Infogrames Sales Down, Portable Titles More Buoyant

European game publisher Infogrames, which is in the midst of financial restructuring and owns the Atari subsidiary in the U.S., posted its first quarter revenue including a disappointing 20 percent decline in quarterly sales, due primarily to fewer high profile video game releases. The firm commented that sales are traditionally lower during this period, and that the company's performance reflects its ongoing efforts to “pare down its catalog, as well as the absence of major releases during the quarter.” Infogrames' sales for the period were €44.4 million ($57.20 million), down from €55.5 million ($70.95 million) in the same period a year ago. No specific profit or loss figures were posted for the quarter, since French accounting rules permit profits to be stated on a less frequent basis. The company noted that European and Asian operations accounted for 63 percent of its consolidated revenue in the first quarter, while U.S. subsidiaries including Atari, Inc. and Atari Interactive, Inc. were responsible for the other 37 percent of infogrames' business. The news follows Atari's recent earnings announcement, which included reduced revenue but also a reduced loss of just $7.1 million (up from the $32.8 million loss reported reported the previous year) thanks to its recent sales of properties such as Timeshift, Stuntman, and Driver , as well as its Reflections and Paradigm Entertainment studios. Overall, Atari posted net revenue for the period at $19.5 million, compared to $23.9 million in the same period the prior year. The company commented that it has seen “significant growth” in its portable games sales, which represented 44 percent of Infogrames' total sales for the quarter. During the period, games released for the PSP accounted for 23 percent of its sales, while games sold for the Nintendo DS resulted in 10 percent of sales and those for the Game Boy Advance amounted to another 11 percent. In addition to the product lineup for the remainder of fiscal 2007 previously reported by Atari, as well as the confirmation that the Eden-developed Alone in the Dark has been targeted for a fiscal 2008 release, Infogrames also noted several titles it expects to release within the European region during the fiscal 2007 year. Other games scheduled to be released during that period, a number of them under distribution licenses from companies including Namco and LucasArts, include Asterix and Obelix: Mission Wifix for the Nintendo DS and PSP; Totally Spies 2: Undercover! for the Nintendo DS and PSP; Battlezone for the PSP; Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac: Hades for the PlayStation 2; Point Blank for the Nintendo DS; and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja for the PlayStation 2. Other announced upcoming releases include One Piece: Grand Adventure for the PlayStation 2; Thrillville for the PlayStation 2, PSP, and Xbox; Dora the Explorer: Fairy Tale Adventure for the PC; Dora the Explorer: Back Pack Adventure for the PC; Dora the Explorer: Dance to the Rescue for the PC; Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales for the PC; Dig Dug: Digging Strike for the Nintendo DS; Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the Game Boy Advance; and Rainbow Islands Revolution and PSP.