Take-Two Interactive Software's Board Rejects Electronic Arts' Unsolicited Proposal as Inadequate

The Board of Directors of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. has confirmed that it has received an unsolicited proposal from Electronic Arts Inc to acquire Take-Two for $26.00 per share in cash. Take-Two's Board of Directors has thoroughly reviewed EA's unsolicited proposal with the assistance of its independent financial and legal advisors and concluded that the proposal is inadequate in multiple respects and not in the best interests of Take-Two's stockholders.
After careful evaluation, the Board has determined that EA's proposal substantially undervalues Take-Two's robust and enviable stable of game franchises, exceptional creative talent and strong consumer loyalty. We believe EA's unsolicited offer is highly opportunistic and is attempting to take advantage of our upcoming release of Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most valuable and durable franchises in the industry. Furthermore, the offer values the Company at a significant discount to its public peers and does not compensate Take-Two for its intrinsic value and the substantial synergies that the proposed combination would create.
Strauss Zelnick, Executive Chairman of the Board of Take-Two commented, "Electronic Arts' proposal provides insufficient value to our shareholders and comes at absolutely the wrong time given the crucial initiatives underway at the Company. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our creative and business teams, Take-Two has made enormous strides in the past 10 months toward our common goal of being the most creative, innovative and efficient company in our industry. We're extremely proud of our unique portfolio of game franchises, exceptional creative talent and loyal consumer following. Our Board believes that we will build greater value for our stakeholders by remaining relentlessly focused on our strategy and delivering on our mission of making the highest quality interactive entertainment."
- Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3 Coming to PSP System
- November NPD: Sony Lagging
- Game: Drive Around the World on Facebook
- Why Take Two Investors Shouldn't Worry
- Disney Wants Tougher Anti-Piracy Laws
- PSP World Looking for Writers
- Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker Release Date
- Rockstar Offers Free Album Download
- Is Logitech Making External UMD Drive?
- Great Advertising Opportunities Available on GameFlavor
- Motorstorm: Arctic Edge Review
- Chinatown Wars PSP Looks Better than DS Version
- PSP Minis Launch Title: Vempire
- MGS: Peace Walker Co-op Gameplay Video
- Konami Explains Silent Hill Psychological Profiling
- Spectrobes: Origins Preview and Videos
- PSP: Predicting the Hits (and Flops) of Holiday 2009
- Video Game Movies They Should Make (But Won't)
- Monster Hunter Freedom Unite Review
- Pangya Golf PSP Tips and Tricks
- PSP Go Launches in Japan
- Sony Hologram Display Will Blow Your Mind
- Fake PSP Go Better Than Real Thing?
- PSP Go Needs a Launch Party
- Accessory Overkill: Gold-Plated Video Cable for PSP
- Source: PSP Go Could Get Price Cut Before Release
- PSP 3000 Gran Turismo Bundle
- PSP Go Tear-Down Photos
- Sony Likely Planning PSP-4000 to Fight Piracy
- Will Free Gran Turismo Offer be Available in America?
Mr. Zelnick continued, "In addition to undervaluing key elements of our business, EA's proposal fails to recognize the value we are building through our ongoing turnaround efforts, which will further revitalize Take-Two. While we have made substantial progress already, the turnaround of our business which we initiated in June is not yet complete, and we believe its benefits have not been recognized in either our current stock price or in the value of EA's proposal."
Mr. Zelnick added, "While the Board believes that entering into discussions with EA at this time is not in the best interests of shareholders, we had offered to enter into a good-faith dialogue with EA to determine if our companies can reach common ground on the appropriate value of Take-Two as a first step to realizing a mutually beneficially transaction. However, given the great importance of the Grand Theft Auto IV launch to the value of Take-Two, the Board has determined that the only prudent and responsible course for our Company and its stockholders is to defer these discussions until immediately after Grand Theft Auto IV is released. Therefore, we offered to initiate discussions with EA on April 30th, 2008 (the day after Grand Theft Auto IV is scheduled to release). We believe this offer demonstrated our commitment to pursuing all avenues to maximize stockholder value, while we believe that EA's refusal to entertain this path is evidence of their desire to acquire Take-Two at a significant discount, whereas we believe this value rightly belongs to our stockholders."
Take-Two has a proven track record of creating and acquiring ownership of valuable new intellectual property. Grand Theft Auto is one of the industry's top franchises, having sold more than 65 million units to date. Over the past year, Take-Two has continued to expand its owned intellectual property portfolio, with two new franchises established - BioShock, one of the highest rated games of all time and winner of numerous "Game of the Year" awards, which has sold over 2 million units to date - and Carnival Games, a casual game for the Wii(TM), which has sold over 1 million units to date. Take-Two's other proven million-unit selling video game franchises include Midnight Club, Sid Meier's Civilization, Bully, Red Dead Revolver, Max Payne, Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis, Manhunt, Red Dead Revolver, Mafia, The Darkness, Spec Ops, Sid Meier's Railroads! and Sid Meier's Pirates! Take-Two also has powerful and growing sports franchises, with licenses for leading brands, including Major League Baseball(R) 2K, NBA(R) 2K and NHL(R) 2K, and proprietary sports brands, such as Top Spin, All Pro Football and Don King Presents: Prizefighter. Additionally, Take-Two has a partnership with Nickelodeon to publish video games based on top rated Nick Jr. titles such as Dora the Explorer and Go, Diego, Go!
As part of its turnaround plan, Take-Two has implemented a more streamlined and efficient operating structure, put in place a $25 million cost cutting initiative, instituted a disciplined Product Investment Review Process, restructured international operations to create a more efficient and responsive international organization, consolidated the majority of 2K Games and 2K Sports operations on the West Coast to increase efficiency and better support the growth of these labels, and sold its non-core Joytech business.
To continue to position itself for the future, the Company has begun to more aggressively leverage potential growth opportunities, with the acquisition of Illusion Softworks development studio and the formation of the 2K Play label to focus on the family and casual games market.
For more information, please visit http://www.transactioninfo.com/taketwo/.
Tasty Talk. Join the conversation on the GameFlavor Forums!
GameFlavor Forums
- Get Free Calls! Download Skype for PSP!
- Go PSP. Unlimited PSP Downloads!
- Net Games Now! Unlimited Video Game Downloads!
- Join over 3 million people enjoying the widest range of free games including RPG, sports, racing, FPS and more!
- Get access to the largest downloading network on the planet!
- Overload Your Console! Unlimited Movies Downloads For PS3, PSP!
- Get instant access to unlimited game downloads! No download fees!
Recommended Sites
- PSP. My Media Center! The best place to download Games, Movies, Music for PSP!
- PSP. Download for All! Experience the full entertainment potential of your handheld!
- PS3. Overload Your Console! Unlimited Movies Downloads For PS3!
- PS3. The Best Media Online! Get unlimited access to the largest download network on the planet now!
- Get instant access to unlimited PSP game downloads! No download fees! Join over 3 million enjoying free games, music, movies and TV shows!
- Get Your PSP Gear here!
- PSP Download Center Unlimited Access!
- PSP Expert - Unlimited Movie Game & TV Show Downloads!
- Unlimited Movie Downloads! iPhone, Wii, PS3, iPod, Xbox movies!


