduce the company's annual operating costs.
Of course, since cutting the costs means nothing without having a profit, SCi has decided to go and change the company's structure, too, from a centrally controlled development and publishing model to a studio-led business focusing on existing high profile franchises such as Tomb Raider, Hitman, Championship Manager and Deus Ex. This could be the best choice for now, but hopefully they know that people like to play new stuff, too, not only games that end with double digits.
Still, it seems that the 14 game projects that were canceled because they were "unlikely to generate an acceptable return on investment or are not of appropriate quality". Also, since fewer people will be needed by the company, its London studio will be moved to the Montreal headquarters.
"To get SCi on track we have to act rapidly and effect change quickly. We must allow the world-class people that we have within the Group to focus on strong, profitable titles which will create the value our shareholders deserve. I am confident our staff share this vision and excitement for the future, and determination to build a working environment where our innovation and creativity can be commercially realized," Phil Rogers said. He also explained that a new division named Eidos PLAY will also be created to help coordinate the company's casual and new media resources.
The company had some bad luck in the past - last year they lost around $160 million and got hit by a rapidly falling share price after acquisition talks with an unnamed company fell through and any potential interest from Electronic Arts has been denied by the Take Two bid.