In the era of acquisitions, when video game companies are seemingly being snatched up at will, Take-Two has commented on the likelihood of any further purchases. The CEO has spoken in the aftermath of Take-Two's acquisition of Zynga on whether the company could be acquired by a larger entity.
Earlier this year, Take-Two finalized a deal to acquire mobile game developer Zynga for a total of $12.7 billion. The deal stands at the time of writing as the second-largest acquisition in the video game industry. It comes in behind Microsoft's huge acquisition of Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. Take-Two itself is a big player in the industry, owning publishers Rockstar Games and 2K. In an interview which was initially reported on over at IGN, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick opened up on the current state of Take-Two and the potential for the company to be swept up by someone bigger.
In short, it's very unlikely for Take-Two to be acquired right now. Zelnick has stated that at the present time Take-Two enjoys being an independent company that only has its shareholders to answer to. The CEO cited the tremendous success that it has as an independent entity, suggesting that it has no reason to succumb to an acquisition. Zelnick also offered further context for Take-Two's $12.7 billion acquisition of Zynga. The mobile developer is known for hits such as FarmVille and Draw Something.He explained that Take-Two wants any growth to be "organic," with any acquisitions along the way being a part of a selective process with the aim to bring great IPs and great teams into the fold.
Zelnick also commented on Take-Two's in house developer Private Division acquiring Roll7, a British game developer that is best known for OlliOlli. It was alluded to that the mobile market will be integral to Take-Two moving forward. Zelnick suggested that the acquisitions of Zynga and Roll7 ultimately improved Take-Two, specifically calling the Zynga acquisition significant for the company.
In another part of his interview with IGN, Zelnick also acknowledged growing fan frustration over the current state of Red Dead Online. Some players believe that Red Dead Online doesn't get the attention that it deserves from Rockstar Games. He also spoke about the recent news that EA is ending its relationship with FIFA after the release of FIFA 23.
With one eye on the future, there is plenty currently in the works for Take-Two Interactive. Its next big console release is set to be The Quarry, which is due to release on June 10th.
Source: IGN