Not one to miss out on a gaming industry trend as hot as corporate synergy, Electronic Arts recently proposed an acquisition of Take-Two Interactive Software for $26 a share (nearly a 63 percent premium to their current stock value) -- for a grand total of approximately $2 billion.
Before you start feverishly fantasizing about a Bioshock/Crysis mash-up, you should know that Take-Two's executive chairman, Strauss Zelnick, shot down the proposal upon receiving it last Tuesday. Attempting to go over the bossman's head, EA CEO John Riccitiello made his proposal public, hoping that Take-Two shareholders will find the offer more attractive than Zelnick initially did.
EA intends to keep the proposal on the table to give Take-Two's board of directors "further time to consider it," obviously hoping to force Zelnick's hand. Whether or not this strategy will work, we imagine we'll find out in the next few days. We'll keep you updated as the situation develops.
Take-Two's Board of Directors have considered the offer, and politely refused. Check out the full story for Zelnick's reasoning behind shooting down the proposal.
Source joystiq.com
