Take-Two Interactive
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | September 30, 1993 in Delaware, United States |
| Founder | Ryan Brant |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Strauss Zelnick (Chairman), Ben Feder (CEO) |
| Products | Video game franchises including BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, Red Dead |
Number of employees | 658 (as of 2001) (2001) |
| Website | www |
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is a United States-based video game holding enterprise headquartered in New York City. It was established by Ryan Brant in September 1993.
The corporation controls three principal publishing divisions: Rockstar Games, Zynga, and 2K, each managing their own internal development teams. Take-Two introduced the Private Division label to back independent game creators but divested it in 2024. The company also created Ghost Story Games, formerly known as Irrational Games under the 2K umbrella. To strengthen its position in the mobile gaming sector, Take-Two acquired studios including Socialpoint, Playdots, and Nordeus. Moreover, it possesses a 50% ownership interest in the professional esports entity NBA 2K League via NBA Take-Two Media. Its catalog features major franchises such as BioShock, Borderlands, Civilization, Grand Theft Auto, NBA 2K, WWE 2K, and Red Dead.
By April 2025, Take-Two ranked among the largest publicly listed game companies globally, with an estimated market value near .
1993–2000: Establishment and Early Expansion
Take-Two Interactive was launched in 1993 by Ryan Ashley Brant (1971–2019), the son of media executive Peter Brant. A graduate of Wharton, Ryan Brant aimed to build a video game publishing firm to secure funding as an emerging entrepreneur. With $1.5 million sourced from family and investors, Take-Two was incorporated in Delaware on September 30, 1993, with Brant serving as CEO. Early contributors included John Antinori and Mark Seremet, the latter divesting his shares in 1998. Initially partly located in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, the firm acquired InterOptica in 1994 and appointed Catherine Winchester as its inaugural president. That year, Take-Two entered a distribution partnership with GameTek for global release of five titles.
The company’s initial achievements came through full motion video games starring well-known actors such as Dennis Hopper in Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller (1994), which achieved sales exceeding 300,000 units. The 1996 release Ripper featured actors like Christopher Walken and had a production budget of $2.5 million. These accomplishments resulted in publishing deals with Acclaim Entertainment and licensing agreements to publish on Sony's PlayStation consoles. In 1995, GameTek acquired a stake in Take-Two, linking it with Alternative Reality Technologies.
By the mid-1990s, Take-Two relocated its headquarters to New York City’s Silicon Alley while expanding its Latrobe branch. Generating approximately $10 million annually by 1996, the company acquired Mission Studios and published JetFighter III. To support growth and acquisitions, Take-Two went public on April 15, 1997, securing roughly $6.5 million through its NASDAQ IPO under the ticker TTWO. Peter Brant held the largest share at 25%. Following the IPO, acquisitions included GameTek’s European operations and internal developer Alternative Reality Technologies (later Rockstar Toronto), along with rights to various GameTek titles.
In 1998, Take-Two purchased BMG Interactive’s assets for around $14.2 million in stock, acquiring the Grand Theft Auto intellectual property. This acquisition led to establishing Rockstar Games alongside key industry figures Sam and Dan Houser, Terry Donovan, and Jamie King to produce similar titles—a strategy credited by EA executive John Riccitiello as pioneering the "label" corporate model that became widespread across the industry. The Grand Theft Auto series marked Take-Two’s first significant commercial triumph with sales surpassing 1.5 million copies.
The company also enhanced its distribution network by acquiring DirectSoft Australia and Jack of All Games in 1998 for $16.8 million, consolidating distribution under the Jack of All Games brand. In 1999, it acquired DMA Design (renamed Rockstar North) and invested in Gathering of Developers and Bungie (later transferred to Microsoft). That year also saw Take-Two purchase Ontario-based distributor Triad Distributors along with publisher Global Star Software.
In March 2000, Take-Two acquired Israeli developer Pixel Broadband Studios for $50.4 million but divested it later that year to Gameplay.com for £34.1 million in shares, reflecting strategic portfolio realignments amid rapid expansion.
2001–2006: Expansion through acquisitions and regulatory challenges
In February 2001, Ryan Brant, the company's founder, resigned as Take-Two's CEO and assumed the role of chairman, with Sumner stepping in as the new CEO. At that point, the workforce numbered 658 employees. Under the Rockstar label, Take-Two produced sequels to the Grand Theft Auto franchise, including Grand Theft Auto III (2001), Vice City (2002), and San Andreas (2004). By 2003, the company’s revenue had exceeded . The Take-Two publishing brand was replaced in 2002 by Gotham Games, a label that was short-lived.
In 2004, Take-Two purchased the rights to the Civilization franchise from Infogrames for , while also planning a takeover of Vivendi Universal Games.
The year 2005 saw Take-Two engage in rapid growth through multiple acquisitions totaling over . A key purchase was Visual Concepts and Kush Games from Sega for approximately , which included ownership of the 2K brand and exclusive licenses for Major League Baseball video games. This move came after Sega withdrew from the sports game sector following Electronic Arts securing exclusive NFL and ESPN licenses. Subsequently, Take-Two established the 2K publishing label to manage these newly acquired assets and restructured its internal development teams accordingly.
Additional acquisitions during this period involved Firaxis Games in November 2005 for about , utilizing its Civilization license to publish Civilization IV, and Irrational Games in early 2006 for roughly , integrating it into the 2K label prior to releasing BioShock. The company also acquired PAM Development for , gaining control of the Top Spin tennis game series.
Throughout these years, Take-Two encountered regulatory investigations. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) examined allegations that the company had inflated revenues through so-called "parking transactions," estimating a fraud amount. A lawsuit lodged in 2001 accused Take-Two of misleading its investors. As a result, the company restated financial statements covering several quarters between 2002 and 2004. In March 2004, Brant stepped down as chairman and was succeeded by Richard Roedel. After SEC complaints filed in 2005, Take-Two paid a fine; Brant and other executives incurred additional penalties totaling approximately . Brant fully resigned in October 2006 following a period of disability leave.
In a separate SEC probe regarding options backdating, Brant was found to have received over 2.1 million improperly dated shares. He admitted to falsifying records but avoided imprisonment by cooperating with investigators; he paid a $7.3 million penalty and was prohibited from holding executive positions in public companies. Brant died in March 2019 at age 47.
Take-Two also confronted legal issues stemming from the Hot Coffee modification in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which revealed concealed explicit content inconsistent with its ESRB rating. The company resolved Federal Trade Commission charges in 2006 regarding deceptive advertising by paying fines and agreeing to comply more rigorously with content rating standards. In September 2009, Take-Two settled class-action lawsuits related to both the mod and shareholder claims concerning options backdating for $20.1 million.
After a fire in 2006 damaged a portion of Take-Two's New York headquarters, the company moved its 2K label to a 65,000-square-foot facility at Hamilton Landing in Novato, California, early the following year. In September 2007, Take-Two collaborated with Nickelodeon to introduce the family-oriented 2K Play label, complementing its existing 2K Games and 2K Sports divisions while taking over publishing responsibilities from Global Star. Later that December, Take-Two expanded its presence at Hamilton Landing by founding 2K Marin.
Amid SEC investigations and the fallout from the Hot Coffee incident, discussions of a potential takeover surfaced during the March 2007 board meeting, especially following a $163.3 million loss in 2006. Major shareholders—such as OppenheimerFunds, S.A.C. Capital Management, Tudor Investment Corp., D.E. Shaw Valence Portfolios, and ZelnickMedia—controlled 46% of shares and sought to appoint Strauss Zelnick, founder of ZelnickMedia, as chairman while replacing existing management. Zelnick brought extensive executive experience from leadership roles at BMG, 20th Century Fox, and Crystal Dynamics. Analyst Michael Pachter endorsed the takeover to enhance corporate governance. Although CEO Paul Eibeler pursued potential buyers like EA, no agreement was reached before shareholder voting. On March 29, 2007, shareholders approved the takeover, leading to Zelnick naming Ben Feder as CEO. By 2015, Zelnick remained the largest voting shareholder.
Following this acquisition, Take-Two reorganized in mid-2007 to better align executive leadership, management, distribution, and sales according to business discipline rather than geographic location. The company implemented workforce reductions ranging from 5% to 15%, shuttered several European offices consolidating operations into Geneva, and initiated plans to divest its distribution division Jack of All Games.
In February 2008, Electronic Arts (EA) proposed an all-cash bid of $25 per share—approximately $1.9 billion—for Take-Two, later increasing the offer to $26 per share after initial rejection. At that time, Take-Two’s stock was trading near $10 per share. EA CEO John Riccitiello viewed this acquisition as a strategic response to Activision’s purchase of Vivendi Games aimed at reinforcing EA’s market position. However, Take-Two’s board and Zelnick declined the offer citing concerns over price and timing but remained open to negotiations after the April 2008 launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, a title considered pivotal to EA’s interest. The deal would have removed EA’s principal rival in sports gaming. Despite continued bids throughout 2008, EA withdrew its pursuit by September after Take-Two rejected proposals deemed insufficient.
2008–2018: Continued growth
In September 2008, Take-Two transferred all distribution responsibilities formerly handled by Jack of All Games to Ditan Distribution LLC—a Canadian optical media producer—allowing Jack of All Games to focus on licensing and distributing third-party products. By December 2009, Take-Two exited the distribution sector entirely by selling Jack of All Games to Synnex for approximately , redirecting focus solely toward game development and publishing.
Ben Feder resigned as CEO in 2010 and was succeeded by Strauss Zelnick, who continues as chairman and CEO. In January 2013, Take-Two acquired publishing rights for the WWE video game franchise from the dissolving THQ; thereafter, 2K Sports released annual WWE 2K titles.
Around 2013, Take-Two repurchased roughly 7.5 million shares (about 10% of outstanding stock), including buying back approximately 12 million shares from activist investor Carl Icahn for around . This buyback demonstrated confidence ahead of Grand Theft Auto V’s September 2013 release—which sold nearly 100 million copies by 2018 and generated estimated revenues exceeding , propelling stock value more than sixfold.
In December 2013, former Marvel editor-in-chief Bill Jemas joined Take-Two to establish Double Take Comics in October 2014; however, this imprint was discontinued in November 2016 due to underperformance. Leslie Benzies, ex-president of Rockstar North, took a sabbatical in September 2014 before departing in January 2016; subsequently filing a $150 million lawsuit against Rockstar and Take-Two over unpaid royalties.
Take-Two expanded into mobile gaming by investing in developer Scopely in July 2016 and acquiring Social Point for approximately in February 2017. That same month marked a partnership with the NBA to launch the NBA 2K League—a professional eSports competition managed by an established sports organization with teams partly sponsored by NBA franchises; its inaugural season began in May 2018.
On May 31, 2017, Take-Two acquired Kerbal Space Program, followed by unveiling its Private Division publishing label on December 14, aimed at supporting mid-sized independent studios with titles including Kerbal Space Program.
By early 2018, Take-Two relocated its New York headquarters from NoHo to a more than 61,000-square-foot space at Bryant Park to accommodate Rockstar Games’ expansion within their shared premises. CEO Strauss Zelnick participated in a White House meeting on video game violence in March 2018 following the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
On March 9, 2018, Take-Two joined the S&P 500 index alongside EA and Activision Blizzard. The company initiated a $308 million stock repurchase program anticipating robust financial results from October’s release of Red Dead Redemption 2. In related legal matters that month, Benzies’ lawsuit against Take-Two was largely dismissed but upheld his right to certain royalties.
In 2018, Take-Two issued legal warnings against Benzies’ new venture Royal Circus Games for alleged intellectual property violations; Benzies subsequently rebranded it as Build a Rocket Boy Games. Additionally, Take-Two contested Royal Circus Games’ hiring of former Rockstar North employees as misleading regarding affiliation.
In January 2019, Take-Two and the NBA extended their licensing deal for NBA 2K games with a seven-year agreement worth , estimated to generate at least 15% of Take-Two’s revenue from this series—underscoring its substantial market impact and growth within sports gaming.
2019–present: Growth and Studio Acquisitions
In February 2019, Take-Two launched a new 2K studio based in Silicon Valley, with Michael Condrey, the former co-founder of Sledgehammer Games, at the helm. This studio initially focused on developing a yet-to-be-revealed project. By 2020, the studio was rebranded as 31st Union and expanded by opening a second branch in Spain to work on a significant new intellectual property.
Rockstar Games expanded its operations in May 2019 by purchasing Dhruva Interactive from Starbreeze Studios for $7.9 million. This acquisition integrated Dhruva’s 320 employees into Rockstar India. Later that year, Rockstar introduced its proprietary game launcher, which offered digital distribution, DRM services, multiplayer functionality, and communication tools.
In 2020, Take-Two established Intercept Games under its Private Division label in Seattle to continue the development of Kerbal Space Program 2, incorporating talent from the former Star Theory Games team. In March of the same year, 2K Sports secured a long-term publishing partnership with the NFL to produce non-simulation football titles beginning in 2021.
Take-Two strengthened its mobile gaming segment in August 2020 by acquiring Playdots for $192 million. In October, it further expanded by purchasing Ruffian Games—later renamed Rockstar Dundee—recognized for contributions to Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Crackdown 3.
In November 2020, Take-Two made an offer of $973 million to acquire Codemasters; however, Electronic Arts outbid them with a $1.2 billion proposal in December, prompting Take-Two to withdraw its bid by January 2021.
February 2021 saw the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia purchase 3.9 million Take-Two shares valued at $826 million.
In March 2021, 2K acquired HB Studios, known for developing PGA Tour 2K21, thereby securing rights to the PGA Tour franchise and appointing Tiger Woods as executive director and consultant. That same month, 2K also acquired HookBang’s games division—renamed Visual Concepts Austin—to support the ongoing development of the NBA 2K series.
Take-Two continued expanding its mobile portfolio in June 2021 by acquiring Nordeus, creators of Top Eleven Football Manager, for $378 million; subsequently, this segment was rebranded as T2 Mobile Games.
In January 2022, Take-Two announced a $12.7 billion acquisition of Zynga through a combination of cash and stock aimed at enhancing its mobile gaming capabilities. The transaction received shareholder approval and was finalized in May 2022.
By October 2022, Take-Two decided to close Playdots and transferred ownership of Two Dots to Zynga.
March 2023 brought Take-Two’s acquisition of GameClub, a mobile subscription service. That month also involved workforce reductions at Private Division and Firaxis Games affecting an undisclosed number of staff members.
In March 2024, Take-Two revealed plans to acquire The Gearbox Entertainment Company from Embracer Group for $460 million; the acquisition was completed in June. Embracer retained control over certain studios and intellectual properties previously under Gearbox Entertainment.
April 2024 witnessed a reduction of approximately 5% of Take-Two’s workforce—around 579 employees—as part of cost-saving efforts and cancellation of multiple unannounced projects. Two months later, Intercept Games was closed.
In July 2024, SAG-AFTRA initiated strike actions targeting Take-Two and other publishers over concerns related to artificial intelligence safeguards protecting voice actors’ rights and likeness usage within video games.
Company structure
Take-Two Interactive's main executive offices and worldwide headquarters are situated in New York City. Its European operations are located in Windsor, Berkshire, while the Asian branch operates out of Singapore. As of 2018, the company primarily conducts its business through two wholly owned publishing entities: Rockstar Games, based in New York City and known for action-adventure franchises such as Grand Theft Auto; and 2K, headquartered in Novato, California, which includes the subdivisions 2K Games, 2K Sports, and 2K Play. 2K Sports focuses on creating sports simulation titles like the NBA 2K series, 2K Play develops games targeting family audiences, and 2K Games oversees most other internal projects alongside select third-party collaborations.
In addition to these labels, Take-Two possesses Social Point, a developer specializing in mobile gaming. Since their inception around 1997–1998, each publishing label has functioned as an independent corporation with its own management team, infrastructure, and responsibility for profit and loss.
The company has transitioned away from physical manufacturing and distribution toward digital publishing and partnerships with third-party retailers. Starting in 2016, digital sales across PC, console, and mobile platforms have accounted for roughly half of Take-Two’s total revenue.
In November 2024, CEO Strauss Zelnick revealed plans to sell Private Division to an undisclosed purchaser to concentrate more on AAA and mobile gaming sectors. Simultaneously, Take-Two shut down studios Roll7 and Intercept Games but will maintain support for No Rest for the Wicked, while transferring five other game titles to the acquiring party.
Publishers
| Name | Location | Founded or acquired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2K | Novato, California, U.S. |
| ||
| Rockstar Games | New York City, U.S. |
| ||
| Zynga | San Mateo, California, U.S. |
|
Former
| Name | Location | Founded or acquired | Closed or divested | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Double Take Comics | New York City, U.S. |
| ||||
| DVDWave.com | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| ||||
| Gathering of Developers | New York City, U.S. |
| ||||
| Global Star Software | Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| ||||
| Gotham Games | New York City, U.S. |
| ||||
| Jack of All Games | West Chester, Ohio, U.S. |
| ||||
| Joytech | London, England |
| ||||
| On Deck Interactive | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| ||||
| Pixel Broadband Studios | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| ||||
| Private Division | New York City, U.S. |
|
November 2024 | |||
| Take-Two Licensing | Westlake Village, California, U.S. |
| ||||
| TalonSoft | Baltimore, U.S. |
| ||||
| Techcorp | Hong Kong, China |
| ||||
| Telstar Electronic Studios | Walton-on-Thames, England |
|
Developers
| Parent | Studio Name | Headquarters | Established or Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2K | 2K Chengdu | Chengdu, China | 2011 |
| 2K Madrid | Madrid, Spain | 2020 | |
| 2K Sports Lab | Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada | 2023 | |
| 2K Valencia | Valencia, Spain | 2021 | |
| 2K Vegas | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. | 2006 | |
| 31st Union | Foster City, California, U.S. | 2019 | |
| Cat Daddy Games | Kirkland, Washington, U.S. | 2003 | |
| Gearbox Software | Frisco, Texas, U.S. | 2024 | |
| Cloud Chamber | Novato, California, U.S. | 2019 | |
| Firaxis Games | Sparks, Maryland, U.S. | 2005 | |
| Hangar 13 | Novato, California, U.S. | 2014 | |
| HB Studios | Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada | 2021 | |
| Visual Concepts | Novato, California, U.S. | 2005 | |
| Dynamixyz | Cesson-Sévigné, France | July 2021 | |
| Ghost Story Games | Westwood, Massachusetts, U.S. | 2017 | |
| Rockstar Games | Rockstar Australia | Sydney, Australia | 2025 |
| Rockstar Dundee | Dundee, Scotland | 2020 | |
| Rockstar India | Bangalore, India | 2016 | |
| Rockstar LA | Santa Monica, California, U.S. | 2023 | |
| Rockstar Leeds | Leeds, England | 2004 | |
| Rockstar Lincoln | Lincoln, England | 1998 | |
| Rockstar London | London, England | 2005 | |
| Rockstar New England | Ballardvale, Massachusetts, U.S. | 2008 | |
| Rockstar North | Edinburgh, Scotland | 1999 | |
| Rockstar San Diego | Carlsbad, California, U.S. | 2002 | |
| Rockstar Toronto | Oakville, Ontario, Canada | 1997 | |
| Cfx.re | Unknown | 2023 | |
| Zynga | Nordeus | Belgrade, Serbia | 2021 |
| Socialpoint | Barcelona, Spain | 2017 | |
| BossAlien | Brighton, England | 2022 | |
| Chartboost | San Francisco, California | 2022 | |
| Echtra Games | San Francisco, California | 2022 | |
| Gram Games | London, England | 2022 | |
| NaturalMotion | London, England | 2022 | |
| Peak Games | Istanbul, Turkey | 2022 | |
| Rollic | Istanbul, Turkey | 2022 | |
| Small Giant Games | Helsinki, Finland | 2022 | |
| Starlark | Beijing, China | 2022 | |
Former
| Parent | Studio Name | Headquarters | Established or Acquired | Closed or Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2K | 2K Australia | Canberra, Australia | January 2006 | April 2015 |
| 2K China | Shanghai, China | May 2006 | November 2015 | |
| 2K Czech | Brno, Czech Republic | January 2008 | 2017 | |
| 2K Marin | Novato, California, U.S. | 2007 | October 2013 | |
| Frog City Software | San Francisco, U.S. | 2003 | 2006 | |
| Irrational Games | Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. | January 2006 | February 2017 | |
| Magic Pockets | Torcy , France | June 2005 | January 2007 | |
| PopTop Software | Fenton, Missouri, U.S. | July 2000 | March 2006 | |
| 2K Los Angeles | Camarillo, California, U.S. | January 2005 | 2008 | |
| Indie Built | Salt Lake City, U.S. | October 2004 | April 2006 | |
| PAM Development | Paris, France | June 2005 | June 2007 | |
| Venom Games | Newcastle upon Tyne, England | September 2004 | July 2008 | |
| Rockstar Games | Rockstar Vancouver | Vancouver, Canada | August 2002 | July 2012 |
| Rockstar Vienna | Vienna, Austria | January 2001 | May 2006 | |
| Private Division | Intercept Games | Seattle, Washington | February 2020 | November 2024 |
| Roll7 | London, England | November 2021 | ||
| Take-Two Interactive | GearHead Entertainment | Latrobe, Pennsylvania | 1997 | 1999 |
| Mission Studios | Inverness, Illinois | September 1996 | 2001 | |
| Playdots | New York City | September 2020 | October 2022 |
Other investments
Take-Two shares joint ownership of the NBA 2K League, an esports competition derived from its NBA 2K franchise, in collaboration with the National Basketball Association.
The corporation possesses a minority interest in Scopely, the exact amount undisclosed. Previously, it held a 19.9% stake in Bungie, which was transferred to Microsoft Game Studios in June 2000 in return for rights to Bungie's Myth and Oni intellectual properties, along with a license to utilize the Halo engine for two forthcoming titles. Take-Two also once owned a 2.3% share in Twitch, divested during Amazon's acquisition in 2014 for $22 million.
Litigation
Take-Two has vigorously enforced trademark dilution claims to prevent other companies from registering trademarks resembling its own, including terms such as "rockstar", "bully", "2K", and the uppercase letter "R". The company initiated disputes against Hazelight Studios concerning the trademark for It Takes Two, compelling Hazelight to withdraw its application, thereby complicating marketing efforts for the title.
Moreover, Take-Two actively restricts the distribution of mods related to Grand Theft Auto titles. While certain mods infringed copyright by incorporating original content, others involved legal reverse engineering, rendering Take-Two's enforcement actions contentious. The company has clarified it does not oppose legally created single-player mods but will take measures against other categories.
External links
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