1000°

About those rumors Sony is buying Take-Two...

How "purely unconfirmed market speculation" turns into headlines around the industry.

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gamesindustry.biz
AspiringProGenji2501d ago

Take Two is too big to be bought out so I don't know. I know Sony and Rockstar have been buddies since the PS1 days but that's about it. It's probably a deal

darthv722501d ago

Nobody is too big to be bought out. It all comes down to if they are in the mood to be bought out and if the offer is to good to pass up.

In this case though, I'd agree its prob just to make a deal for GTAVI or something for the next gen.

AnthonyDavis2501d ago

Sorry but this news is bigger than Brexit and Boeing crash.

AnthonyDavis2501d ago

The question is if it’s worth to buy them out. Rare was $4 billion in 2005. Minecraft was some money too.

blacktiger2501d ago

Rare cost $300 million USD not billion

DillyDilly2500d ago

I doubt Take Two would let any main GTA game be Console Exclusive thats cutting out a fan base & missing sales on a very big franchise

AnthonyDavis2500d ago

^
I mixed up the $4 Billion with the RRoD fiasco being a $4 Billion loss.

^
Also how do you cut out the fan base. Just go buy all the consoles.

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cardo2501d ago

For the Million Dollar Man

rainslacker2501d ago

Sony could buy me out for $20, and a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone....but if they come knocking, I'll demand two scoops, because I know they have the money.

SuperSonic912501d ago

There is always a bigger fish.

silvacrest2501d ago

Disney bought Fox for over $50 billion....anything can be bought for the right price

RosweeSon2501d ago

Exactly and that’s after they’ve just bought Star Wars

Ceaser98573612500d ago

Even if this is true, I believe Rockstar wouldn't want to go exclusive

OpenGL2501d ago (Edited 2501d ago )

They're worth about $10 billion right now as of the close of trading. In Sony's last quarterly report they were sitting on $13 billion in cash and $10 billion in marketable securities so they could make the purchase if they wanted to, the question is are they worth $10 billion? I'd say yes if Sony sees Playstation as being their only real path into the future given struggling smart phone sales, and how other divisions are stagnating or are simply not very competitive.

Artemidorus2501d ago

Sony losing 10 billion isn't the right time to consider.

As a whole the company isn't doing amazing things, PlayStation brand has given it a huge boost though.

rainslacker2501d ago

They wouldn't really be losing that money though. They'd be reassigning their assets from one thing, to another. Having cash is good as it means you don't have to get lines of credit when you want to maneuver. Most new CEO's in many industries worth their salt tend to sell off what isn't working to gain cash to do just that. The whole purpose of making money, is to make more money, and you don't do that by sitting on it. Buying T2 would add that worth to their company. Just like how MS spending all that money on Minecraft didn't reduce the value of their company. In some ways, such acquisitions can increase the value of the company, as potential revenues are also seen as something worthwhile to investors.

If they brought T2, and then reduced its worth some how, probably by making it a 1st party and removing a large bulk of its revenue stream, then it'd be losing an asset, at least in the short term. The long term would likely still see a return, so the value would come back...but as of right now, Sony shouldn't be trying to do that. While they've gotten over their financial troubles they had at the end of last gen, they still aren't in the strongest position to start trying to monopolize an industry.

gangsta_red2500d ago

Honestly, I don't see this being real but I definitely wouldn't dismiss this as being entirely untrue.

Thinking more about this, with MS on an aquisition spree, trying to put their service on every device seemingly going hard for next gen, Nintendo Switch being a hot mobile hybrid console device gaining a lot of ground and with Google supposedly now entering the console space, I could see a reason for Sony to aquire a developer that has some of the most popular IPs in the world and making them exclusive to PlayStation.

I mean with GTA, RDR, Sony would also have NBA 2K, imagine that and Sony's MLB series together only on PlayStation.

It would definitely be a smart business move to secure a number 1 position automatically for next gen to have a new GTA, a new NBA and anything else from this dev coming only to PlayStation.

OpenGL2500d ago

Prior to their Q3 2018 results Sony's previous 2 quarters were record highs for them. A purchase of this isn't Sony "losing 10 billion" it's them acquiring assets theoretically worth 10 billion. Not the same thing at all because we know for sure a large part of it will generate revenue, the question is whether it generates enough revenue to justify spending $10 billion. If it would guarantee Playstation is around and dominant 20 years from now such a purchase might be warranted.

That said I don't think this will happen for multiple reasons. It's as you point out a very expensive purchase, it may not pay off long-term, and it might also upset 3rd parties that now see themselves having to compete even more with Sony's first party offerings.

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RosweeSon2501d ago

No company is too big to be bought out except maybe Disney now who amongst other things have the billion $ Star Wars franchise and are now in process of merging with fox

Kribwalker2501d ago (Edited 2501d ago )

i’d say it be damn near impossible to buy MS amazon apple google

UltraNova2499d ago (Edited 2499d ago )

Krib,

No they can't be bought outright, but they could be forced into a merger, almost the same thing as far as corporate dealings are concerned.

rainslacker2501d ago

That's not really true. They're worth about 10 billion. Went up due to the stock increase. But Sony doesn't have to buy the whole company, just a controlling share. Only reason to buy all shares is if they want to remove it's public status.

I do find it funny that gameindustry.biz is trying to call out how unsubstantiated rumors are used to make headlines, as they are probably one of the most guilty of doing this, and they disguise themselves as being somehow in tune with the business side of the industry, when they're just another click bait tabloid site.

I miss the old Gamasutra which was much more respectable with things like this, and actually got people who understood what was going on to write their articles.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 2499d ago
isarai2501d ago

It makes headlines not so much because people believe it, but because it sounds so crazy, and it would be very interesting to see what these two powerhouses could achieve together to say the least. Like the only people pushing game tech and detail more than Sony is R*, put them together and it sounds.... like.... WOAH!

Jin_Sakai2501d ago

It was a pretty detailed leak also. They even listed the price they were likely paying per share.

italiangamer2501d ago

That's the strangest part for me, how could they come up with that specific share price if it was normal chatter based on nothing as the analyst said?

Meanwhile on an italian site I read that Take-Two replied saying that they don't comment on rumors and speculations, basically they didn't confirm nor deny it.

Maybe someone just spilled the beans too early.

ziggurcat2501d ago

"Meanwhile on an italian site I read that Take-Two replied saying that they don't comment on rumors and speculations, basically they didn't confirm nor deny it."

Anytime anyone makes that kind of PR statement, it usually indicates that the rumour is true.

porkChop2501d ago

That's the thing. Those prices had no source. They guy who was quoted as the source said he never said any of this. So someone literally fabricated this rumour and came up with fake numbers.

As for why Take-Two's stock rose suddenly? Gearbox teased Borderlands 3, which is published by 2K. That's a huge game that will create a lot of hype.

ziggurcat2501d ago

"They guy who was quoted as the source said he never said any of this."

That's not what he said. He said he hadn't spoken to anyone over the phone, but someone could have seen a trade note he made.

gangsta_red2501d ago

@ziggurcat

The note also said...

"Kulina did release a note today that included the bit MarketWatch quoted under a heading specifying, "TTWO M&A CHATTER MAKING ROUNDS...+2.5% - NO SOURCE **UNCONFIRMED**"

No source, unconfirmed.

It's strange to see you entertain this idea from unconfirmed sources and yet not believing the rumors during the whole Crash being multiplat issue not long ago, that had way more proof than this.

SierraGuy2501d ago (Edited 2501d ago )

We need to face the facts. ® Is where they are today because of SONY and PS2 started it all.

This would surely prevent the next GTA and RDR and all other titles from appearing on next Xbox and Google/MadBox.

rainslacker2501d ago

If the majority stake holder of T2 was in negotiations to sell his shares, which is what this rumor is, then he would not in any way comment on such a thing. That is akin to insider trading(although I believe it's called something else in that case), as it would push up the share price immediately, or in some cases cause it to drop significantly if investors felt there may be trouble brewing. It's considered unethical and illegal by the SEC, and most other world governing bodies for such things. It's only after a deal has been made that it can be made public. Often times, it does get rumored, especially if it can raise the price, because it does give the seller a better position to bargain from, but it won't be officially commented on.

Kribwalker2500d ago

@ziggur

“There is nothing behind this story that I've seen," Kulina told GameSpot. "No one has found a source. Market chatter refers to simply what we hear on trading desks--happens daily, just more surprised this has gone viral like it has."”

Yep this has a basis to be believable? HA! I find it quite ironic that you would find it believable, someone that typically lives on undeniable proof before he entertains...

Michiel19892500d ago

@italian
beccause they can look at the current share value and just add 10% or whatever. takes 20 seconds of work to do that.

google "Take two shares" and you are basically done. then pick a random number between 0.8-2 and multiply the shareprice by it

+ Show (6) more repliesLast reply 2500d ago
gangsta_red2501d ago

Sure was an exciting morning!

Eonjay2500d ago

Lol I love it too. The back and forth is entertaining.

ILostMyMind2501d ago

lol

Some people were so shaken by this rumor that they had to create news denying it.

Ricegum2501d ago (Edited 2501d ago )

I laughed when I saw this article. Such damage control over a rumor.

solideagle2501d ago

Sony will censor the shit out of GTA /s :D

AspiringProGenji2501d ago

GTAV hasn’t been censored plus R* is one of those devs who doesn’t give an F about controversies and SJW. They must be used to it by now

rainslacker2501d ago

They didn't censor RDR2. I think Sony is still going to be careful about censoring the big games, because it brings more attention to what they're doing. It's why I think the policy will be unequally applied, and mostly pertain to games which don't sell as much.

attilayavuzer2500d ago

@Aspiring
Dan Houser literally made a statement a few months back that they're shelving GTA for a while because of the current political climate. That Rockstar was worried about the social repercussions of making another game now.

Atom6662501d ago

Not to give them too much credit, but wouldn't any real journalist follow up and investigate the rumors and report on it? I set the bar low, but I would certainly hope someone looked into it further.

I checked out the IGN article too. It sounds like this may have been pure speculation turned to fabrication.

Who knows though. Would be pretty crazy.

Ausbo2500d ago

It’s gamesindusty.biz

A very legitimate site. Not a fanboy blog

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60°

Rockstar launches official marketplace for mods

Rockstar has launched an official marketplace for "every server and every player" to buy mods: Cfx Marketplace.

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gamesindustry.biz
Christopher2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

I wonder how much of this isn't just taken work of others who have modded for free.

Edit: Also, great way for R* to take popular ideas and build them into GTAVI based on demand.

fr0sty10h ago

What I see happening here is, R* is going to ban mods in GTA6 UNLESS you buy them from the marketplace and R* then gets a cut of that sale.

ActualWhiteMan13h ago

Ah, perfect timing with them taking down the Bully online fan mod. Greedy a$$ company.

Christopher10h ago

It's okay as long as they get a cut of the money.

fr0sty10h ago

Expect R* to force it on you.

Snookies124h ago

Yep, right there with you. I'll happily donate to a mod creator if it looks really cool, or if I enjoy it. But expecting payment up front? Nope, not touching it.

IanTH9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

I'm not entirely sure how to read this, as it doesn't seem exactly like an exact parallel to Bethesda's paid mods shenanigans.

Rather than single player stuff, this appears to be aimed solely on Cfx Servers. From what I've gleaned, apparently Rockstar bought the Cfx mod team several years ago, coming a few years after weird contentions led them to ban a few of their members. Ultimately, the question is if they plan to keep this contained to only online/servers.

I have to guess to a degree yes. It'd be pretty hard to "force" paid mods for single player when modding files locally on your own machine, but much easier for servers they'll control. So perhaps this is their soft launch ahead of GTA6 online and they'll clamp down more tightly on non-official servers going forward? Ever since they've become a 1 or 2 property studio, I haven't really cared much for Rockstar stuff, so I'm not entirely up on everything surrounding this. Sounds like it has the potential to be problematic further down the line, but right now fairly easy to ignore...I think lol.

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50°

Kotick claims lawsuit objecting to MS-Activision deal was "tied to Embracer's desire to boost sales"

Former CEO describes lawsuit filed by Swedish pension fund as a "collateral attack" on Activision Blizzard.

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gamesindustry.biz
OpenGL1d 6h ago

Yeah, the Microsoft deal has DEFINITELY worked out for everyone.

galgor1d 3h ago

Can this mother fucker just get lost already

PRIMORDUS1d 2h ago

He belongs in here ⚰️, hopefully sooner than later.

MrDead11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

Kotick Made $155 million from MS in the buyout, the little b*tch needs to stop whining. Thanks to this Microslop deal and massive industry consolidation thousands upon thousands of devs and other workers lost their livelihoods. This greedy piggie pervert needs shut up and f-off.

40°

An Update to Our Shared Commitment to Safer Gaming

Discover how Sony Interactive Entertainment, Nintendo, and Microsoft continue to collaborate to improve player safety across our platforms.

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sonyinteractive.com