Take-Two Interactive is among the most well-known publishers in the video game space, being the parent company of Rockstar Games and 2K Games. Now, the company is taking a big step into the mobile and social games space, as it has announced the acquisition of Zynga to the tune of US$12.7 billion (~RM53.3 billion).
According to the press release by Take-Two Interactive, Zynga stockholders will get 64.5% of the transaction in the former’s stock, while the remaining will be in cash. As for leadership, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick will be leading the combined company, while Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau and president of publishing Bernard Kim will oversee the mobile side of things.
This deal is especially significant because of the said value of US$12.7 billion. Even the deal where Microsoft acquired Bethesda parent Zenimax Media was valued at US$7.5 billion. And Take-Two is spending this much on a mobile and social game maker.
On one hand, this deal likely means that we’ll see more Take-Two Interactive mobile games coming up in the foreseeable future. But on the other, we’ll also probably see more egregious free-to-play mobile game monetisations in full-priced console and PC titles. Not that the publisher is a stranger to such things, considering the reception of recent NBA 2K games.
(Source: Take-Two Interactive via AFP / Twitter)
