EA "Doesn't Need" Take-Two

Electronic Arts says it doesn't need Take-Two and now claims the odds of a deal being done are "50/50."

The current deadline for EA's offer to acquire Take-Two Interactive expires on May 16 and Jeff Brown, EA's vice president of corporate communications, described the company's attitude as, "We're not desperate and there's a clock ticking."

Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick recently said the phenomenal success of the Grand Theft Auto IV release "vindicated" his company's strategy of resisting the EA takeover attempt prior to the game's release, but Brown countered that statement, telling GamesIndustry that there was never any question about the game's success or its impact on the deal. "It's always been mystifying as to why they thought it was important to wait," he said. "Everybody knew [Grand Theft Auto IV] was going to be fantastic; everybody new it was going to sell like crazy. So to suggest anyone was surprised by the success of the game, commercial or critical, is nonsense."

Brown said EA's original intention was to complete the deal prior to the Christmas season so it could use the company's publishing muscle to push out more copies of the game than Take-Two could have managed on its own, but the longer the acquisition takes, the less feasible that becomes. "The passage of time serves to weaken the value and the certainty of this deal," he said. "I think it's at best a 50/50 proposition," he said, adding that Take-Two is "not a strategic priority for EA."

"We think [Take-Two's studios] are really great teams, that they're creative people, and we would very much like to give them a home and access to our publishing capability, but we just don't need it."

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need has nothing to do with this deal imo. Greed is a better term

indeed, because if they wouldn't need them, why even bid?

EA is going to ''die'' if they don't watch what they are doing or even saying

Take Two doesn't need EA.

Hey. At least EA came up with a good copy protection system to keep their customers happy.

Widell:
Hey. At least EA came up with a good copy protection system to keep their customers happy.

If that SecuriCom system is a 'good' way to beat piracy, I'll eat my metaphorical hat.

Anyways, EA makes a big fuss about trying to acquire Take-Two, then says they don't need them? Someone's feeling rejected.

If you can't beat them, join them.

If you can't get them to join you, claim you don't need them.

You have to play somewhat neglecting if you want to date another company.

You get what I mean, it's probably a business strategy.

Is this turning into the "how to ask out business's" thread?

If this is a business strategy, I hope it works for them. Going this low just to acquire a company. It was EA who were going head over heels for Take Two to join them. Seems like a little bit of denial is there too.

GTA IV has been well received and given the company a fresh wad of cash to play with. I hope Rockstar continue to do what they want to do with their franchise.

However, I'm not really one for this legal takeover stuff.

lol EA you are so pretty when you pout