Eidos says that the latest edition of the Tomb Raider franchise – developed by Crystal Dynamics – had sold 1.5 million units by the end of the year. But shares in the troubled publisher fell sharply, by as much as a quarter, as the company announced that these figures had missed expectations. Eidos claims that many retailers in the US had restricted stock, which had particularly hindered the game’s sales performance.
“In a difficult North American economy we have seen retailers restricting inventory levels and triple-A products being price discounted above our expectation,” the company stated, before revising its expected revenues to £160-180m, down from its previous guidance of £180-200m.
Eidos remained positive about its other properties, particularly Batman: Arkham Asylum, which Eidos expects will boost its fortunes in the financial year. The game is already looking encouraging, as shown in our preview.