Take-Two Interactive Parts Ways with Private Division to Mystery Buyer

In a surprise turn of events, Take-Two Interactive, primarily known for the hit franchises Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, announced that they are parting ways with Private Division, its indie publishing label, for an undisclosed sum.

While that may be intriguing, Take-Two has decided to keep the buyer's identity under wraps, which only leaves the gaming community to speculate. However, with no official buyer named, one of the immediate suspects was Microsoft.

After all, Private Division previously collaborated with Obsidian Entertainment—which is owned by Xbox—to publish The Outer Worlds. A takeover from the Xbox mothership seemed plausible in the midst of their "acquisition era", which has already seen them snap up studios like Bethesda and Activision Blizzard.

However, according to sources at Windows Central, that buyer is not Microsoft. They would be if they were, we'd mostly hear the echoes of battle cries from the Federal Trade Commission, keeping track of every move Microsoft is making these days.

So, unless it's Microsoft, who is it? It could also be the potential buyout of Private Division by a major media conglomerate such as Embracer Group or another gaming behemoth looking to expand its portfolio. There's also the speculation that it could be one of the larger third-party publishing houses looking to diversify with the addition of smaller, higher-quality indies.

Private Division is known for publishing niche but acclaimed games, including No Rest for the Wicked, After Us, Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey, Kerbal Space Program, and Disintegration —titles that, even though they might not be AAA juggernauts, have fostered very loyal fanbases.

Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick further framed the sale by saying, "Take-Two is in the business of producing great big hits." Privative Division has otherwise focused on smaller indie projects. "We're in the business of big games," he said, almost as though he forgot that Private Division was created in 2017 specifically to give indie developers a boost under Take-Two's umbrella.

Zelnick's tone begs questions about the belief that the shift away from indie projects might signal some larger strategic move for Take-Two-just focusing on nothing but huge titles, like GTA VI, for which the fans have been withering with bated breath.

While the buyer may currently remain unknown, the sale has raised many questions about the future of indie publishing under new ownership. For fans, it's a sign that Private Division could soon add new games—and maybe even some bigger ones—to its indie-flavored roster.