Codemasters, the legendary British publisher behind the recently released DIRT 5, has confirmed that it’s in talks with Take-Two over a possible takeover. Video Games Chronicle reports that an internal statement revealed conversations were taking place between the firm and 2K Games’ parent company. The figure currently being thrown around is £740 million (~$973 million).
It’s important to note that nothing has been made official yet, although should Take-Two push on, then Codemasters’ board has said that it will recommend shareholders accept the offer. In a comment sent to VGC, Take-Two explained that the potential takeover “would bring together two world-class interactive entertainment portfolios”.
It added: “Take-Two believes that it can bring benefits to Codemasters’ performance by leveraging Take-Two’s global distribution and 2K’s core operating expertise in publishing, including live operations, analytics, product development, and brand and performance marketing.” Codemasters currently holds the rights to the F1 and WRC license, which would likely be ripe for the 2K Sports treatment.
Of course, there’s a long way to go before this is a done deal, but we’re continuing to see signs of consolidation occurring in the video game industry. Microsoft has been making moves for the past two years, which has culminated in the acquisition of Bethesda. Meanwhile, Warner Bros’ interactive arm was also recently floated on the market, but there were no takers.
[source videogameschronicle.com]
Comments 53
EWWWWWWWWWWWWW.........
This is horrible news.
So many acquisitions these days. A real shame.
Well anybody other then MS. I can't see how Codemasters can continue making racing games only when development is more expensive and sim racers are pretty niche.
@AdamNovice I understand the fear of Microsoft acquiring everything under the sun but you'd seriously take Take Two Interactive buying them out over them after how much they bastardized their sports titles?
I like Take-Two's sports games. I genuinely believe F1 2K21 could be even better than what they're making now.
Controversial opinion!
@TheFrenchiestFry Rather that then being exclusive to a platform I'll never play on. The fact that some people are alright with MS locking behind so many multiplatform IPs to a few systems just boogles my mind.
That potentially means non-skippable ads and microtransactions in the next DIRT & Project CARS game ...
NOPE.
That seems like a small figure for Take-Two does it not?. Considering Take-Two owns R* as well as other game developers.
I can see it now, pit stops with your new tyres chosen at random from loot boxes and adverts mid race that were "accidentally" put in the game
Actually the loot box tyre change would make it more exciting than the real thing 😆
@AdamNovice Idk, considering Microsoft and Bethesda have had a historically closer relationship compared to any other platform manufacturer, and that Xbox players have had significantly more benefits playing Bethesda games on their platform compared to PlayStation, I thought the buyout made sense. I was honestly more surprised Zenimax was in that state of being able to be bought out to begin with. Plus it can potentially remedy the first party problem that's plagued them for the entire last console generation while not leaving out the significantly larger PC playerbase Bethesda games have compared to consoles. If this was any other publisher like SEGA or Capcom then I'd have a problem, but considering Microsoft is basically a Western-centric gaming platform, having three different WRPG studios to give your platform a lot of variety shows they aren't willing to just back down and go the way of SEGA.
Plus now they can potentially invest in engines that aren't dated by like 2 decades lol
Doesn't change the fact that games like Doom, Wolfenstein, Fallout and Elder Scrolls were played by millions on PlayStation but now might have to do without because MS wants to beef up a subscription.
@AdamNovice Sunset Overdrive was one of the big exclusives for Xbox One and then Sony bought Insomniac. It goes both ways.
@AdamNovice In my eyes I really saw this as nothing more than a direct response to the fact Sony's practically taking the route of moneyhatting a bunch of games that were meant to go multiplatform to begin with just for the sake of strengthening their exclusive library, or striking deals with third parties to give them exclusive content and lock out Xbox players for a year. Microsoft making a power move like what they just did was honestly kind of inevitable after Sony basically came out the gate saying "COD Zombies is exclusive to our platform for a year, Avengers will get permanent additions like Spider-Man and a bunch of extra content that Xbox just won't get, if you don't buy our console get ready to wait a whole year for Final Fantasy XVI, and don't forget that we took Street Fighter and Spider-Man from you too lol"
Well that would be terrible news given 2K's recent record
@nessisonett Yeah a lot of people tend to forget that developers like Insomniac, Naughty Dog and Guerilla Games didn't even start out as first party at all, then they make the argument that Sony organically grew their first party studios from the start
@AdamNovice I mean to be fair, you don't really need an Xbox to play Xbox anymore. If you have a PC, good or bad, or an Android phone, you can just get Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, then you can play 200+ games, and if Codemasters was bought by Microsoft, at least you can play their games that way. And they wouldn't go to the trash in quailty (unlike a certain Take-Two...)
F1 tire changes would be micro transaction and tire wear increased.
This is alarming. A quick look at WWE shows that 2K have form for ruining franchises and moving development studios around. F1 is brilliant with Codemasters but even more so their Dirt Rally Games...
Also, Codemasters is such an inherently British game studio I have doubts about it being successfully managed by an American company...
Hope it's not true....
Co-driver: "Two left, into three right long, into premium decal shop"
I'm confused, take two is worth three times that projected selling price... Unless 🤔 is Codemasters only buying 2k studios?
@NomNom Take Two is in talks about buying Codemasters, not the other way around
Just why??? I hope they don't make the deal.
Nooooooooooooo! DON’T DO IT CODIES! 🙏
Oh no.
Terrible news. Hard to see any positives here
@nessisonett Sunset Overdrive was one game that flopped and even then if Sony remastered it I would begrudge it going onto Xbox.
@TheFrenchiestFry Firstly timed exclusives aren't the same, other platforms get that content eventually. So it isn't like Sony are locking others out forever. As for Spider-Man, Sony have some rights to the character and they used it to get the licence.
You also say Sony didn't organically grow Guerrilla, Naughty Dog or Insomniac, well those devs are what they are because of Sony's backing over the years. Same goes for Sucker Punch and Media Molecule where Sony provided those studios with what they needed and looked to buy them. It's different compared to MS buying Compulsion, Ninja Theory and Double Fine like it was a lucky dip.
@HotGoomba___Rebrand I wouldn't dream of playing a racing game either streamed or on a phone and I don't have a PC to play recent games. So for me and many others the only option is PlayStation, regardless of how 2K make their sports games at least I can still play them which wouldn't happen if MS bought them.
As I said a few weeks back, there's going to be a lot of consolidation in the games industry going forward. I think some previously big names might essentially disappear from gamers vocabulary.
This is terrible news if true.........i'm getting sick of shareholders and video game developers mentioned in the same sentence....shocking.........now where are my grapes i feel a crushing coming on.
@AdamNovice Timed exclusives aren't exactly the same but Sony has the same mentality when it comes to securing them. They seek out third parties who want to bring the content to their platform first so it can strengthen their library of titles for a while longer so they remain competitive. Microsoft just took that mentality and basically went all the way with it. It may promote unhealthy competition, but in my opinion this is perhaps the best thing that could've happened to a company like Bethesda, who definitely need the funding so they can modernize more of their back catalogue and bring it up to the standards we sort of expect. Microsoft handpicking Bethesda is not really a coincidence after Sony was already reportedly approaching multiple third parties presumably with the knowledge that they also developed games for the competing platforms and made these deals just to strengthen the portfolio of the PS5 library so more people could come to their console, and Microsoft probably caught wind of this and decided to retaliate. All of these decisions are clearly calculated even if they come at the expense of some consumers. They won't care if you don't buy an Xbox, but they want to get as many people to invest in that ecosystem as much as possible every bit that Sony does with PlayStation.
Spider-Man is a different story. Insomniac produced that game when they were still third party. Sony's control over the movie rights had nothing to do with this game materializing as Insomniac actually acquired the license around 2014, which was even before the character was introduced in the MCU. Sony Interactive Entertainment approached them about the game independent of Sony Pictures, after already being asked by Marvel directly as they were getting back into producing console games. Furthermore, Insomniac was actually given options as to which Marvel characters they could make a game around, and Spider-Man was chosen by them, not Sony. This game could've just as easily become an Iron Man, Hulk, or even a freaking Moon Knight game since Insomniac had the freedom to choose which character to make the game about. Spider-Man being the way it is was not an extension of the certain rights Sony had with the character. It still involved deep collaborative efforts with the people at Disney and Marvel Games.
@TheFrenchiestFry ohhhhh gotcha that makes more sense, thanks
@AdamNovice Ninja theory was heavily involved with Sony until they parted ways after Heavenly Sword. Do your homework before spouting fanboy nonsense
@pip_muzz Even after the fact Hellblade released as a PS4 console exclusive first in 2017.
@TheFrenchiestFry Exactly. The idea that Microsoft swooped in and bought Ninja Theory under the nose of Sony is such a ludicrous concept. Sony essentially kept the engine Ninja Theory built for Heavenly Sword, essentially screwing the company over. Of course they signed with Microsoft...
@pip_muzz That's actually not true. Ninja Theory struck a deal with Sony that gave them the publishing/IP rights for Heavenly Sword in a similar fashion to what happened with FromSoftware and Demon's Souls. They were never officially acquired by them, but the deal basically saved them from bankruptcy.
@pip_muzz the irony is strong with this one.
Love how Sony is the bad guy for times exclusives. Thank Microsoft for starting this crap with Tomb Raider
@Brokennails Oh don't get any of this twisted. It's bad either way. People spoke tf up when Microsoft did that ***** with Rise of the Tomb Raider just as much as people also got mad with all the third party exclusivity stuff in the Xbox 360 era or stuff like Spider-Man in Marvel's Avengers
However I think of all the publishers to acquire, Bethesda makes the most sense considering even before this buyout, MS basically treated them like as close to being a second party developer without actually being one if you've seen the perks that Xbox players got playing their games. And if Sony is fighting with fire, why can't Microsoft clap back either way? Their exclusives were mocked and laughed at this entire generation except stuff like Killer Instinct and Sunset Overdrive
@TheFrenchiestFry Thanks for the clarification. Comment ammended. My original point stands with the Sony link to Ninja Theory well before Microsoft. I remember really enjoying heavenly sword at the time too.
"HIT THE WEAK SPOT FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE"
WTH! how the hell a dying company will take over take 2?
It shows you that rockstar can't handle anything new, they are desperate to make money and that is all they care about!
Maybe it'll make the driving in GTA palatable for the first time ever! Haha. No but this sucks.
Please make another TOCA touring cars game please, miss those drys
awful news, yucky microtransactions
Man, with how expensive games development is becoming, it’s no wonder that studios keep combining. It must be hell, financially.
@SirAngry Right, and that point you made a few weeks ago makes a lot of sense. Games development is high cost and high risk, in terms of business models. It’s a nightmare for studios to stay independent, especially right now.
That's it for them. Expect the first year of business to remain the same but then to devolve into non-sense and crap. Another good dev to get gutted and eventually their franchises shuttered.
No no noooooo they should stick to what they have, but I’m up for them to have the WRC series that needs spicing up!
Sad to hear this, Ive been a fan of the Darling Brothers since I was a kid in the 80s, I guess if I'm 45 this week then they must be mid to late 50s, can't blame them. 740million to retire... What would you do?
“Legendary publishers” lol.. I didn’t even knew about this guys existence until today especially if the best they have done is Dirt 5
And just when Codemasters were on the up with superb games like dirt rally series and the F1 games.
Not being funny but with a price tag of "only" £740 million Sony or even MS should buy them and keep them multiple plat. I think this is very bad news personally.
@GKO900
You don't know very much about gaming if you've never heard of Codemasters. Dirt 5 is certainly not their best work. Dirt 5 was developed by Codemasters Cheshire, a relatively new team with Codemasters.
Codemasters are responsible for the "Dirt rally" series which is regarded as the best rally driving games ever. The Dirt rally games are on a different level. They are developed by Codemasters. Plus Codemasters have been developing all the official formula one games for the last 10 years. And you never heard of them? They also developed the legendary Toca race driver games on PS2
@tinCAT-zero You might think I’m joking but nope never heard of them, maybe because their games are not as highly regarded as amazing like Gran Turismo or Forza, and honestly I’m not a fan of racing simulator games I play games to escape reality so I prefer games like the Burnout series or Mario Kart
@GKO900
In my opinion Dirt rally and Dirt rally 2.0 are the best driving games this generation. Better that Gran turismo and easily better than Forza. I think the reason you might never have heard of them might be due to you living in the US and maybe that's the problem Codemasters have, getting their games to the masses. Codemasters are an English developer and I suppose relatively small but they have a pedigree in racing games second to none. They are making rally games for over 25 years.
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