Pachter: EA will acquire Take-Two

by Alexander Sliwinski { Feb 26th 2008 at 6:55PM }

Wedbush Morgan Securities' right-more-often-than-not analyst Michael Pachter believes that in the end EA will acquire Take-Two. Pachter prognosticates that EA will continue working angles for a takeover and is doing so to stop Take-Two's sports franchises, which he estimates will cost EA $150 million in operating profit this year. On Sunday it became public that EA was looking to gobble up Take-Two for $2 billion dollars, Take-Two quickly responded saying it wasn't interested. If EA does not acquire Take-Two then Pachter believes EA will attempt to ~~purchase~~ hire key personnel on teams like Rockstar and make its own version of Grand Theft Auto.

Even if EA were to gain the rights to the GTA franchise and key people like the Housers were to quit, Pachter imagines the GTA series would still make around $150 million every year even without Rockstar North as developer; although he admits if Rockstar North were still in charge of the franchise it would make about $600 million every other year. There's still much more info to pop out of this rabbit hole of acquisition soon -- time to work on our Ferengi post images.

Read: EA could make GTA games without Rockstar - analyst
Read: Pachter: Why EA Will Prevail and Acquire Take-Two

Tags: ea, pachter, take-two, taketwo

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

matthew_neitzer @ Feb 26th 2008 7:00PM

Firefly = Epic win

Anticrawl @ Feb 26th 2008 9:14PM

You have right same as any to live and try to kill people.

Hamson @ Feb 26th 2008 11:32PM

Firefly was the best thing to ever happen to TV.

You're asking yourself if I've got the security codes, why don't I go in, grab it for myself?

No. Actually, I was wondering… WHAT'S SHE DOING ON THIS SHIP?
....
We're in space! How'd she get here?

She hitched.

I don't recall pulling over!

Abscissa @ Feb 27th 2008 3:18PM

Shiny, a Firefly reference. Too bad some gorram people went and canceled it. (insert chinese vulgarity here).

Questworld @ Feb 27th 2008 11:54PM

I miss Firefly. I miss Brisco County Jr. too. Legend wasn't bad either. I love those shows. It seems all the sci-fi/westerns aren't doing as well as I'd like.

rom @ Feb 26th 2008 7:01PM

I miss Firefly. :(

*Cries*

Oh and I hope this isn't true. EA is big enough already.

Towers @ Feb 26th 2008 7:04PM

Yeah firefly was amazing. Such a shame it died after one series

Digital Fox @ Feb 26th 2008 7:11PM

Rumors are circulating about a second movie.

Take that with a pound of salt.

Towers @ Feb 26th 2008 7:24PM

A film would be great but another series would be so much better. There was so much more to learn about characters and so much story there. A film wouldn't do it justice

Nick the Hero of Canton @ Feb 26th 2008 8:13PM

I am a leaf on the wind.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!?!?

JerJer @ Feb 26th 2008 8:42PM

i believe it means his ship is nimble...is that too obvious?

meledeo @ Feb 26th 2008 8:55PM

Both of those lines were quotes.

ogvor @ Feb 26th 2008 11:16PM

I can kill you with my brain

Altairio @ Feb 27th 2008 10:27AM

Two by two...hands of blue...

tc @ Feb 26th 2008 7:02PM

i doubt EA will be satisfied until they've ran every single gaming franchise into the ground of their mediocraty

FidliousWong @ Feb 26th 2008 8:21PM

three years ago, I would have agreed. However, the EA of today is making considerable leaps forward. I mean, Army of Two alone is evidence. two years ago, that would have shipped broken but with a huge advertising budget.

JerJer @ Feb 26th 2008 8:42PM

keep up: it is broken

A Pissed-off English Gamer @ Feb 27th 2008 8:40AM

*Sows the seeds of EA hatred.*

Eh @ Feb 26th 2008 7:04PM

If EA breaks apart the GTA team and ruins the series then all hell will break loose.

CGamble20 @ Feb 26th 2008 7:06PM

This is really bad.

Just when I thought EA was getting it together a little, and Activision (who has temporarily dethroned them)was becoming the new bad guy in the gaming world...they do this...

I LOVE 2k Sports, and you already killed NFL 2k, and now you want to kill the rest of them.

GTA makes loads of money and they can't stand that, so they are ready to absorb that, and drive it to the dirt as well.

and so...once again...despite Activision acting like a douche, I find myself rooting for them again, so that EA stays out as the number one publisher.

Paul Blevins @ Feb 26th 2008 10:41PM

WOW, great to see the Panther Nation represented. Good to see you CGamble (if that's your real name)

CGamble20 @ Feb 27th 2008 11:53AM

haha, thanks.

Yep, one of the few Panther fan's that jumped the bandwagon the 03' super bowl season and is still a huge fan.(although I jumped Week 3ish, well before the super bowl) Most panther fans are terrible fair weathers.

and actually, the CGamble stands for Chris Gamble. Its a panther player.

Youthinized @ Feb 26th 2008 7:13PM

Is it cool to sing that song like out of nowhere? Because, I believe it is. Especially in public areas.

You'll never know who's a browncoat.

bill51 @ Feb 26th 2008 7:13PM

*sigh*

Here's me hoping GTA isn't ruined.

Marty @ Feb 26th 2008 7:14PM

Could EA just keep it's grubby paws off our devs?

zeke @ Feb 26th 2008 7:20PM

This just in: GTA: LXIX to be released in 2009!!!

Dracard @ Feb 26th 2008 7:22PM

The picture is even better when you realize there are no planes in GTA IV.

SithLibrarian @ Feb 26th 2008 7:23PM

God forbid this happens, but if EA manages to gobble up Rockstar, can you imagine what their version of GTA would be?

BigD145 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:37PM

My imagination doesn't have a "sewer" button.

Dustin @ Feb 26th 2008 7:27PM

YES - FIREFLY FOR THE HUGEST FUCKING WIN EVAR.

Hot damn Joystiq, you really know how to get a fanboy hott and bothered.

I NEED to go home and watch Firefly now. You have no idea.

Viridium @ Feb 26th 2008 7:35PM

If EA *does* buy Take-Two, they're going to go to a special kind of Hell.

Special!

T1 @ Feb 26th 2008 7:47PM

One with no money and people buy them

Viridium @ Feb 26th 2008 7:49PM

Actually I was referring to Our Mrs. Reynolds, but looks like my memory failed me, and it's a special LEVEL of Hell, not KIND. :(

Youthinized @ Feb 26th 2008 8:27PM

The special kind reserved for Child Molesters and people who talk in the theater.

StevenRafael @ Feb 26th 2008 7:51PM

Quick! Somebody start an online petition for gamers who hate EA, to get EA to fuck off.

tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 26th 2008 7:55PM

gamers pretty much did that when they announced they were buying bioware, didn't work that well.

Jonah Falcon @ Feb 26th 2008 7:52PM

Hey, it's Michael "I'm ALWAYS wrong!" Pachter!

Hey, Mike - let us know how EA can convince Rockstar to share all the GTA4 money that THEY'RE doing all the work publishing at this late date?

Maybe after GTA4, but no way IN HELL before.

CGamble20 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:48PM

Actually, if you read the article and found the link...you would see Patcher is basically 50/50 on his predictions.

Not that I agree with him.

Bucket @ Feb 27th 2008 10:31AM

My cat gives me better odds.

Let's ask her now. Do a backflip for yes, sit on your fat ass all day for no.
...
You heard it here folks.

tmacairjordan87 @ Feb 26th 2008 7:54PM

Bold prediction Pachter I bet no one could see this happening before you said it!

Grydah @ Feb 26th 2008 7:56PM

Wow. I had to join just to comment on that firefly reference. It made me tear up on the inside... :'(

Arttemis @ Feb 26th 2008 8:01PM

Ah, the 286th rule of acquisition:
EA has no soul beyond that of gathering the gold-pressed latinum.

Ripcord83 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:17PM

browncoats for life!

Batzarro @ Feb 26th 2008 8:41PM

Does "antitrust" have an H in it?

EdwinJ85 @ Feb 26th 2008 8:44PM

OMG.

Somebody quoted firefly in public...

Why was that show ever cancelled???

*cries*

mr sauce @ Feb 26th 2008 8:47PM

Fuck EA!!! They fucking suck ass! Quit trying to buy everyone that makes good games and just make your own fucking games. EA games suck so lets buy every developer known to man to make our games and slap our name on it. Fuck EA!!! EA is the devil!

BBXboy @ Feb 26th 2008 8:50PM

EA needs to f*ck off.

Mabui @ Feb 26th 2008 8:52PM

I seem to recall that Rockstar doesn't have to stay with Take Two, in fact, their contract is ending soon (I forget how soon) so buying Take Two at this point, for two billion dollars is like buying the sales of Grand Theft Auto for a limited time and using that against the price they are willing to pay as some sort of perceived discount.

Pure speculation but, I wonder if Rockstar is planning on jumping under the Sony Shield when it is all said and done (There were rumours on all future ones being Playstation leads, or even exclusives)

Jordan Biffle @ Feb 26th 2008 9:00PM

Does EA have to be top dog for every genre. I mean they destroyed all NFL games just cause they lost one year, they took most credit for Rock Band, yet they had nothing to do with anything but distributing it, and now they want to take a a great game company, and fuck with it, EA would censor the shit out of all of Rockstars games and totally ruin the GTA series. Oh, they also ruined Need for Speed with Most Wanted and every other game after that. Im also pretty sure that EA is going to take a stab at Halo with Peter Moore being close with Xbox and Microsoft owning the rights to the game.I can see it now, "Microsoft awards EA with development in next Halo game, Bungie told to screw yourselves".