if you haven't read the article ... its pure speculation. Here is the end of the article.

Last year, similar rumors swirled that Microsoft was bidding to buy Take-Two. However, Shane Kim swatted down the rumor, with a fairly obvious reason why the acquisition would never happen. Kim said in March 2007 that Microsoft “could never launch an acquisition bid at a third party publisher,” because of Take-Two’s “platform agnostic” approach. Essentially, Microsoft would be paying a huge sum of money (in this case, $2.5 billion) and not seeing the revenue streams from Take-Two’s PS3, Wii, DS and PSP business because Take-Two would become a Microsoft exclusive company.

Seeking Alpha’s Stephen Frankola completely forgot about Take Two's other revenue streams. 2.5 billion dollar cost - (loss of revenue from other console lines) = not worth it!

Dum, dum, duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum...

Holy Sh!t

Hahahaha just kidding.Its an old rumor shot down by Shane Kim.Fanboys GTFO Nothing to see here

Nah, I don't believe that Microsoft is going to end up buying Take 2, but they can bid all they want. If Microsoft couldn't get Yahoo! and if EA couldn't get Take 2, I doubt Microsoft will secure Take 2.

Take 'em. GTA4 was one of the worst games I've played this generation. I have actually had more fun with so called flops like Lair, Conan, Untold legends and the Simpsons game than I ever did with GTA 4.

The problems with GTA4 are too many to list. Yet, it got 10's?? The problems in this game are right in front of you and everyone ignored them. Everyone.

Here are just a few --

Cars control like spit. You can't keep one on the road.
You can't break and come to a stop, even at 5 miles an hour.
Your guy gets hung up on every wall there is.
The fighting is absolute garbage!
The aiming is absolute garbage!
Their is a lack of things to do in this "big" city. Why waste all that space?
Story is 100% liner, yet fakes you out with the potential to be open ended. It's not an open ended affair. You can't kill who you want when you want. You have to go thru a story progression and that is lame.

I can go on and on and on. GTA4 is the biggest hyped piece of junk ever dropped on the video game world. It's garbage!

no

gta5+no blu-ray=ruined

However, not for the same reasons that the author pointed out. If Microsoft bought Take Two then they would not cancel all their games for other platforms. Microsoft does not have a handheld so I'm sure they wouldn't cancel games for the PSP and DS. Microsoft is also on the record as saying that they do not see the Wii as a direct competitor being that both consoles have different target audiences so I'm sure they wouldn't cancel any games for the Wii. So the only console that would be left out in the cold is the PS3 and any profits loss from the PS3 could potentially be made up by increased 360 sales.

The reason I doubt it will happen is just sheer dollars and cents. Microsoft's gaming division doesn't have enough clout or funds to purchase a company as large and expensive as Take Two.

Microsoft would be taking so heavy losses if they do buy it out.

be all to surprised if this happens. MSFT doesn't mind spending if the end justifies the means, and MSFT wants to be #1 in the gaming industry and this is a step in that direction.

M$ shall rule this miserable planet.

EDIT: lmfao, Slogan, you must be some kind of MORON if you can't even drive a car strait in GTA LMFAO. u suck. stupid n00b.

and dumbass JEWkin agreeing with him like her dykeass has ever owned a GTA game before LMFAO. she actually admitted she never played HALO 1 LMFAO.

Especially after the Yahoo deal fell through. They've got some cash they want to spend. And don't forget the PC market.

I will not even comment here becuse it will never happen. *Damn I did it any way'

Lets be honest here, what is Take Two's prized asset? Rockstar, basically the GTA franchise. Why cant Microsoft just try to buy future exclusives for this franchise rather than spend billions on the entire company?

And would Rockstar's employees even want to work for them? Rumours were that they weren't willing to work with EA, why would they work with Microsoft? Seems like every studio they get leaves them anyway

nahhh... let EA buy Take-Two.. .and then buy EA... it shouldn't be more than what they were willing to pay for Yahoo... "$45 billion"... and probably buying EA would make them more money than Yahoo would... imagine putting all EA's games as Microsoft platform exclusives? EA games already run better on the xbox 360.. Sony leg humpers hate EA... EA games don't sell on the PS3.. why waste time and resources? Hey! the PS3 have Metal Gear and Little big planet... they don't need more. right?

Off Topic:

Soul Caliber 4 dilemma..

Xbox 360:

Cons - Yoda is cheap, Controller not great for fighters,

Pros - (Fall Update allows Installs), Voice chat, Rumble, and Achievements

PS3:

Pros - Vader more balanced, Faster Loading with Install(360 will allow same), Controller more suited for Fighters.

Cons - no Voice Chat, No Trophys, No Rumble.

I have like tonight or 1 day for a decision.

First it was capcom so they could get more of the japanese market
then there was sega
before the Xbox they were going to buy nintendo
now it's take 2

Holy moly I would have to buy 360 then as I can't abandon the GTA series. Not good :(

It just goes too show that they are not a creative brand because when you try to buy out or copy your competitors, it shows how desperate you are at trying too compete. Then you are lowering your price on your merchandise too make people believe that you are selling the same product but at a better price. Sorry M$. I own a 360 and the product stinks, three quarters of your entire game library stinks and this is why you have too buy developers that do multiplatform games. You " supposedly " are trying too buy Take 2, who would that affect? Sony. Hit them where it hurts? It doesn't matter. Sony has been developing games and creating relationships with software companies for over ten years, for a prime example look at what games Rare has put out since being acquired by M$. Nothing, unless your into Viva Pinata.

Just because they squashed the rumour in 2007 doesn't mean they haven't changed their mind. Getting exclusivity on future GTA games could almost be worth it especially when you add in the impact of increased console sales by saying GTA is only on your console. Still pricey but if MS is trying to deal Sony a blow it may be worth it.

Having said that I dread the thought of GTA going to MS, Sony or EA. The franchise could be ruined if the devs at Rockstar began to jump ship which they probably would do if constraints are put on them.

i agree, this shows how desperate MS is. SONY has been doing this ever since 1995, how do you think they got all these developers under their wing.

People always say that Microsoft need more first party titles and companies.. This would definitely help Microsoft out. Take-Two have some amazing titles, and companies.

I doubt that if Microsoft bid for Take-Two that it would ruin it's "friendship," I mean, it's still business.

And, I would rather see Take-Two work for Microsoft rather than EA anyway.

listen i fully understand the history of B gates and the crap MS has done in the past, the hatred towards their OS(windows)was always visible and it seems to carry on to this Newer friendlier MS.

Like them or not and you can choose to hate them and most likely have a good reason for it, I will say this though, Nintendo has done bad things, made bad decisions, so has sony, so has sega, so has ford, so has gm, so has some major BANKS(you know , the place that hold peoples money....

I see MS as a different company then the one from years back, and this newer MS without bill has given us the XBOX, you cant deny its success and its early death was a timed one so let that be.

They are doing extremely well with the 360.

Games on the 360 are selling like gangbusters, and the zune isnt that bad and while ms sucks at search and while vista is pure death for a company that does so many different things and is new to it as well they really arent doing that bad.

They have made some smart moves that we think are dumb, such as freeing bungie, such as not going crazy buying devs.
while buying TT isnt the smartest move to many of you, I would disagree and say they better get them fast.

But thats if this is true....

GTA would be a big blow if only on 360'

But EA on 360 only would be the biggest and most diabolical defeat of the Ps3/World.

I know people love bringing up Microsoft's unwillingness to mess up their relationship with EA, but this is business and taking the GTA franchise away from Sony ENTIRELY would be a major coup from them!

i hope you guys know that rockstar is going to leave 2k in feb when their contract is up so then won't get rockstar

acquiring a large 1st party dev pool is thee most important thing for any console maker yet T2 on the back of GTA are for me artistically washed up. MS would be better off looking elsewhere.

Told you all!

I'm more so surprised people forgot the plan here. Let's recap.
Moore used to be a microsoft employee.
EA states that xbox is their main platform for development.
Moore leaves microsoft then joins EA.
EA pursues T2 forcefully, then fails.
Next up Microsoft.

Vote America.

If that happens then that would be probably one of the biggest things to ever happen in the gaming industry.

It would mean that the next GTA may be MS console exclusive, BioShock will forever be exclusive to MS. Midnight Club too and possibly even all Bethesda Software games like Elder Scrolls and Fallout.

Microsoft would become immortal. lol
I mean, if GTA were only to be released on a MS console and they made sure that everybody knows this they could seriously turn the game industry into a monopoly.

Let's hope they don't manage to get Take-Two

if this happens then fuuck GTA

because i wont support xbox nomore

i had 2 360s

sony is the best and im staying with my sony

All doubters, haters and fanboy bias aside... MS making this move now as opposed to last year makes sense.

Recently MS gave their investors report and one of the key areas of their report to Wall Street was that MS would continue to spend money to grow the business and they had no plans to cut back on aquisitions, etc... that would grow the MS portfolio.

Furthermore, MS understands increasingly how valuable their entertainment (xbox) division is to the future of the companies plans around being a center of the home media experience.

On top of that you have Shane Kim who recently admitted that MGS suffered a bit under his leadership and it didnt grow in the way he wanted it to.

As the 360 is maturing, and has pretty muched leveled the playing field with regards to 3rd party exclusives, MS realizes that the true battle will be waged with services and 1st party games. Sony dwarfs MS in the 1st party studio department. Sony's internal development house is one of the largest in the industry, MGS is not even half of what Sony has in terms of manpower. Adding a company like Take Two to the fold would given MS a huge boost internally and if handled correctly could be a great addition with very little risk to MS given the IP's Take Two carries.

Now with the Yahoo bid officially dead, that leaves MS looking at other areas of the company to strengthen. MGS would be a natural place for them to look given the looming needs for the 360.

I would rather EA take over TAKE TWO. The lesser evil.

hmm suprised...hope it happens they need it....one

To me this makes little sense. Like others have said why buy a whole company for a couple of good games? Why buy a company that produces very few good games? Why not just buy the exclusivity for those 'said' good games? If this does happen it will suck for Sony fans and well since just about every game TK2 makes is multiplatform it will change little for 360 owners. (except for a reason to predict the downfall of the Playstation)