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Struggling U.K. Game Developer Eidos Considers Sale of Company

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2004 - 9:31am.
London -- Embattled U.K.-based video game publisher Eidos announced on Thursday that it has commenced a review of strategic alternatives available to the company, including a possible outright sale. The company pointed to a recent unexpected softness in the U.S. games market that is affecting current sales of its "Hitman Contracts" title, and announced it would postpone the release of "ShellShock: Nam '67" until September, to bypass the traditionally slower summer sales months. Eidos also cited "the continuing need to invest more heavily in research and development ahead of the next hardware cycle," and said that it is "becoming increasingly reliant on the performance of key titles," such as "Hitman" and "ShellShock." The company is best known for its successful "Tomb Raider" game franchise.
tags: Eidos | Sale | U.K. Game Developer |

Anti-Piracy Firm Macrovision Acquires InstallShield for $76 Million

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2004 - 9:30am.
Santa Clara, Calif. -- Macrovision, a provider of anti-copying technologies for CDs, DVDs and other media, announced that it has acquired InstallShield, a provider of software that eases installation of new applications on computers, for $76 million in cash. The deal also provides for an additional payment of up to $20 million, contingent upon post-acquisition performance. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Macrovision said the deal will allow it to expand its product portfolio and reach Illinois-based InstallShield's large software developer customer base.
tags: Macrovision | Anti-Piracy | Acquires | InstallShield |

Mounting Legal Fees Force 321 Studios to Consider Bankruptcy

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2004 - 9:29am.
St. Louis -- 321 Studios, a maker of controversial software that can defeat copyright protections on movies and video games so users can make back-up copies, said that ongoing movie studio lawsuits, combined with a new suit filed this week by major video game publishers, could force the company to declare bankruptcy, the Associated Press reported. 321 CEO Robert Moore told AP he'll make that decision in several weeks, adding, "I think bankruptcy protection would probably spell the end for our company." 321 Studios defended its DVD X Copy and recently released Games X Copy as a "fair use" means to make copies of movies and games, but several federal courts have ruled that the software enables copyright infringement of movies. Consumers "should have the right to make copies of their own legally obtained digital materials," Moore said.
tags: Mounting Legal Fees | 321 Studios | Consider Bankruptcy |

Napster Launches Free MP3 Player Promotion

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2004 - 9:28am.
Los Angeles -- Napster, the digital music service unit of Roxio, announced on Thursday a new promotional campaign whereby it will offer a free MP3 player to new annual subscribers. Those paying $119.40 for a one-year subscription to Napster will receive a $129 Rio Chiba Sport 128MB MP3 player; for an additional $80, subscribers can upgrade to receive a free, larger-capacity Rio Nitrus, which holds 1.5GB of music. The company plans to advertise the promotion first on CBS during the American Film Institute's "100 Years ... 100 Songs: America's Greatest Music in the Movies" program. Los Angeles-based Napster recently announced that it has sold over 10 million songs through its online stores in the U.S., the U.K. and Canada.
tags: Launches | Napster | Free MP3 Player Promotion |

Report: DVR Owners Watch More, Not Less Video-on-Demand

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 17, 2004 - 9:24am.
Newtonville, Mass. -- Contrary to industry assumptions that digital video recorders (DVR), which allow users to pause and record live TV, compete with video-on-demand services for viewers' attention, a new report from Massachusetts-based Lyra Research found that DVR owners actually watch more video-on-demand programming than non-DVR owners. The report is based on an Internet survey during April and May of 350 U.S. video-on-demand users who also owned digital video recorders. "Our findings may be because video-on-demand offered content that was not available via broadcast or because the DVR users are more experienced than non-DVR users with time shifting and more comfortable operating menu-driven systems for selecting programs," said Steve Hoffenberg director of electronic media research at Lyra Research.
tags: Reports | Video-on-Demand | DVR Owners |