Like most different giant gaming corporations, Take-Two has been part of a latest flurry of acquisition exercise industry-wide. Its deliberate acquisition of Zynga is about to shut by the tip of the month, and its Personal Division label snapped up Roll7 late final 12 months. However what about Take-Two itself? Is it potential that it, like fellow main writer Activision-Blizzard, is likely to be acquired by a much bigger gaming company?
For now, that appears unlikely, based mostly on feedback made by CEO Strauss Zelnick in an interview forward of at present’s full 12 months and quarterly earnings name.
“We’re a public firm, and we’re right here for the shareholders,” he instructed IGN. “That mentioned, our monitor file of making worth as an unbiased entireprise is fairly terrific, particularly in the event you exclude the final three months. We expect there’s loads of nice occasions forward, and we like being an unbiased group. However we’re right here for the shareholders.”
Zelnick additionally supplied some context for the writer’s latest acquisitions of Zynga and Roll7. He acknowledged the fact of {industry} consolidation, particularly over the past six months. However he added that the rise in general indistry acquisitions wasn’t going to vary something for Take-Two, whose progress he says has “all the time been largely natural” however “populated with some selective acquisitions alongside the best way.”
“We’re in search of artistic offers that carry us nice mental property and nice groups, and we’ll proceed to try this sooner or later,” he mentioned. “Undoubtedly the Zynga transaction is exceedingly vital for this firm and we’ve a whole lot of work to do collectively to verify we ship on the worth, and the main focus shall be largely natural rising ahead. However that won’t stop us from persevering with to make acquisitions which can be selective and disciplined for Personal Division and the remainder of the enterprise, together with the cellular a part of the enterprise.”
Zelnick additionally spoke to us on a number of different matters, together with the chance of Take-Two selecting up the FIFA license after EA and FIFA parted methods, and the currrent fan frustration with the state of Purple Lifeless On-line.
Trying forward, Take-Two is planning 18 new releases within the coming fiscal 12 months, together with core titles The Quarry, Marvel’s Midnight Suns, NBA 2K23, WWE 2K23, PGA Tour 2K23, and Kerbal House Program 2. There are additionally eight cellular video games coming, a brand new sports activities title from 2K (probably its NFL arcade recreation), a brand new franchise from Personal Division, Tales from the Borderlands 2, and “one new iteration of a previously-released title out there for buy”.
Rebekah Valentine is a information reporter for IGN. You could find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.