Take-Two Interactive Officially Sells Off Its Indie Publishing Firm Private Division To Focus On AAA Effort

When it came to some of the larger entities within the indie game publishing sphere, there has been some ground-shattering new developments in that. Back in June, it was reported that Take-Two Interactive – the parent company for Grand Theft Auto & NBA 2K – was strategically laying off staffing for its Private Division indie effort to later sell off the firm altogether.

In a similar string of events, the same fate has also found its way to Annapurna Interactive as well. The publisher recognized for critically-acclaimed independent projects also found its way to being on the chopping block as well. From a piece by Bloomberg in September, it was revealed that much of the projects were left at a standstill as staffing did a combined resignation at the firm.

Now in a new development from Take-Two Interactive, it is revealed that Private Division has officially been sold off. As part of the company’s financial statement released recently, it was revealed that this decision was to platform its mobile & AAA projects, CEO Strauss Zelnick shares.

We made this strategic decision so that we could focus all of our resources on growing our core and mobile businesses for the long term. We’re really best at these big AAA experiences. We have the biggest intellectual properties in the interactive entertainment business, some of the biggest intellectual properties in the overall entertainment business and to make sequels to existing beloved franchises as well as to create new hit intellectual properties is our mission.

“The team of Private Division did a great job supporting independent developers and, almost to a one, every project they supported did well. However, the scale of those projects was, candidly, on the smaller side, and we’re in the business of making great big hits,” Zelnick in his statement to gamesindustry.biz added.

The new filing also confirms both closure of both Interceptor & Roll7 which Zelnick previously denounced. What is reassuring is that Moon Studios’ No Rest for The Wicked will still receive Take-Two support as it continues to be worked on. The buyer for Private Division has not yet been revealed, but is said to be shared soon.

Are you surprised by this move from Take-Two Interactive?

Source: gamesindustry.biz