PATREONItems tagged with Take-Two
Take-Two Interactive has reached an agreement to purchase UK-based publisher Codemasters. With an implied equity value at approximately $994M, the deal will bring the racing game publisher into Take-Two's portfolio for more projected profits in the coming years. Codemasters publishes the F1, Dirt, and Project Cars series', and will now work under Take-Two and its 2K label while retaining the CEO and CFO. In a statement, Strauss Zelnick, CEO of Take-Two, explained that this acquisition of Codemasters was part of a vision to "deliver the highest quality entertainment experiences and aim to be the most innovative, creative and efficient company in our industry." He also stated that "Codemasters...
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Take-Two pulled off a questionable move on an independent game developer called Star Theory Games. The independent developer had been contracted by Take-Two to build a game called Kerbal Space Program 2. Last December, employees of Star Theory received a recruitment message via LinkedIn on a Friday night that dropped quite a bomb at the studio. The recruitment message the employees received was from a publishing label within Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. called Private Division, and said it was pulling the game from Star Theory. Not only was it pulling the game, but it was also asking the entire staff of the development studio to apply for positions at Take-Two. The recruitment message was...
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We’ve had quite a bit of time to assess Google’s Stadia streaming platform, especially after the free tier for the service first launched nearly two months ago (you can read the HotHardware review here). Stadia brings the promise of “up to” 4K/60 game streaming with HDR and 5.1 surround sound supports on laptops, TVs, desktops, and even smartphones. However, some in the industry haven’t been impressed with what Google has brought to the table; at least initially. One such voice is Strauss Zelnick, who serves as the CEO of Take-Two. While there’s no doubt that streaming will indeed be part of gaming’s future, it’s apparent that Zelknick...
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Video game publisher Take-Two has one of the biggest video game franchises on the market thanks to Grand Theft Auto. The latest game in the franchise is GTA V, which is still incredibly popular despite having launched way back in 2013. Recently, Take-Two filed a 10-K with the SEC that shows what the company plans to spend on marketing over the next five years. That form showed that in fiscal 2024, more money would be spent on marketing than any other fiscal year over the next five years. The marketing spend for fiscal 2024 ending March 31, 2024, is $89 million, more than twice the amount for other years listed on the form. Analyst Jeff Cohen from investment firm Stephens believes that massive...
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It is not uncommon for developers and publishers to crack down on cheating through in-game mechanisms, suspensions, and even bans, but Take-Two Interactive is taking a different tack in some of the more extreme cases. The publisher is hitting makers of cheat software with lawsuits, and is seeing some success. The most recent example stems from a lawsuit Take-Two filed last August against Jhonny Perez, a Florida resident who developed and distributed a cheating tool called Elusive. More than just a cheating mod, it could also be used to grief players in Grand Theft Auto V—one of the options in the software's menus allowed players to instantly kill others. It could also be used to generate...
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Take-Two has been basking in the glowing press and tremendous sales performance of Red Dead Redemption 2. The game was so well received right out of the gates that it made $725 million in its first three days of availability. Take-Two is the parent company to Rockstar, the developers behind the game. Take-Two has announced its Q3 earnings, and it trounced revenue targets thanks to the massive success of Red Dead Redemption 2. So far the game has sold 23 million copies through to retail. During the quarter Take-Two net bookings added up to $1.57 billion, exceeding expectations of $1.40 to $1.45 billion. That marks a 140% gain compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Revenue...
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Red Dead Redemption 2 is widely regarded as a fairly accurate representation of the southwestern United States in the late nineteenth century. However, one group is not pleased with Rockstar’s depiction of the wild wild west. The Pinkerton Incorporation is suing Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two. The Pinkertons filed a cease and desist order this past December and contended that Rockstar had no right to use the Pinkerton name in the game. They insisted that Take-Two either pay royalties or settle outside of court. They are particularly frustrated that they “are used as villains, hunting the game's protagonists.” Rockstar and Take-Two have responded to the Pinkertons...
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It is better to have some mods instead of none, right? In a welcome move, Rockstar Games and Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two Interactive have agreed to not take legal action against single-player mod projects. Rockstar released a statement noting, “Take-Two has agreed that it generally will not take legal action against third-party projects involving Rockstar’s PC games that are single-player, non-commercial, and respect the intellectual property (IP) rights of third parties.” It is important to note that Take-Two and Rockstar could potentially take legal action against mods relating to multiplayer or online services, tools, files, libraries, or functions that could affect multiplayer or...
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As we reported last week, Take-Two sent a cease-and-desist letter to the developers of the OpenIV modding tool for Grand Theft Auto, claiming that the software was guilty of “allow[ing] third parties to defeat security features of its software and modify that software in violation Take-Two’s rights“. As a result, OpenIV is no longer available to the modding community. Well, gamers have spoken, and they are incredibly ticked off with Take-Two’s decision to wallop the popular OpenIV modding tool into submission. If you head on over to the Grand Theft Auto V page on Steam, gamers have torched the rating for the game, pushing nearly 41,000 reviews during the past 30 days. Only 13 percent of those...
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Take-Two clearly doesn't look at the modding scene with the same love as many of its peers. The Grand Theft Auto series has had a rich modding community for years, with its creative fans adding an incredible amount of content to Rockstar's most important series. Sometimes, even new mechanics are added. While most people who pick up the latest GTA don't even have modding on their mind, there are some others who buy the game with only modding in mind. That says a lot not just about modding, but about what a great base for such mods Grand Theft Auto is. And that's despite the fact that the games are in no shape or form designed to support modding....
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After publishing two teasers over the weekend that had obvious nods to a sequel in the Red Dead franchise, Rockstar Games today confirmed the development of Red Dead Redemption 2. According to the developer, Red Dead Redemption 2 is on target for a Fall 2017 release, but given its past track record, we should probably tack on at least a few months onto the launch window just to be on the safe side. And if the game’s official announcement isn’t enough for you, you’ll be happy to know that a trailer for the Western-themed game will bow this Thursday, October 20th at 11AM EST. Rockstar describers the game: Developed by the creators of Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption...
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It’s been six years since Red Dead Redemption first hit store shelves, and gamers have been clamoring for a sequel to the hit shooter ever since. Rockstar Games has kept mostly silent about the next installment in the franchise, which began with Red Dead Revolver’s uneventful release in 2004 — that is until this past weekend. Rockstar first tweeted an image of its logo slathered in red paint: pic.twitter.com/BklXMlZ0UQ — Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames) October 16, 2016 Subtle perhaps, but it was enough to get people talking. To drive the point further, Rockstar followed up a day later with the following tweet of seven individuals in silhouette:pic.twitter.com/iuwxwyL2cX— Rockstar Games (@RockstarGames)...
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When it comes to lucrative game franchises two of the most well-known ones happen to be Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto. Activision publishes the CoD franchise while Take-Two Interactive is responsible for publishing GTA. However, there are rumors floating around that Activision might be trying to purchase Take-Two. Speculation began when a research note from Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey talked about “an emerging romance” between both companies. Hickey said, “For Activision, acquiring Take-Two Interactive would be a no-brainer, in our view, circling some of the strongest development talent and owned IP in the world, within a company that has nearly $1 billion in cash and...
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Since Firaxis took the veil off of Civilization: Beyond Earth in April, we've had a relative dearth of information to run on, and especially a lack of media to soak in (three official screenshots!). Well, both problems have now been remedied, and as an added bonus, the company has finally given us a release date: October 24, 2014. While Firaxis hasn't provided us any new screenshots, it's done one better: It's posted a video that gives us a better peak at what's coming, and what to expect. If you've played previous Civilization titles, and especially Civilization V, it looks like you're going to feel right at home here. Even the graphics look more like a mod than anything else - which really...
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Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is forging ahead without further guidance or input from billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who agreed to sell back his 12.02 million shares in the company at yesterday's closing price of $16.93 per share. That works out to around $203.5 million, which Take-Two will fund from its cash reserve and cash equivalents on hand, the company announced. "This share repurchase reflects our confidence in the company’s outlook for record results in fiscal 2014 and continued non-GAAP profitability every year for the foreseeable future," said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. "With our ample cash and strong expected cash flow, we are able to pursue a variety...
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For one reason or another, it's fair to say that the majority of people in real life would never cross the moral lines that Rockstar Games presents in Grand Theft Auto V. Some would (and do), but by and large, we're not all running around jacking cars, robbing jewelery stores, trafficking drugs and weapons, beating up random pedestrians, and so forth. But put those elements in a game and what you have is a cash cow. The latest installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise soared past $1 billion in worldwide retail sales during its first three days of availability, publisher Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. announced. While a little fact checking is in order, Take-Two believes this represents...
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Seriously folks, we couldn't make this stuff up if we tried. In fact, this is the stuff that pure comedic gold is made of. Duke Nukem Forever, which is arguably the most highly hyped game to never emerge in official fashion, was thought to extinguished forever when 3D Realms (its developer) went under earlier this month. Weeks later, the game has resurfaced in conversation yet again, further proving the point that this title simply will not ever die. According to a blurb over at Bloomberg, Take-Two Interactive Software, which makes the heralded Grand Theft Auto series of video games, has sued Apogee Software's 3D Realms over the "failed development of a sequel to Duke Nukem." You see, Take-Two...
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Duke Nukem Forever, the epitome of vaporware, seems to now be gone forever. On the other hand, it's not as though any of us were holding our breath for it. In multiple reports, 3D Realms, the Texas-based developer of past Duke Nukem games, is said to have shut down. Take-Two (planned publisher of the game) VP, of communications Alan Lewis said in a statement: "We can confirm that our relationship with 3D Realms for Duke Nukem Forever was a publishing arrangement, which did not include ongoing funds for development of the title. In addition, Take-Two continues to retain the publishing rights to Duke Nukem Forever." That makes it sounds as though while 3D Realms may be finished, Duke Nukem Forever...
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Electronic Arts (EA) began its pursuit of Take-Two Interactive in February, but was immediately rebuffed. Through all these months, Take-Two has said that EA's offer undervalued the company. But while Electronic Arts let its tender offer expire in August, both companies indicated that the two continued talks in private. On Sunday, EA issued a terse press release saying the deal was off for good.The decision was made "after careful consideration, including a management presentation and review of other due diligence materials," Electronic Arts (EA) said in a brief statement.EA, which owns some of the most popular sports games franchises in the industry, originally offered US$2...
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Shades of another takeover we've been discussing lately. Electronic Arts announced Sunday they have made a $2B cash offer for Take-Two Games, best known for "Grand Theft Auto."U.S. video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc said on Sunday it wants to buy rival Take-Two Interactive Software Inc, best known for its "Grand Theft Auto" title, for about $2.0 billion in cash.The $26-per-share offer by Electronic Arts, publisher of blockbuster games like "Madden" and "Need for Speed," represents a 50 percent premium to Take Two's Friday closing stock price of $17.36.The offer follows months of speculation that Take-Two would be acquired by a major games publisher or media publisher. Take-Two rejected...
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Former Take-Two CEO, Ryan Brant, has pleaded guilty to the illegal backdating of stock-options. What kind of penalty did he get?A few million dollars, 5 years of probation and national media attention that will probably embarrass him in a way that few people ever get to experience. “Brant was the first of three officials convicted at the New York-based company. Former General Counsel Kenneth Selterman and ex-Chief Accounting Officer Patti Tay also pleaded guilty earlier this year to falsifying business records. Tay, 31, admitted she made false entries on a spreadsheet of 2001 and 2002 stock-option grants, according to court records. Selterman, 52, pleaded guilty to providing false information...
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