Gamertell

Take- Two’s press conference (10:45 a.m. PT, July 16, 2008) was shaping up to be an exciting start to day three of E3 considering they weren’t going to talk about a movie for an hour (I’m looking at you Capcom).  With the announcement of the Grand Theft Auto series coming to the Nintendo DS, it seemed as though Take-Two would have more information unveil about this and maybe some other games that are under development for the company. 

All-in-all the conference ended up being a yawn fest.  Some of the highlights from the show included the kid friendly Dora the Explorer games and new clips surrounding 2K’s NBA and NHL franchises. 

Click through for a recap of the conference…

MORE »

Two industry old-timers have combined to launch Music Video Games & Trade (MVG), a music games website.

The website, which will cater to music fans and casual gamers, is the result of the joint efforts of David Warhol, president of video game studio Realtime Associates, Inc., and Vincent Bitetti, a video game publishing executive and former CEO of TDK Mediactive (bought by Take-Two in 2004)…

MORE »

It looks like the Bioshock movie we’ve all been awaiting is actually going to come to fruition. According to Variety, Universal and Pirates of the Caribbean director Gore Verbinski will be bringing the dystopian world to the silver screen. John Logan, screenwriter behind Oscar-winning The Aviator will be penning the project.

Verbinski had a few apt words about the game experience that bolster hope that the project is in the right hands. From Variety:

“I think the whole utopia-gone-wrong story that’s cleverly unveiled to players is just brimming with cinematic potential...Of all the games I’ve played, this is one that I felt has a really strong narrative.”

Obviously, the game was one of the most complex, best-conceived narratives in recent memory (I’d say across media. It was one hell of a cool story), and I have very high hopes for the film. It certainly seems as if there’s real talent behind the production, so perhaps we’ll soon see the end of the “lame game movie night” mentality. Let’s hope.

Read [Variety]

Rockstar’s recently released epic, Grand Theft Auto IV, has been on the receiving end of a great deal of controversy for quite a while but parent company Take-Two Interactive is finally fighting back.

Take-Two is suing the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) for pulling all GTA IV related ads from buses and transit displays throughout the city just days after they were put up on April 22.  The ad campaign was supposed to last for six weeks.

Take-Two claims that by…

MORE »

While the streets might be safe for a few weeks while everyone is inside playing Grand Theft Auto IV: Vice City, it’s only a matter of time before hooligans decide to stretch their thumbs and break out of the family den or dilapidated tenement apartment (adorned with a 42 in. LCD screen cranked up to 1080p, natch).

This is the fourth time a GTA has cracked the skulls of our law- and god-fearing youth, and it’s hard not to see its influence everywhere. Take this piece in the Sunday New York Times Magazine about a group of former gang members who try to head off attempts at gangland shooting violence…

MORE »

There has been nauseating levels of acquisition talk in the videogame industry the past couple of months. Although EA hasn’t yet been successful in acquiring Take-Two, another major publisher is getting ready to go shopping for game companies. According to Reuters, game publisher THQ is contemplating a takeover. This leaves us to the question, is it among the mysterious “other bidders” that Take-Two talks about very often?

THQ CEO Brian Farrell told Reuters on Thursday (May 3, 2008) that there are some acquisition opportunities in…

MORE »

With Take Two’s board rejecting EA’s takeover offer, EA has softened its stand, though only a bit. It had previously set April 11, 2008, as the deadline but has deferred it by a week and reset it to April 18, 2008. Despite the extension, it still is keen to close the deal before the April 29, 2008, release of GTA IV. It has also amended its takeover proposal, which was coming after Take Two adopted the Shareholders Rights Agreement.

The most important amendment is regarding the shareholders rights agreement and it reads, “either (1) that Take-Two’s Board of Directors redeem the preferred stock purchase rights issued as a result of Take-Two’s adoption on March 24, 2008 of the stockholder rights plan, or (2) that EA be satisfied that such rights have been invalidated or are otherwise inapplicable to its acquisition of Take-Two.” EA feels that its $26 per share is fair and not undervalued. It also feels that this is the best offer for the Take Two shareholders.

Site [EA Investor Page] Read [Game Daily]

The board of directors of Take-Two has once again dismissed EA’s offer and termed it “inadequate in multiple respects.” But it remains open to other possibilities like a merger with a third party or EA. It has advised the company’s shareholders not to offer their shares to EA.

The board has ruled out the possibility of any mergers before the release of GTA IV (April 29, 2008). However, before the game’s release, it is ready to…

MORE »

A SEC filing from Take-Two Interactive indicates Electronic Arts isn’t the only company putting offers on the table for the publishing house that owns the Grand Theft Auto and 2k Sports franchises.

The filing suggests that Take-Two occasionally gets word that other firms are interested in putting up a buyout bid and, since EA made their offer, there’s been no dearth of such interest. The filing included documents for an annual stockholder meeting to be held April 10, 2008…

MORE »

Wedbush Stanley’s lead videogame analyst, Michael Pachter, believes that Electronics Arts might have launched its bid for Take-Two in order to take control of the latter’s sports game division, 2K Sports, which is its only notable competitor in the sports game genre. He told Game Politics that the $26 a share price that EA has offered is fair enough and rebuffed any likelihood of any bidding war for Take-Two.

“I do not think there’s another bidder,” Pachter said. “I don’t think there’s any prayer of a bidding war.” He further suggested that it didn’t make sense for…

MORE »