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SCi Entertainment Group plc
Formerly
  • The Sales Curve Limited (1988–1994)
  • SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) Limited (1994–1996)
Company typePublic
IndustryVideo games
Founded1988; 36 years ago (1988)
FounderJane Cavanagh
Defunct27 March 2009; 15 years ago (2009-03-27)
FateAcquired by Square Enix
Headquarters
London
,
England
Key people
Jane Cavanagh (chairwoman, 1988–2006; CEO, 1988–2008)
Number of employees
900 (2008)
SubsidiariesEidos Interactive (2005—2009)

SCi Entertainment Group plc (formerly The Sales Curve Limited and SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) Limited) was a British video game publisher based in London. The company was founded in 1988 by Jane Cavanagh and floated on the stock exchange in 1996. In May 2005, SCi acquired Eidos plc, the parent company of publisher Eidos Interactive, and merged their operations by June 2006. In December 2008, SCi was briefly renamed Eidos and was subsequently acquired by Square Enix in March 2009.

History

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Jane Cavanagh, formerly an executive for British Telecom's Telecomsoft division,[1] founded The Sales Curve in 1988, following a trip to Japan that convinced her of the potential of the video game industry.[2] Cavanagh established and ran the company without external funding, and owned 100% of the company's shares.[2][3] The Sales Curve was renamed SCi (Sales Curve Interactive) in 1994, and floated on the Alternative Investment Market in 1996, becoming SCi Entertainment.[4][1][3]

By February 1999, SCi reported a turnover of £3.262 million.[5] In February 2004, the company acquired Pivotal Games.[6] In October 2004, SCi announced publishing agreements of its games for the Gizmondo handheld.[7] In January 2005, SCi invested in Rocksteady Studios, acquiring 25.1% of the company's shares.[8]

Eidos takeover

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In April 2005, SCi entered into a £103 million bid for Eidos plc, the parent company of Eidos Interactive.[9] Eidos was acquired by SCi in May 2005,[10][11] and fully merged with SCi by June 2006 with the Eidos brand used for all future games.[12] Following Eidos' acquisition, all executives of the acquired company resigned, and were replaced by SCi's management.[13] In October 2005, SCi employed around 600 people.[14] By February 2006, it was the largest video game company in Britain, when Robert Tchenguiz's Thorson Investments owned a 14.6% stake after acquiring a holding from Robert Bonnier.[15] In December 2006, Warner Bros. started investing in SCi in exchange for granting game licences to Warner Bros. films to SCi.[16] Warner Bros. owned 10.3% in September 2007.[17]

In July 2006, Cavanagh stepped down as chairwoman of SCi, while remaining chief executive officer (CEO).[18] She was replaced by Tim Ryan, formerly non-executive director, as non-executive chairman of the board.[18] In the 2007 New Year Honours, Cavanagh was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her services in the video game industry, particularly SCi.[3] Cavanagh was ousted as CEO in January 2008, and left the company alongside her husband, Bill Ennis, and studio chief Rob Murphy.[2][19] Following their departure, SCi's shares doubled in value.[20][21] At the time, SCi had 900 employees.[21] On 2 December 2008, SCi filed for changing its name to Eidos,[22] which was finalised the following day.[23][24] During 2008 the company raised £60 million at 35p a share. Eidos shareholders approved the acquisition by Square Enix on 27 March 2009 at 32p a share, a valuation of just over £84 million.[25]

List of games

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Published games
Date Title Developer(s) Platform(s) Ref.
1996 Gender Wars The 8th Day
1997 Carmageddon Stainless Games
1999 Live Wire! The Code Monkeys
Cool Bricks Pukka Games
2000 Thunderbirds
2002 Conflict: Desert Storm Pivotal Games
2003 Rolling Rage Software
Developed games
Date Title Publisher(s) Platform(s) Ref.
1994 Cyberwar Interplay Productions
1996 Kingdom O' Magic
XS

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Duby, Mary (25 October 2005). "Big shot". Retrieved 25 August 2018 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  2. ^ a b c Bowers, Simon (19 January 2008). "SCi shares flourish after founder is forced out". the Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  3. ^ a b c Dobson, Jason (2 January 2007). "SCi's Jane Cavanagh Receives OBE". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  4. ^ "SALES CURVE INTERACTIVE TO FLOAT ON JUNIOR LONDON MARKET". CBR. 19 July 1996. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Shanks sold to US buyer for pounds 235m". independent.co.uk. 3 February 1999. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  6. ^ Calvert, Justin (19 February 2004). "SCi acquires Pivotal Games". GameSpot. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  7. ^ Kohler, Chris (11 October 2004). "SCi announces new publishing agreements". GameSpot.
  8. ^ "Roll Call back on track as SCi funds new development studio". GamesIndustry.biz. 17 January 2005.
  9. ^ Dennis, Guy (9 April 2005). "'They probably paid too much'". Retrieved 25 August 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  10. ^ "Can Tomb Raider's owner dodge the grave?". independent.co.uk. 27 January 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  11. ^ "SCi reveals Eidos plan". eurogamer.net. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  12. ^ "The Investment Column: With Lara Croft on the rampage, Sci". independent.co.uk. 17 July 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  13. ^ "Eidos board quits". theregister.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  14. ^ Martinson, Jane (25 October 2005). "Bounty hunters set their sights on Tomb Raider company". the Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  15. ^ Bowers, Simon (16 February 2006). "SCi Entertainment calls time on talks with potential bidders". the Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  16. ^ "Warner Bros. Entertainment To Invest In SCi EntertainmentGroup, Leading Video Games Publisher". gamesindustry.biz. 15 December 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  17. ^ Thelwell, Emma (4 September 2007). "SCi Entertainment shares soar on takeover approach". Retrieved 25 August 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  18. ^ a b "Cavanagh steps down as SCi chair, remains as CEO". gamesindustry.biz. 3 July 2006. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  19. ^ "Lara Croft firm SCi's boss fired in clearout". standard.co.uk. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  20. ^ Thelwell, Emma (25 August 2018). "SCi Entertainment shares soar on shake-up". Retrieved 25 August 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  21. ^ a b Bland, Juliette Garside and Ben (25 August 2018). "Lara Croft owner soars as founder ousted". Retrieved 25 August 2018 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  22. ^ "SCi files to change name to Eidos". gamesindustry.biz. 2 December 2008. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  23. ^ Caoili, Eric (3 December 2008). "SCi Finalizes Name Change To Eidos As Buyout Rumors Mount". gamasutra.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  24. ^ "SCi: Just call me 'Eidos'". engadget.com. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  25. ^ "Eidos approves takeover by Square Enix". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
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