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RUMOR: Activision Eyeing Takeover Bid of Take Two

08:35 PM - February 11, 2011 by RaychelSnr

It appears we have a new bombshell of a rumor to follow very closely in the sports gaming universe, as Take Two -- owners of the 2K Sports Brand -- appears to possibly be a takeover target of Activision, owner of the Call of Duty franchise.

Quote:


	"An eventful week for Activision rolls on: rumours are circulating at the highest level that the company is eyeing a shock acquisition of rival Take-Two. If true, and if successful, the bid would bring blockbuster brands and hit studios under one roof � Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, BioShock and World at Warcraft, all living together. On Wednesday, Activision proved it isn't afraid to abandon any under performing franchise as it focuses on the best of the best. Adding teams like Irrational and Rockstar Games to its stable would only underline that."

This rumor is all about the merger of the Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto brands, but it would have huge implications for our genre as well if it were followed through with real action.

The fate of 2K Sports in this merger would be a huge question mark, since Activision has the resources to develop sports games and chooses not to for the most part. Would they continue a relatively popular brand and/or expand it given their already skeptical view of sports games? That's a good question, but the already thin 2K Sports lineup could become a lot thinner in the event of a takeover by Activision.

There is no indication we are going to see this followed through into more than a rumor, but all big stories usually start out as a rumor. We'll keep a close eye on this one to see what happens. What do you guys think of the rumor?

Member Comments

# 21 debauchlord @ 02/14/11 11:55 AM

This merger is all about Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar. Not to take anything from 2k Sports, but Rockstar is an international goldmine. Activision has said that they have little interest in new projects that won't generate revenue, so why not use your WoW warchest and purchase the biggest / best franchise out there? Makes business sense, but I won't be surprised either if Rockstar tries for autonomy or self publishing. Take Two's financial statements are atrocious outside of GTA release years.

# 22 Westside Poseidon @ 02/14/11 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by debauchlord


	This merger is all about Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar. Not to take anything from 2k Sports, but Rockstar is an international goldmine. Activision has said that they have little interest in new projects that won't generate revenue, so why not use your WoW warchest and purchase the biggest / best franchise out there? Makes business sense, but I won't be surprised either if Rockstar tries for autonomy or self publishing. Take Two's financial statements are atrocious outside of GTA release years.

I agree with almost everything in your post. 2K Sports is really an afterthought here, as Rockstar is the prize. Beyond the GTA series, Rockstar has some great properties like Bully, L.A. Noire, and especially Red Dead Redemption. Activision getting Rockstar would probably mean we'd be seeing yearly releases of these, a very depressing thought. The quality of the games would suffer, as the main focus would be online multiplayer to please people like the guy who said NBA 2K11 sucked because the online wasn't great.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Modern Redemption - John Marston comes back to life as a black ops agent fighting against Russian warlords. The single player is only three levels, most of which is spent playing in slow motion after a giant explosion.

# 23 luv_mist @ 02/16/11 12:06 AM

I hope that whatever happens, t2 is given free reins to guide their product. By the way, I thin Activision is officially the number one gaming house followed by Electronic Arts. Honestly, if Activision can put aside the short-term mindset, I'd definitely rest a bit easier at night. I'm curious to know if any of the guts of T2 would jump ship if the quality was being compromised. I was looking at the games that Activision put out. They are so seriously lacking over there. I think that's why EA is primed to leapfrog them for first place again. If only that football license could find a way to be shared again.......

# 24 Cusefan @ 02/16/11 07:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Westside Poseidon


	I agree with almost everything in your post. 2K Sports is really an afterthought here, as Rockstar is the prize. Beyond the GTA series, Rockstar has some great properties like Bully, L.A. Noire, and especially Red Dead Redemption. Activision getting Rockstar would probably mean we'd be seeing yearly releases of these, a very depressing thought. The quality of the games would suffer, as the main focus would be online multiplayer to please people like the guy who said NBA 2K11 sucked because the online wasn't great. Red Dead Redemption 2: Modern Redemption - John Marston comes back to life as a black ops agent fighting against Russian warlords. The single player is only three levels, most of which is spent playing in slow motion after a giant explosion.

That last paragraph is really funny, but so true. I like to compare cod games to hollywood movies, modern warfare is like a fun, mindless movie( Bad Boys 2, Rambo). Basically the plot is made after all the cool special effects scenes are planned. 2K on the other hand has created unique games like Bioshock and anything rockstar makes.

Activision may give 2k a bigger budget but they will milk their franchises for all they are worth. Everyone keeps saying they want choices but this merger would create less quality titles. Activision or EA buying 2K is just bad news for us gamers

# 25 linkboy @ 02/16/11 10:10 AM

This would be a double-edged sword.

On the plus side, Take Two would finally have the financial backing to go after EA. Activision has enough power to make a play for the NFL license (and you can bet they would try).

On the downside, its Activision.

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