Rumour: Activision Looking To Buy GTA 5 Publisher Take-Two

Activision could be planning to make an offer to buy out Grand Theft Auto V publisher Take Two, according to a recent report from Benchmark analyst Mike Hickey. Both of the publishing giants are reportedly looking at getting into the movie industry, and Activision thinks its connections can help in bringing Take-Two franchises like GTA to the big screen. 

Between them Take-Two Interactive and subsidiary 2K Games own the rights to some massive series, including Civilization, BioShock, Borderlands, XCOM, and a host of 2K sports series. According to Hickey “acquiring Take-Two Interactive would be a no-brainer”, combining some of the strongest IPs and development talent in the world into a single entity.

Were a move such as this to go through the knock effects are unclear, although a shared interest in the movie business could finally see a big screen adaptation of Grand Theft Auto. Hickey also goes on to say that the decline in World of Warcraft subscriber numbers, the rise of Disney Infinity, and a muted response to Call of Duty: Ghosts suggests that Activision may be on the lookout for some fresher franchises. 

Of course the reason many gamers are fatigued by the Call of Duty series is down to the constant barrage of yearly releases, so the worry is that 2K’s franchises could see the same fate. In the event of such a deal Activision would own three of the strongest studios in the world in the shape of Blizzard, Bungie, and Rockstar Games. Take-Two has already been the subject of a takeover bid in recent years though, rejecting an offer of $2 billion back in 2008 from Electronic Arts.