Atari Reports Fiscal 2006 Year-end Financial Results
NEW YORK, June 14: Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR), a
leader in interactive entertainment, today announced
financial results for the fiscal 2006 fourth quarter and year
ended March 31, 2006.
Net revenue for the quarter ended March 31, 2006, was $54.7
million versus $64.4 million in the prior year's comparable
quarter, reflecting the Company's release of fewer titles in
this quarter compared to the prior year, as well as the
impact on reserves caused by the Company's
previously-announced GamersFIRST program which began June 1,
2006. The two-fold, consumer-oriented program includes a new
price point of $19.95 on all existing titles for
PlayStation®2
computer entertainment system, Xbox video game and
entertainment system from Microsoft, Nintendo
GameCubeTM,
Game Boy®
Advance and Windows (excluding Dungeons & Dragons
Online), and the digital distribution of Windows titles
included in the program at Valve and Direct2Drive. Publishing
net revenue was $47.1 million, compared to $52.7 million in
the prior year. Distribution revenue was $7.6 million versus
$11.7 million in the comparable year-earlier period.
Net loss for the fiscal 2006 fourth quarter was $4.3 million,
or $0.03 per share, compared to $9.1 million, or $0.07 per
share, in the year earlier period, which was net of a gain on
sale of certain intellectual properties totaling $6.2 million
in quarter. The Company previously announced on February 9,
2006, that it would begin to take steps to streamline its
U.S. operations. In doing so, the Company recorded
restructuring charges of $2.5 million in the fourth quarter
of fiscal 2006. Excluding restructuring charges, the loss for
the fourth quarter of fiscal 2006 would have been $1.8
million, or $0.01 per share.
Net revenue for the year ended March 31, 2006, was $218.7
million versus $407.8 million in the comparable year-earlier
period. Publishing net revenue was $165.5 million versus
$353.6 million in the prior year-end period, while
distribution revenue was $53.2 million versus $54.2 million
in the comparable year-earlier period.
Net loss for fiscal 2006 was $67.1 million, or $0.52 per
share, compared to net income of $5.7 million, or $0.05 per
share, in the year-earlier period, which was net of a gain on
sale of certain intellectual properties totaling $6.2 million
in quarter. The Company recorded restructuring charges of
$8.9 million for the year-end period ended March 31, 2006.
Excluding restructuring charges, the loss for the fiscal year
would have been $58.2 million, or $0.45 per share. As the
year-end results were substantially below the Company's
expectations, the uncertainties resulting from the Company's
financial condition raise substantial doubt about the
Company's ability to continue as a going concern.
"Fiscal 2006 was a challenging year for the industry," stated
Bruno Bonnell, Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer of
Atari. "A shortage of new hardware coupled with a softness in
consumer demand for current generation games dramatically
impacted results. In addition, titles such as The Matrix:
Path of Neo and Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under
Pressure performed below our expectations."
Mr. Bonnell continued, "The Atari brand has stood for
innovation and pioneering spirit for more than 30 years. As
Atari executes on its strategic objectives, we must recapture
what made Atari an iconic brand. During fiscal 2007, we will
focus our efforts on established franchises, new major motion
picture licensed IP with significant marketing campaigns,
online products and titles for portable devices."
Atari's product lineup for fiscal 2007 is expected to include
the following new releases:
Alone in the Dark (PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment
system, Xbox 360TM video game and entertainment
system from Microsoft and Windows), Arthur and the Minimoys
(PlayStation®2
computer entertainment system, PSP system, Nintendo
DSTM, Game
Boy® Advance
and Windows), BattleZone (PSP system), Dragon Ball
Z®: Budokai
TenkaichiTM 2
(PlayStation®2
and Nintendo®
Wii), DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®: TacticsTM (PSP system), Earthworm Jim
(PSP system), HOT PXL (PSP system), Neverwinter Nights 2
(Windows), Super DBZ® (PlayStation®2), and Test Drive Unlimited
(Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation®2, PSP system), among
others.
Mr. Bonnell concluded, "As the industry and consumer demands
continue to change, Atari is evolving and adapting to the new
interactive environment. We will continue to launch
ground-breaking initiatives such as our GamersFIRST program
in order to expand the marketplace and we plan to exploit our
back catalog in new markets. Additionally, we believe our IP
is a perfect fit to meet the broad scope of games that
consumers are looking for on casual sites. We anticipate the
execution of these new initiatives coupled with the continued
development of titles for next-generation consoles will drive
the Company toward profitability and return value to our
shareholder."
Additionally, the Company said it will file for an extension
to file its annual Form 10-K for the period ended March 31,
2006 in order to complete the required assessment of its
internal controls over financial reporting as of March 31,
2006, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
Atari will host a teleconference with a simultaneous webcast
at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time today to discuss the Company's
year-end results. To access the teleconference, please dial
1-866-203-3206 (domestic) or 1-617-213-8848 (international),
access code 72551452, or listen to it live via the Internet
by accessing the Company's Web site (http://www.atari.com). For those unable to listen
to the live broadcast, a replay will be available on the
Company's Web site or by dialing 1-888-286-8010 (domestic) or
1-617-801-6888 (international), playback access code
87707353, beginning approximately one hour after the
conclusion of the call and available through June 19,
2006.
About Atari
New York-based Atari, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATAR) develops
interactive games for all platforms and is one of the largest
third-party publishers of interactive entertainment software
in the U.S. The Company's 1,000+ titles include hard-core,
genre-defining franchises such as DRIVERTM, The MatrixTM (Enter The Matrix and The
Matrix: Path of Neo) and Test Drive®; and mass-market and
children's franchises such as Nickelodeon's Blue's
CluesTM and
Dora the ExplorerTM, and Dragon Ball
Z®. Atari, Inc.
is a majority-owned subsidiary of France-based Infogrames
Entertainment SA (Euronext - ISIN: FR-0000052573), the
largest interactive games publisher in Europe. For more
information, visit http://www.atari.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
With the exception of the historical information contained in
this release, the matters described herein contain certain
"forward-looking statements" that are made pursuant to the
Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this
release are not promises or guarantees and are subject to
risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results
to differ materially from those anticipated. These statements
are based on management's current expectations and
assumptions and are naturally subject to uncertainty and
changes in circumstances. We caution you not to place undue
reliance upon any such forward-looking statements. Actual
results may vary materially from those expressed or implied
by the statements herein. Some of the factors which could
cause our results to differ materially include the following:
the loss of key customers, such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy,
Target, GameStop and EB Games; delays in product development
and related product release schedules; inability to secure
capital or credit arrangements; adapting to the rapidly
changing industry technology, including new console
technology; maintaining relationships with leading
independent video game software developers; maintaining or
acquiring licenses to intellectual property; fluctuations in
the Company's quarterly net revenues and results of
operations based on the seasonality of our industry; the
termination or modification of our agreements with hardware
manufacturers; and other factors described in our SEC
filings, including our Annual Report and quarterly reports,
as amended.
The Company undertakes no duty to update any forward-looking
statements to conform the statement to actual results or
changes in the Company's expectations.