Take-Two Interactive, one of the leading names in the video game industry, has put its Private Division publishing brand, which focuses on independent games, up for sale. The company evaluated the decision to sell Private Division, which has produced important independent games such as The Outer Worlds and OlliOlli World, as part of its strategy to focus on mobile and main business lines. The company plans to direct its resources to larger-scale projects with the sale of Private Division, which came to the fore with the dismissal of many employees in the summer months. The sales price and the identity of the buyer have not been disclosed yet.
Take-Two stated in its statement that the game rights of Private Division, which are largely completed or under development, will be transferred as part of the sale. Company spokesman Alan Lewis, in his statement, emphasized that this decision aims to transfer resources to the main business areas more efficiently and thanked the Private Division team for their contributions. Despite Take-Two’s decision to sell, Private Division will reportedly continue to support No Rest for the Wicked, which is currently in Early Access.
According to Bloomberg’s analysis of the sector, some recent difficulties experienced by Private Division accelerated the decision to sell. The Kerbal Space Program 2 game, published in recent years, received negative criticism due to technical problems and errors, which is among the factors that negatively affected the prestige of the brand. While the player community was disappointed due to the problems and shortcomings of the game, Private Division did not meet expectations in this process. This negative picture stands out as a factor that paved the way for Take-Two to withdraw from the management of the brand.
Take-Two Private Division will also transfer its games to the new buyer
In addition, the statements made regarding the details of the after-sales process show that the announced but not yet released games of Private Division will also be transferred to the new buyer. These include the farming simulation game Tales of the Shire, inspired by the works of JRR Tolkien, and the project called Project Bloom, developed by Game Freak, one of the creators of the Pokémon series. However, the rights to No Rest for the Wicked will remain with Take-Two; Take-Two’s in-house development and support process for this game will continue.
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the company’s Private Division team, which provides support for independent games, has done a good job, and that they have now decided to focus on big projects that will appeal to a wider audience. The focus of the company is on the game developed by Rockstar Games and highly anticipated by a large number of players around the world. Grand Theft Auto VI There are high budget games such as. Zelnick stated that independent games contribute to the company’s strategic goals, but focusing on larger-scale projects is a more appropriate direction in the long term.