FirstCuts: Take Two Asks Shareholders To Pass

By Chris Littmann
Sports don’t start and end with a referee’s whistle. FirstCuts, a blog dedicated to sports culture, will cover everything outside the lines, from games to gear.
Yesterday brought news that Electronic Arts is pushing forward with its effort to purchase Take Two Interactive, which has gone hostile thanks to its cash offer.
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080225/87069.jpg]
Take Two is urging its shareholders to ignore EA’s offer of $26 per share, according to MCV. MCV also reports EA’s John Riccitiello is downplaying the importance of 2K Sports in a deal with Take Two, indicating the company is really interested in Rockstar, which makes the Grand Theft Auto series.
That would explain some of the urgency and the hostile nature of the offer at this point. The game is slated to release on April 28 and it is projected to sell 9 million copies. My take? 2K Sports might not be the primary motivation for EA’s hostile takeover attempt of Take Two, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a factor. They create a lot of operating cost for EA, and eliminating them only means more money. This is starting to feel inevitable. I’m going to go hold my copy of NBA2K for the Dreamcast and cry in the corner.
> Take Two tells shareholders to ignore EA | MCVUK.com↵