As sales and profits fall year after year, CEO Bruno Bonnell talks up Driver 3 and unannounced D&D games; also talks down the loss of the Unreal franchise.
Today, Atari reported that sales in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2005 dropped compared to last year, down $41.1 million to $110.3 million. While the company still showed profits for the three-month period ending June 30, net income also dropped, falling from $23.8 million last year to $12.1 million this year. Addressing the falling figures this year, Atari said that its first quarter lineup faced a tough comparison to last year, when it released the successful Enter the Matrix for all three consoles and the PC.
Speaking to analysts in a conference call after the earnings announcement, Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell tried to look on the bright side. He listed Transformers, Shadow Ops: Red Mercury, Duel Masters: Sempai Legends, and Driver 3 as the company's best-selling titles for the quarter. In particular, he pointed out that 50 percent of Driver 3 units shipped had sold, and the game was the number two best-selling PS2 title and number five Xbox title in the US in June.
News source: GameSpot
