This rumor is quite the tale
Rumors, ah, rumors. Something that’s very commonplace in the video game circles, with mere words that make even the most passive gamers want to stand up and take notice. The most recent one making the rounds is that Sony is aggressively looking to acquire Take-Two Interactive. Which Microsoft picking up several mid-sized companies over the course of the past few months, this rumor suggests that Sony is going right after the big guns. Perhaps getting ready for that PlayStation 5 launch?
The gaming community has seen the articles, the tweets and there’s an air of frustration, shock and disbelief being exhibited all at once. I’m right there with everyone as well, as this is really unthinkable. I literally can’t fathom this happening, yet, I’ve seen some unbelieve stuff happen in the past, so who knows.
For those wondering what the big deal is, think about this for a moment. Let’s try to rationalize this all. Should this actually happen, it means that Sony would own all the following IPs;
- Grand Theft Auto
- Red Dead Redemption
- NBA 2K
- WWE 2K
- Mafia
- Bioshock
- Civilization
- XCOM
- Midnight Club
- Max Payne
- Bully
- Manhunt
That’s just to name a few, I’m sure I’ve forgotten more games than I should have. But you get the idea.
Most, if not all of those games are available on other platforms. Should Sony actually be in the running to purchase Take-Two Interactive, and this actually happens then that all ends. Every one of those titles would be exclusive to the PlayStation brand and a huge blow to gamers on other platforms. For Sony, that means they’ll sell more consoles, so why wouldn’t they pursue this move? No more Xbox, no more PC, no more Switch games, unless Sony works out a deal similar to what Microsoft is doing with the Minecraft IP. I don’t even want to think about no more XCOM on the PC, it just scares me.
Doesn’t look like a nice picture, does it?
Now, I’m not opposed to companies buying out other companies. It’s the nature of the beast, I get it. However, when something of this multitude is even mentioned, I can’t help to wonder how these deals go down. Businesses are in it for money, we all know this. Yet, if you make titles that were one available on multiple platforms, then suddenly make them exclusive. I’m no rocket scientist, but isn’t that actually taking potential money off the table?
All those games sold on the other platforms means that Take-Two would make less money, all while owned by Sony. You could argue that Sony sales would be up, but missing a quarter million or billion of sales, despite being up is still a loss.
Mind you, rumors such as these always are constantly talked about. There’s always a company looking to buy another company, usually on a daily basis. Sometimes there’s even a fraction of truth involved. And just like this, I’m looking at this potential buy-out of Take-Two Interactive as nothing more than a rumor.
That is until we see some actual proof of this happening. Say like some confirmation from Take-Two, Sony or a named source who has the data to back up their claims. Which of currently, I’ve yet to see anything from anyone.
Until then, wake me up when it’s all over. Or until Microsoft wants to buy EA.
Update: Turns out this whole speculation stemmed from a rise in Take-Two’s stock and nothing more. No sources have come forth to confirm this, so this rumor has ended just as fast as it started. Thank goodness.
Source: Market Watch
