London-based publisher bullish over future prospects as Lara hits a high note

British publisher SCi has issued a trading update to the financial markets in the wake of the success of Tomb Raider Legend, revealing that the title has already sold 2.6 million units to become the fastest-selling game in the series.

The success of the title, which has sold more copies in five weeks than SCi projected it to sell for the entire financial year through to June 30th, has helped the firm to stay on track to return to profitability this year, it claims.

Tomb Raider Legend is widely seen as a return to form for the series, and went straight to number one in many of the territories in which it was launched; even now, over a month after launch, it's still hanging on at number two in some key regions, including the UK.

The success of the title is a key milestone for SCi, which had advertised the resuscitation of some of Eidos' key brands - like Tomb Raider - as one of its main goals when it took over the larger publisher in the middle of last year.

The next big milestones will come next month, when Hitman: Blood Money, another key Eidos franchise, is launched - with SCi reporting strong pre-orders and healthy reviews - and, of course, with the end of the 2006 financial year, in which SCi had pledged to return the combined operation to profitability in the wake of the acquisition.

According to this morning's statement, SCi is on track to do exactly that, with "the success of Tomb Raider, plus the planned launches for the remainder of the financial year" noted as keeping it on track for this objective.

Other launches planned before the end of June are Urban Chaos (PS2, Xbox), Championship Manager 2006/07 (PS2, Xbox), and the PSP version of Tomb Raider Legend - with DS, GBA and Cube versions to follow later in the year.

Looking forward to 2007, SCi is bullish about its future prospects, with 19 new product launches planned for the 2007 financial year, more than double the number of products launched during FY 2006.

"We are delighted with the success of Tomb Raider Legend and look forward to the imminent release of Hitman: Blood Money," commented SCi CEO Jane Cavanagh. "The product portfolio for the 2007 financial year is very strong and provides a base for continued profitable growth."

News-Source: http://www.gamesindustry.biz"