NEWS - Thursday, February 24, 2005
News Corp. Buying Eidos
News Corp. Buying Eidos? February 23, 2005 - U.K.-based Eidos may be on the verge of being sold to none other than Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., according to a flurry of rumors and "inside sources" quoted by GamesIndustry.biz and other sites this week. The reports claim that the deal could close as soon as next week. The deal "could happen on Thursday, it could happen on Monday -- we're not sure, but there's light at the end of the tunnel now," according to sources quoted by the story, which also reports that Eidos's U.K. operations have been under a hiring freeze recently, and that studios have been asked to create presentations on current projects for new owners. Talk of an Eidos takeover is nothing new -- the company itself confirmed discussions "with a small number of parties" last August. Most of the speculation has been not whether the company would be sold, but to whom. For its part, last month News Corp. -- a media mega-conglomerate which owns Fox News, Sky News, and Harper-Collins, among others -- announced its interest in buying a game company, though at the time the Murdoch's company was considering various candidates, which may have included EA. Operating under News Corp., Eidos would presumably retain its publishing business, in addition to game development. Of course, the story won't be substantiated until either company makes an official statement. We'll be right here keeping you up-to-date as the situation develops.Source: http://www.ign.com
