Take-Two News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

Take-Two Interactive, the publisher behind Grand Theft Auto, has announced plans to cut around 5 percent of its workforce, or around 600 people.

Earlier this month, as spotted by Twitter user MauroNL, Polish developer People Can Fly decided to cancel the new action/adventure IP codenamed Project Dagger.

Lawyers and parents are taking on the video game industry. There are eight lawsuits currently active in North America that seek to address video game addiction. All have been filed within the past two years, and most argue that the targeted video game companies, including Activision Blizzard, Epic Games, Microsoft, Roblox, Nintendo, Take-Two Interactive Software, and Sony Interactive Entertainment, make their games purposefully addictive as a way to keep people playing, and, ultimately, to get them to spend lots of money.

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Grand Theft Auto owner Take-Two has announced it's laying off around five per cent of its more than 11,500-employee-strong workforce in an effort to save $165 million annually. Around 600 full-time workers will be affected by the layoffs, and some unannounced games within the publisher are to be cancelled as a result. Take-Two declined to say what the projects are.

One former GTA 5 developer says they "barely recognize the game I worked so hard on" after seeing it in VR combined with an ultra-realistic graphics mod, and has revealed that Rockstar's lack of interest in making anything similar is part of why they stopped working there in the first place. 

Take-Two Interactive, publisher of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, has just reduced its workforce by laying off around 5% of its staff.

Grand Theft Auto maker Take-Two is laying off five per cent of its workforce as part of a new cost cutting program.

It's unfortunately time for yet another round of layoffs in the gaming industry as Take-Two Interactive announced a 5% reduction of its workforce. This translates to around 600 employees and follows similar reductions announced in the last few months by the likes of Epic Games, Riot Games, Microsoft, Sony, and Electronic Arts, not to mention many other such situations that occurred at smaller studios like Supermassive Games and Hidden Path Entertainment to name a couple.

Take-Two Interactive has announced they will be laying off 5 % of their workforce, and cancelling several games in development.

Take-Two Interactive, the powerhouse behind the beloved Grand Theft Auto franchise, including the highly anticipated GTA 6, is scaling back its staff and shelving certain gaming ventures. This move reflects a broader trend of restructuring and layoffs within the gaming realm in recent years.

Take-Two Interactive is embarking on another cost cutting program, and this one will see the company layoff about 5% of its employees by the end of the year.

GTA 6 publisher Take-Two Interactive has announced it's laying off 5% of its workforce and canceling several projects.

Take-Two Interactive plans to lay off 5 percent of its workforce, or about 600 employees, by the end of the year, as reported in an SEC filing Tuesday. The studio is also canceling several in-development projects. These moves are expected to cost $160 million to $200 million to implement, and should result in $165 million in annual savings for Take-Two.

Take-Two Interactive Software, the parent company of 2K, The Gearbox Entertainment Company, Private Division, and Rockstar Games, will lay off about five percent of its workforce, or around 600 employees, the company announced.

Take-Two Interactive Software is in an Ohio court this week to fight a lawsuit over the use of Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James’ tattoos in its games. Tattoo artist Jimmy Hayden first sued Take-Two in 2017 over the use of several tattoos he made for James that were reproduced in NBA 2K games from 2016 to 2020.

Following the sale of Gearbox to Take-Two, Gearbox Publishing, which wasn’t part of the sale, has rebranded.

Following Embracer Group’s sale of Gearbox Entertainment, Gearbox Publishing has rebranded to Arc Games. The newly minted label will handle publishing for Hyper Light Breaker when it launches, as well as other Gearbox projects.

Take-Two has announced plans to acquire Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group, in a deal reported to be worth $460 million. The buyout makes logical sense, as Gearbox Entertainment will operate under the framework of 2K Games, which has long been the publisher of the popular Borderlands series. It’ll be led by founder Randy Pitchford.

Less than a day after the news that Take-Two Interactive would acquire Borderlands developer Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group, layoffs have already begun. In the hours since former Gearbox employees were made redundant, they've taken to Twitter, and while the total number of staff impacted remains hard to determine, it sounds significant.

After failing to close a $2 billion deal with Saudia Arabia’s Savvy Games Group, in June of last year, Embracer Group announced that it would be shuttering studios, cutting jobs, and cancelling games as part of a significant internal restructuring program in order to get its finances back into shape. That restructuring program is now finally over, with Gearbox Entertainment’s sale to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million seemingly being the final major step of that process.

Embracer Group finally confirmed that it is selling Borderlands studio Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive, but there’s a catch: Embracer Group will retain ownership of Gearbox Publishing.

Alongside the announced acquisition of Gearbox by Take-Two Interactive, publishing subsidiary 2K Games has also confirmed that the next Borderlands game is in active development.

Take-Two is acquiring Gearbox Interactive from Embracer Group for a cool $460m.

We knew Gearbox Software was about to be sold by Embracer, and today, Take-Two announced it had reached an agreement to purchase the 25-year-old Texan developer for $460 million.

More major changes are afoot on the business side of the video game world, as a notable name is changing hands once again. Take-Two Interactive (the parent company of Grand Theft Auto publisher Rockstar and others) has agreed to buy Gearbox Entertainment from the embattled Embracer Group. The deal is worth $460 million in stock and is expected to close by June 30. It had been rumored for several months that Embracer was planning to sell off Gearbox.

Gearbox Entertainment has revealed that Borderlands 4 is in "active development," and is but one of several projects the developer plans to release with new owner Take-Two.

Take-Two Interactive has confirmed that Borderlands 4 is in development. But that’s not all they’re working on.

Troubled gaming conglomerate Embracer announced Thursday that it has agreed to sell Gearbox Entertainment, the studio behind the Borderlands games, to Grand Theft Auto publisher Take-Two for $460 million.

A good few months after a sale was first reported to be on the table, Embracer has now confirmed the sale of Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million. This brings Gearbox in house with long term publishing partner 2K Games, who still had publishing rights to the Borderlands franchise, even with the developer under Embracer’s ownership.

US publishing giant Take-Two has acquired Gearbox Entertainment for $460 million, entirely in new stock. 

Gearbox is now part of the Take-Two Interactive Family, in a deal that’s a fraction of what Embracer paid to originally acquire them.

Take-Two Interactive Software will acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Company from Embracer Group in a $460 million deal, the companies announced (2).

Take-Two will acquire developer Gearbox from Embracer for $460 million.

Embracer Group has officially divested Gearbox Entertainment, selling the division to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million.

Embracer Group has been itching to sell some of its recently acquired studios for quite some time now, having seemingly had eyes bigger than its belly during its spending spree a couple of years ago. Borderlands creator Gearbox Software was one of the developers lined up for a potential sale, and it's now been confirmed that Take-Two is the publisher to have acquired the studio.

The hiatus is over and the Florida Joker has reignited his feud with gaming giant Rockstar Games. Lawrence Sullivan, known for his striking resemblance to a character in the GTA 6 trailer, took to TikTok on March 16, 2024, and he expressed disinterest in engaging with the gaming franchise. Yet, just a day later, on March 17, 2024, Lawrence Sullivan aka Florida Joker resurfaced with another video directed at Rockstar Games.

The buzz surrounding the eagerly anticipated GTA 6 has reached new heights over some new reports. Rumours have it that the possible release date of GTA 6 trailer 2 may well be in May 2024. The gaming community has been on the edge of their seats since the debut of the initial trailer two months ago, sparking fervent discussions and speculation anew over these new claims.

Even as the countdown to the highly anticipated release continues, a GTA 6 leak might have unveiled a thrilling gameplay feature that fans have decoded. And although the exact GTA 6 release date remains elusive, the speculated window of 2025 is under debate as Take-Two Interactive struggles with revenue issues. Initially, GTA 6 launch was suggested between January to March, 2025, but recent adjustments hint at a possible April 2025 release or perhaps even later. While speculative, the excitement surrounding GTA 6 remains palpable.

As anticipation builds for the release of GTA 6, fans are delving into the realm of speculation fueled by a recently uncovered an AI-linked patent from Take-Two Interactive. The patent, which outlines a method for virtual navigation in a gaming environment, has ignited curiosity within the gaming community, particularly among those eager for more insights into the highly anticipated title.

GTA 6 release date: Earlier this month, the GTA 6 release date was tipped when Rockstar Games had its annual earnings conference call. During the meeting, Take-Two Interactive representatives discussed the roadmap for the upcoming fiscal years in terms of revenue and profit. It also shed light on the possible GTA 6 release date. Fans have been awaiting any news on Rockstar's sequel to GTA 5 and the arrival of the GTA 6 trailer last year has only added fuel to the fire. Now, a recent report suggests that the GTA 6 release date could be pushed back. Know when it could come out.

According to recently revealed sales data from publisher Take-Two, it looks like Sony's PS5 has outsold Microsoft's Xbox Series X|S by a factor of roughly 2:1. Microsoft stopped trumpeting console sales a while back, so getting to a concrete number requires taking a slightly circuitous route.

Rockstar Games, the renowned developer behind the Grand Theft Auto (GTA) series, has kept fans eagerly waiting for the release of GTA 6, which is slated for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Although the company has hinted at a 2025 release, an official date remains undisclosed, fueling speculation among enthusiasts. Recently, analysts at Wedbush Securities introduced a surprising forecast, diverging from previous expectations.

The anticipation surrounding GTA 6 has ignited a surge in interest for decades-old GTA Trilogy titles on Netflix's gaming platform. Take-Two Interactive CEO, Strauss Zelnik, revealed during a recent earnings call that the "Grand Theft Auto Trilogy" dominated downloads on Netflix Games following the announcement of "GTA 6."

Just when fans thought Rockstar's much-anticipated GTA 6 launch may be edging closer, a recent financial insight suggests a more defined timeframe for its arrival. The sequel to the wildly successful GTA 5 was formally acknowledged by Rockstar as being in development, accompanied by a tempting glimpse in the form of the first trailer unveiled in December 2023. However, since then, details have remained scarce, with only cryptic hints offered within the video. And now some parent company Take-Two Interactive Software data is suggesting a delay in GTA 6 launch.

There have been several anticipated game releases but Grand Theft Auto VI might easily overshadow them. This is a game installment fans have been waiting years to receive. Rockstar Games has been chipping away at the game project and it would have been underwraps for a rather long time until the breach. If you recall, a series of leaks caused gameplay footage and details of the game to emerge online. But it wouldn’t be until the end of last year when Grand Theft Auto VI was finally showcased to the world. 

It’s a dismal time to be in video game development, as companies continue to announce layoffs. Now, Take-Two Interactive – the parent company of Rockstar – is looking to enact a “significant cost reduction plan,” but it doesn’t necessarily mean redundancies.

Lawrence Sullivan, better known as the Flordia Joker, has been in the news a lot recently. It all kicked off when the trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6 dropped, clearly referencing his unique appearance. Since then, Sullivan has demanded compensation in the millions from Rockstar, but so far, he hasn't even had a response.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says the company has “no current plans” for layoffs, despite the launch of a strategy to reduce costs across the company.

Amid an industry with extensive layoffs, including Activision-Blizzard post-acquisition by Microsoft, publisher Take-Two Interactive is looking to avoid the same. Following an earnings call for its recent fiscal report, CEO Strauss Zelnick told Variety, “We have no current plans for layoffs.

US publishing giant Take-Two has said that it is upping its cost-cutting plans in an effort to reduce its margins.

GTA 6 is scheduled to release sometime in 2025, and the sequel's publisher said during a financial results call that it's looking for perfection before the long-anticipated open-world game finally launches.

Take-Two Interactive Software's latest financial forecast has cast doubt on the timeline of GTA 6 release, indicating a potential delay beyond March 2025. The company's projections for fourth-quarter bookings fell below market expectations, prompting a 10 percent drop in its shares following the announcement. This may well hurt GTA 6 launch unless the company thinks that the game will have an instant positive impact.

Alongside the company’s latest earnings report, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has been reflecting on the effects of the recent Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer leak.

Lawrence Sullivan, the man behind viral internet personality 'Florida Joker', has once again released a statement directed toward GTA 6's alleged parody of his persona. This time, he's asking to work on the hugely-anticipated crime fest. 

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick has said the company, publisher of Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, has «no current plans» to layoff staff as it continues to pursue its cost reduction program.

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Take-Two Interactive has an interesting response to gamers upset with what the company does with the in-game currency they buy. In an ongoing dispute over whether money is essentially stolen when a game’s servers shut down, Take-Two characterized in-game virtual currency as “fictions created by game publishers.”

GTA VI was unsurprisingly brought up several times during Take-Two's Q3 2024 earnings call. When an analyst from BMO Capital Markets asked how the publisher and Rockstar would settle on the release date, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in response:

Take-Two Interactive has issued a trademark dispute over alleged similarities between the logos of Remedy and Rockstar Games.

A new report suggests that planned story DLC was scrapped due to internal rifts at Rockstar Games, as well as the sudden emergence and rise in popularity of GTA Online.

The CEO of Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar Games’ parent company, says AI will help studios produce higher-quality games. However, he doesn’t believe it will make game development faster or cheaper.

A story has been doing the rounds that Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of GTA publisher Take-Two, thinks games should be priced by the hour.

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