Take-Two taking over Visual Concepts?

No_Style · Dec 24, 2004, 03:33 PM

Publisher's financial statement reveals it has the "right to acquire" the Sega-owned maker of ESPN Videogames; Amped studio deal outlined in detail.

When Take-Two Interactive announced it would co-publish Sega's line of ESPN Videogames in June, many wondered how committed to sports games the Grand Theft Auto publisher really was. When the company lowered the prices of all ESPN titles to $19.99, analysts realized the company was deadly serious about challenging Electronic Arts' hold over the athletic genre. Apparently EA thought so as well, responding with a price drop of its own before acquiring exclusive rights to NFL teams and player likenesses earlier this month.

However, it was only this week that Take-Two fully revealed how committed it is to becoming a force in sports games. Late yesterday, the company released its annual report for the financial year ending October 31, 2004, during which it saw net sales of $1.13 billion--and a net income of just $65.4 million. The report also outlined a previously unknown part of Take-Two's deal with Sega--a part which paves the way for Take-Two's purchase of Visual Concepts, the studio behind the ESPN Videogames, and its subsidiary Kush Games.
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Read More/Source: GameSpot

Jitter · Dec 24, 2004, 04:17 PM

I believe take-two is also taking over the Micrsoft game studios sports section. Top-spin tennis, links, etc etc. I play links 2003 and there was a post by David Cass (who runs linkstour) about what was going on. "As you may have heard, the studio that developed games including Links, Amped, and Top Spin has been sold.

Here is the announcement: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/...04&newsLang=en

and - http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/12...s_6115224.html

Also here is a statement from the President of Indie Built (Salt Lake), Steve ZoBell:

"While I can not elaborate on what we are working on at Indie at this time, I can tell you that you will not be dissapointed. This change has been VERY positive for those of us at Indie Built, and while we have gone completely dark the past few months, I beleive you now can understand why.

We are firmly committed to the customers of all our games and are really excited for the opportunity to really push them forward with a company whose sole purpose and existence is to make games.

I have been with this group since '92 when I started working on Microsoft Golf 1.0, and although we have been through some changes (Access to MS to T2) we are still committed to making the best possible games and now with some of the obstacles removed, we are definitely heading in that direction. "

Dec 24, 2004, 03:33 PM	#1
No_Style Styleless Wonder Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Ottawa, Ontario Posts: 6,034 Rep Power: 0	Take-Two taking over Visual Concepts? Publisher's financial statement reveals it has the "right to acquire" the Sega-owned maker of ESPN Videogames; Amped studio deal outlined in detail. When Take-Two Interactive announced it would co-publish Sega's line of ESPN Videogames in June, many wondered how committed to sports games the Grand Theft Auto publisher really was. When the company lowered the prices of all ESPN titles to $19.99, analysts realized the company was deadly serious about challenging Electronic Arts' hold over the athletic genre. Apparently EA thought so as well, responding with a price drop of its own before acquiring exclusive rights to NFL teams and player likenesses earlier this month. However, it was only this week that Take-Two fully revealed how committed it is to becoming a force in sports games. Late yesterday, the company released its annual report for the financial year ending October 31, 2004, during which it saw net sales of $1.13 billion--and a net income of just $65.4 million. The report also outlined a previously unknown part of Take-Two's deal with Sega--a part which paves the way for Take-Two's purchase of Visual Concepts, the studio behind the ESPN Videogames, and its subsidiary Kush Games. _______________ Read More/Source: GameSpot __________________ "The Best Style Is No Style" Specifications Here

Dec 24, 2004, 04:17 PM	#2
Jitter HardwareHeaven Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Posts: 534 Rep Power: 0	I believe take-two is also taking over the Micrsoft game studios sports section. Top-spin tennis, links, etc etc. I play links 2003 and there was a post by David Cass (who runs linkstour) about what was going on. "As you may have heard, the studio that developed games including Links, Amped, and Top Spin has been sold. Here is the announcement: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/...04&newsLang=en and - http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/12...s_6115224.html Also here is a statement from the President of Indie Built (Salt Lake), Steve ZoBell: "While I can not elaborate on what we are working on at Indie at this time, I can tell you that you will not be dissapointed. This change has been VERY positive for those of us at Indie Built, and while we have gone completely dark the past few months, I beleive you now can understand why. We are firmly committed to the customers of all our games and are really excited for the opportunity to really push them forward with a company whose sole purpose and existence is to make games. I have been with this group since '92 when I started working on Microsoft Golf 1.0, and although we have been through some changes (Access to MS to T2) we are still committed to making the best possible games and now with some of the obstacles removed, we are definitely heading in that direction. " __________________ Sony Vaio PCV-RX670 P4 1.8ghz XP Pro SP2 1 GB PC2100 RAM ATI All in Wonder 9700 pro Audigy 2 ZS Aquamark ~29,500 3dMark03 ~ 5,000