Ubisoft + Take Two = More $$$?
In the middle of Electronic Art’s dreadfully slow takeover dance with Take-Two, it’s been speculated that the affair could ascend into a veritable ménage a trois, with Ubisoft now being marked as a potential future suitor for the Grand Theft Auto publisher if it continues to spurn the Redwood giant.
A Forbes report postulates on a possible partnership between Ubisoft and Take-Two, following Take-Two chairman Strauss Zelnick’s comments in the company’s second quarter call on Thursday that he’s “had and continues to have formal discussions with interested parties” over any future mergers or sales.
It’s certainly a compelling fit, and with Take-Two still proving resistant to Electronic Art’s advances – with the most recent offer standing at $25.74 and with a total value of $2 billion expiring on June 16 – it’s not wild to speculate that other companies may step into the ongoing saga. As Forbes’ report suggests, whilst Activision is effectively ruled out given its recent merger with Vivendi, Ubisoft – who is known to harbour a desire to expand its sports portfolio and would relish getting its hands on the 2K Sports brand – emerge as the most viable partner outside of Electronic Arts.
There are of course hurdles in place of any potential pairing – Ubisoft isn’t as laden with cash as Electronic Arts, so may have difficulty in raising the required funds, and the fact that Electronic Arts also purchased a 19.9% share in the French company at the tail end of 2004 in a move that was described at the time as hostile may well prove a significant barrier.
Confused? Well, brace yourself for further baffling twists as the ongoing Take-Two/EA story threatens to embroil the entire industry into one big money swilling reverie.
Source. Images from Gamespress. Copyright 2008 ubisoft.
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POSTED IN: Game Publishers, Rumors, Take Two, ubisoft
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