Ben-DutkaYou may remember the Take-Two/EA saga right around the time Grand Theft Auto IV arrived. Take-Two was a juicy piece of real estate at the time but the company opted to remain independent.
Now, however, they may be on the auction block once again. Take-Two might finally post a profit in a non-GTA year (their portfolio is increasing in size and quality), and it has been noted that investor Carl Icahn has been increasing his stake in the company; he has already used some power to make a few board changes. Also, CEO Ben Feder has left and according to Industry Gamers , Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia said an acquisition is possible-
"Reading between the lines, one might even argue that this management change is perhaps an early signal the company is getting closer to being taken out, especially given that the new COO Karl Slatoff's background is in strategic planning/business development."
He added that ATVI and ERTS might be interested and "Ubisoft could find TTWO an interesting partner" although the latter would be more like a merger. Combining Take-Two and Ubisoft would create quite the industry powerhouse; one would combine the likes of Grand Theft Auto , Bioshock and the 2K sports series with Assassin's Creed , Prince of Persia , and others. But as the article hints, if Activision Blizzard has their sights set on Take-Two, well…
Yeah, we may not be interested in the result.