Surprise acquisitions seem to be occurring more frequently in this industry. Tencent continues to snatch up studios; meanwhile, Microsoft made headlines with its Zenimax acquisition early last year. Ringing in the new year, Take-Two Interactive now owns Zynga, one of the most recognizable mobile companies in the world.
The acquisition, which cost Take-Two around $12.7 billion, will see a combined effort between the video game giants. Zynga, best known for Words with Friends and Farmville, will take charge of Take-Two’s mobile endeavors moving forward. As part of this change, T2 Mobile Games will operate under the Zynga brand. With this deal, Take-two expects its mobile business to take up over half of its net bookings for the 2023 fiscal year.
This is a part of a huge investment into the mobile space, combining Take-Two and Zynga’s strengths to attempt further growth. According to Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau, they will be “combining Zynga’s expertise in mobile and next-generation platforms with Take-Two’s best-in-class capabilities and intellectual property.” This means we can expect new mobile games utilizing popular Take-Two franchises.
While some of these projects may remain distinct mobile games, there is a much larger plan at play. The press release makes note of interest in “cross-platform experiences for many of these properties.” This may mean future Take-Two titles will have some sort of mode or feature that integrates a mobile app with a form of cross-progression or rewards for playing both.
