Tag Archives: Take-Two

Ex-Battlefield developer Ben Cousins has spoken out about the industry’s switch from physical to digital, and warns that Ubisoft and Take-Two might not survive the move.

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PlayStation Hong Kong has listed Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas available for download from 12 December.
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So you wanna be a rock superstar? And live large? Big house? Sue Rockstar? No, no you don’t. All kidding aside, the backing singer for popular band Cypress Hill that sued Rockstar two years ago has officially lost his $250 million lawsuit.

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GTA 5 publisher Take-Two has teased in an investor call that the upcoming open-world game’s DLC will feature plenty of “interesting stuff” when it is released.

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Hurricane Sandy’s wrath has affected almost too many to count over the past few days, and now it has inconvenienced one major video game publisher as well.

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GTA 5 chatter and rumour-milling is set to go into overload once again tomorrow, as the Take-Two Q1 2013 investor call kicks off at 4:30 PM eastern time.  Read all about it here.

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Two studios under the 2K Czech brand have been the target of a redundancy program that trimmed their staff by more than 40 developers.
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Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has addressed rumours of any impending acquisition offers following the company’s recent massive success, saying it likes being independent.

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Update: An Activision rep, unsurprisingly, replied to us with a quick, no frills “Activision doesn’t comment on industry rumor and speculation.” As always, we’ll fall back on an old cliche: that’s not a “no.”

Original Story: “Saw it coming.”

Said the man who got blindsided by a speeding train.

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Digital distribution may be a growing part of Take-Two’s business, but company head Strauss Zelnick doesn’t think the days of shiny boxes on store shelves are over just yet.

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Duke came here to finish development and chew gum. And he’s finally all out of gum.

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After failing to win over Take-Two back in 2008, EA CEO John Ricitiello called the whole courtship a “waste of ink.”

3D Realms’ Scott Miller, however, thinks he should give it another shot.

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The ESRB seems to have sprung a leak the size of Sony, yet game publishers keep letting it in on all their darkest secrets. And hoo boy, does this one look dark. According to an ESRB listing, Rockstar’s set to release an AO version of Manhunt 2 on the PC.

So, what makes this new version so rough and tough that even the extreme maturity of a 17 year-old can’t handle it? “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs” — you know, the usual suspects, but probably without that weird strobe thing that used to happen when you killed people.

Thanks, Joystiq.

With BioShock 2, Red Dead Redemption, and Max Payne all banished to the far off temporal land of 2010, Take-Two isn’t expecting much in the way of profitability this year. The company stated as much during today’s conference call.

However, the publisher repeatedly noted that 2010 has become a promised land of sorts, with the above major games and many “unannounced titles” slated for release next year.

Analyst Jesse Divnich of EEDAR, especially, thinks there are good things in store for Take-Two. He gave Joystiq his two cents.

“The news of BioShock 2 being delayed into fiscal 2010 has drastically changed my view on the Take-Two. I originally anticipated that Take-Two would outperform the industry in fiscal 2010. Now, I expect them to dominate fiscal 2010.”

Roll with the punches, Take-Two. Never back down.

Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick, during today’s Take-Two conference call, noted that BioShock 2′s delay can’t be blamed on any single platform.

“[The delay is] not related to any specific platform or any specific element of it. I would say generally there are some development issues.”

The game’s been pushed into the first half of 2010, much to gamers’ dismay.

During today’s Take-Two conference call discussing the delay of BioShock 2, Take-Two’s Ben Feder and Strauss Zelnick said the move was taken due to Take-Two’s “emphasis on quality.”

“We’re paying the price for that emphasis with today’s delay,” they added.

Even so, Take-Two ensured that it continues to focus on quality, in spite of a potential loss of money.

“There’s no shortage of incentive for everyone who’s part of Take-Two to deliver quality, timely results.”

So there you have it.

Update: During today’s Take-Two conference call, the publisher clarified BioShock 2′s new release date slightly, saying that the game will launch within the first half of 2010.

BioShock 2, originally scheduled for an early November release, has been delayed. As a result, Take-Two has announced that it’s significantly reducing its fiscal guidance.

Now floating in the nebulous purgatory of Take-Two’s fiscal 2010, a concrete release date for BioShock 2 has not been set. Fiscal 2010 begins in November, though, so the delay’s probably nothing to sneeze at.

“We recognize that our revised outlook for the balance of fiscal year 2009, due to both internal and external factors, is a disappointment. That said, we concluded that moving the release of BioShock 2 into fiscal year 2010 was the right decision for the product. We believe the result will be a more compelling consumer experience and a better performing product in the marketplace,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

See the full press release after the break.

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Last week, select members of the press received an actual, physical, gramophone-not-included BioShock 2 record from Take-Two. After scouring the MP3-ridden wasteland that is earth for a gramophone, Kotaku listened to the thing.

Its two sides contain what Kotaku describes as a “Rapture anthem,” interrupted only once by the sounds of a Little Sister wondering if Big Daddy will come and find her. Guess our dreams of Big Daddy starting an East vs. West coast rap feud will have to wait.

Apparently, this continues a story started in the first BioShock 2 promotional item, in which someone was searching for his “daughter.” Are these hints at the plot structure of BioShock 2? Probably.

Game’s out this fall. Click through the link if you fancy a look at the song’s lyrics.

Gather ’round, kids. It’s story time. Shacknews recently couldn’t avoid stumbling over new documents pertaining to the Take-Two and 3D Realms’ Duke Nukem Forever feud because — hoo boy — within those documents lies one tall tale.

In essence, Take-Two claims that 3D Realms/Apogee wouldn’t agree to develop an Xbox 360 version of the now debatably deceased game, so Take-Two began searching for another developer to get Duke ready for his Xbox 360 close-up. This, of course, meant that 3D Realms would have to provide source code for the outsourced port.

However, that assured screaming match between Take-Two and 3D Realms never even had a chance to occur, because 3D Realms then imploded, taking DNF’s source code with it. Thus, Take-Two sued 3D Realms, since — according to the “agreement” Take-Two hasn’t been seen without since this whole thing began — 3D Realms was obligated to provide source code for the project.

Here’s where things take a turn for the outlandish, though. Take-Two believes 3D Realms has more money than it’s been letting on, claiming said secret mattress stuffed with cash is hidden in an “off-shore account.”

“Upon information and belief, Apogee has title to a substantial amount of funds deposited in an off-shore account, which Take-Two believes Apogee can use to fund its outstanding obligations,” reads the suit.

The Duke developer, of course, says the allegation is rubbish.

“3DR has been in nearly a dozen lawsuits (including against Warner and Fox). We’re always innocent, and we always win. This one is no exception. Give it a year, then the truth will come out,” said 3D Realms/Apogee founder Scott Miller.

More through the link, if you can believe it.

You owe it to yourselves to sit down for a couple of minutes and watch some new footage of 2K’s stunning looking action sequel, Mafia II.

We’re saying no more.

Game’s out in 2010.

OK, we lied.

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