SCI ENTERTAINMENT, the owner of Lara Croft, was forced by the Takeover Panel to admit yesterday that one of the bid approaches that it had received was four months old, dampening hopes of an auction for the video game maker.

The shares fell 7 per cent to 558p, pegging back some of Monday’s 25 per cent gain, which came after SCi’s initial disclosure that it had “received various approaches” that could translate into an offer for the company.

However, yesterday SCi, which also owns the bestselling Hitman series, clarified that it had “received two approaches” and that there had been no specific discussions with the first party “since June”. The company said that the second approach was made last week and that talks were continuing.

SCi, Britain’s last major video game group, declined to identify either suitor. However, those most frequently cited are Midway Games, the publisher of Mortal Kombat, and Electronic Arts, maker of the Medal of Honour series, both of which are American publishers.

It also emerged that SCi’s largest single shareholder, Crédit Agricole Cheuvreux, pared back its shareholding on Monday after the initial statement. The French-owned broker, which is thought to be holding the stake as a hedge for a client holding a contract for difference, cut back from 17.3 per cent to 14.4 per cent.

SCi became prominent after it triumphed in a battle to win control of Eidos, the previous owner of Lara Croft. SCi saw off rival interest from Elevation Partners, the US venture capitalist.

It took over Eidos, a far larger company, because the company was in financial trouble after a string of delayed and disappointing releases.

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