Take-Two is selling Outer Worlds publisher Private Division because it says it’s in the “business of making great big hits” like Grand Theft Auto — but was Xbox the buyer?

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What you need to know

  • Take-Two Interactive, owner of Rockstar Games and 2K Games, has sold its Private Division publishing label.
  • Private Division previously published games like Obsidian’s The Outer Worlds and Moon Studios’ No Rest for the Wicked.
  • The buyer for Private Division is currently unknown, though sources have confirmed to Windows Central that it wasn’t Microsoft.
  • Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick says the sale happened because the company is interested in making “big hits” like Grand Theft Auto.

As a long-time follower and observer of the gaming industry, this recent news about Take-Two Interactive selling off its Private Division publishing label has piqued my curiosity. With a background spanning decades of watching companies rise and fall, merge and split, it’s always fascinating to see how these shifts affect the landscape of our beloved video game world.

Another gaming label has been transferred to new ownership, but what stands out is the lack of information available about the transaction.

Take-Two Interactive officially disclosed that it has transferred ownership of Private Division, a publishing label under its wing (which includes Rockstar Games, 2K Games, and Zynga), to focus on developing smaller titles in partnership with mainly independent studios. The identity of the new owner remains undisclosed, but Take-Two Interactive’s CEO, Strauss Zelnick, hinted to GamesIndustry.biz that the name will be revealed “soon.

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One party that can be ruled out is Microsoft, with Windows Central’s sources confirming that the Xbox platform holder is not behind the deal. The unknown buyer holds the rights to most of Private Division’s catalogue, including the upcoming Tales of the Shire: A The Lord of the Rings Game, though Take-Two is continuing to support Moon Studios’ No Rest for the Wicked.

Previously, Private Division collaborated with Obsidian Entertainment for the development of The Outer Worlds. However, the game was not released until 2019, a year after Obsidian was bought by Microsoft in 2018 and integrated into Xbox Game Studios. Despite this acquisition, Private Division retains the publishing rights for the initial installment in The Outer Worlds series, but it’s the sequel that is being published by Xbox.

Building bigger blockbusters

Earlier this year, there were whispers suggesting Take-Two Interactive might consider selling off its subsidiary, Private Division, following the closure of studios Intercept Games and Roll7 under its wing. According to Zelnick, the potential reason behind this move is that Take-Two focuses on big-impact titles like Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto series.

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In simpler terms, Zelnick states that their company excels at crafting large-scale AAA games. They boast the largest intellectual properties within the interactive entertainment sector and even among all entertainment industries. Their goal is to continue developing sequels for popular franchises as well as creating new successful intellectual properties.

Private Division’s team has shown exceptional dedication in assisting indie developers, with most of their projects achieving success. Yet, it’s worth noting that these projects were generally more modest in scope. We specialize in creating massive blockbusters instead.

In the future, Take-Two Interactive intends to release Grand Theft Auto 6 during Fall 2024, a game anticipated to be a massive sales phenomenon on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 platforms. Remarkably, Grand Theft Auto V, initially launched in 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, has sold over 205 million copies, placing it as the second best-selling video game ever, just behind Minecraft.

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2024-11-07 20:14