DICE Shows First Half Profits On Reduced Revenue

Swedish-headquartered developer Digital Illusions CE (DICE), which is now majority owned by Electronic Arts, has released its first-half financials for 2005, which represents January through June. Overall net revenue was down 13 percent, compared to this time last year, from SEK 118.2 million ($15.7m) to SEK 102.6 million ($13.6m), but profits for the first half of the year were SEK 20.1 million ($2.6m). These profits were largely achieved by the company’s Battlefield series, which reportedly reached a total of 6.2 million units sold. In fact, Electronic Arts has recently announced that Battlefield 2, DICE's marquee release and the latest in the series which started with Battlefield 1942, has already sold over 1 million units worldwide since its release. DICE also reported its full all-time sales roster, showing that, in terms of historical sales, its Midtown Madness and Rallisport titles have also performed well. DICE, which is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden and also has offices in Ontario, Canada, has primarily been a PC developer, and cites an NPD-originating statistic that PC game sales in the U.S. have declined by 10.5 percent, which could be an impetus for the company’s increasing interest in the console space - an Xbox version of Battlefield 2 is close to release. In addition, DICE plans continued expansion moving forward, with the Stockholm branch preparing to move to a new building in 2006, although the company's New York office recently closed, with CEO Patrick Soderlund indicating that the main focus of growth will now be on the company’s Swedish operations, although the company’s remaining Canadian office will continue to function as a satellite studio.