Take-Two, the publisher of well-known properties such as Grand Theft Auto, XCOM, and NBA2K, has bought mobile titan Zynga in the second-largest deal in the history of video games, behind only Microsoft’s eventual acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Take-Two’s $12.7 Billion Purchase
According to an online gaming journal, the plans were authorized, and the overall cost of the acquisition is a staggering $12.7 billion. Farmville and CSR Racing 2, the most popular mobile racing game, are two of Zynga’s most well-known small screen offerings.
Take-Two Strauss Zelnick, the chief executive officer of the firm, expressed his company’s enthusiasm towards the transaction by stating that they are thrilled to complete their combination with Zynga, which is a great step to increasing their Net Bookings from mobile, which is the fastest growing segment in interactive entertainment while offering significant cost synergies and opportunities for revenue. He also said that by bringing together their great talents, exciting pipelines of games, and industry-leading capabilities and technologies, they believe that they can take their portfolio to another level of innovation, quality, and creativity.
Next-Generation of Mobile Gaming
Zynga CEO Frank Gibeau said that they are excited for the next generation of Zynga’s mobile platform, diverse offering of games, free-to-play expertise, and incredible team to join the Take-Two group. They are eager to keep building their portfolio of games that can easily reach broader markets and lead to growth for this chapter of Zynga’s history.
Perhaps more Take-Two games will be ported or adapted for mobile devices in the coming years. This agreement follows recent financial forecasts that forecast the release of over 69 Take-Two titles over the next three years. Only time will reveal the results of this historic combination. The acquisition culture in the gaming business is expanding. Sony recently appointed a Director of Corporate Development to spearhead growth potential through acquisitions, and Microsoft’s Phil Spencer reaffirmed Xbox’s commitment to purchasing “good-fit” companies.
Weightlifting & Boxing May Be Dropped From Olympics Amid Scandals
Scandals are an inseparable part of sports. But, too many scandals in one sport are reason enough for suspicion. Like International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach recently said, weightlifting and boxing are “the two problem children of the Olympic movement.” Following a series of serious doping and governance issues in both sports, there’s talk about potentially removing them from the Olympics program of the 2028 LA Games.
IOC Calls for Continuous Reforms in Weightlifting and Boxing
Weightlifting has always been plagued by doping scandals, but the growing number of recent doping cases has become a growing concern of the IOC. President Bach said that weightlifting is the more endangered sport at the moment. However, boxing isn’t in the clear yet. In order for it to stay in the 2028 Olympics, boxing officials need to continue making significant reforms following the judging scandal that shocked everyone at the 2016 Rio Games.
Bach also said that if these sports (including modern pentathlon) succeed in making a series of important reforms by 2023, there would be a “pathway” for Aiba (boxing’s governing body), IWF (International Weightlifting Federation), and UIPM to be part of the 2028 LA Olympics. Many of these reforms revolve around achieving financial transparency and sustainability, as well as protecting the integrity of the refereeing and judging processes.
Three New Potential Sports at the 2028 LA Olympics?
In addition to discussing the fate of boxing, weightlifting, and modern pentathlon as an Olympic sport, the IOC also shared that there is a list of 28 sports submitted for approval that are to be discussed in Beijing in February. Surfing, sport climbing, and skateboarding are three of the most promising candidates that fans might get to see as official Olympic sports in 2028.
The proposed inclusion of these youth-focused sports is possible, to a great extent, due to the overall success of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that paved the way for new sports and attracting younger audiences.