SCi eyeing Pivotal purchase?

London-based publisher SCi may be preparing to buy Pivotal Games if the financial situation at Kaboom Group continues to worsen, according to a report in UK trade magazine MCV.

The magazine quotes an anonymous "industry onlooker" as stating that "SCi would be an obvious suitor" for Pivotal Games, which the publisher already owns 10 per cent of and has a long term publishing deal with.

Pivotal's position is thought to be more secure than the other studios at Kaboom Group thanks to the success of the Conflict Desert Storm franchise, which is published by SCi.

Last week, another Kaboom studio, Attention to Detail, went into liquidation; we are still receiving reports that a second studio, Silicon Dreams, may have shut down this week.

SCi has generally outsourced its development in the past, but faced with the prospect of losing the developer of one of its most successful franchises, the publisher is almost certain to act.

MCV