<![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting - Kotaku Comments]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> It's simple for me from what I've been hearing through friends who worked for both companies about this:

EA = The epitome of corporate. Chews through employees like it's going out of style, throw money/people at a problem to get a game out.

T2 = Not as corporate (but only because it's not as big yet). Also chews through employees like it's going out of style. Corp management as devious or more as EA.

Looks like a great match for each other to me.

Not the most "dev friendly" places to work at.

JohnnyLA

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @tomsamson:

Thing is, he's talking about a $25 million cost reducting plan. It won't be gotten by removing the starbucks coffee bag at the kitchen and asking people to turn off the lights while they go out to lunch.

$25 million cost reduction initiative usually means "a lot of people will be losing their jobs... and rather quickly". All while adding up around 2 million yearly dollars to his wages.

Grive

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @ego531: while i totally agree that its ugly when the board staff of a company raises their own income while employees get fired etc in this case the board policy is obviously for other reasons, mainly ensuring that the company isn´t taken over, so in the long run this may actually be more positive to all employees than beeing taken over, several of the studios closing or getting integrated into others and on the way many people loosing their jobs. If Take Two never got a good game out for 5 years i´d maybe applaud a takeover cause it would give hope that things evolve for the better, but Take Two actually got several quite awesome games out so i don´t like the thought that anything affects those.

tomsamson

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> I think T2 should become a super company like EA and try to compete with them. lol

Stikasasn

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> for more info on how this went down on the shareholders side, the ny times just dropped this article. check it.

[www.nytimes.com]

insidertrading

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> CEOs that give themselves needless raises in times of corporate or political stress make hulk mad. They do that pretty much constantly in every company and public trust in the world, especially when screwing over the workers and firing staff en masse, so I've been pretty much in continual Hulk mode for the last 20 years. Hulk tired. Hulk want break.

ego531

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @deathbunny: What the hell are you saying? LOL. Umm, injecting income into Take 2's astroturf and the domestic ark is buildable? HAHAHA!! I like your words. You should write a song, with all those cryptic messages, it'd be pure genius! I can't even piece together the last paragraph...

Trancer

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> In the end, if Take 2 can make a large cash payout to stockholders by sticking around until a temporary increase in price (like after release of GTA--or possibly even later down the line), and Zelnick gets away clean with the pay raise, ultimately, the tendrils of hardcore business will see it as a positive sign, and we may ultimately see more effort put into positive press on gaming and game playing, for the simple reason that it will hold a lure for the purely mercenary and talented, as well as the truly dedicated and lucky.

I'm not saying Will Wright is all luck and no talent, but mature industries have a place for people who are primarily interested in success, and secondarily interested in quote spiritual fullfillment, unquote. People can be surprisingly karma positive in an environment saturated with cash money. I cite the Brady Bunch. For most couples, managing an unweildy family of 8 including the family pet, Alice, which is composed of two divorce(accent mark goes here)s, and imprisoned in a oubliette of brown, tan, and lime, is an act of true grit. Especially considering that nobody (except Alice), ever got any lovin' on that show. (amirite? yes.)

And she got it from a Butcher who loved her for her resemblance to a flank steak riding a pair of ham hocks.

Inject the imaginary architect's income into the situation, such that somebody has the time and wherewithal to maintain the lawn to within an inch of its life, such that it appears to the human eye to be astroturf, and suddenly, this unweildy domestic ark appears to be totally doable.

What I'm saying here is that if T2I builds it, and by it, I mean a nice little corrupt tit for a business major to suck on like a Miltonesque parasite, then they, by which I mean talented sharklike entities responsible for making the music industry into the completely available and comprehensively demographic conscious entity that *it* is, will come.

And by come, I mean, get a towel, game industry.

deathbunny

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> I feel such pride in this company...

My mother used to own her own flower shop in the nearby plaza. Country Florist it was called. It was her pride and joy, she was a nurse before hand and it was very hard on her physically and mentally. She always wanted to be her own boss and work with something she loves, Flowers.

Then Dominion opened up a flower shop in their nearby store. My mom's business went under and my family was bankrupt. I never had a video game system as a child, I would experience games only at my friends houses.

I got my psx when I first started my paper route, but I digress.

I cant help but feel that if they lose independence to EA it will be like my mom losing her flower shop.

I hope the stockholders can see the value in what is a truly great company.

JermExMachina

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> I really wish I could've been there to see this speech, it sounded pretty good to me.

Deaf Mute

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Now we wait and see what happens next!

canchegundam

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Other Interested Third Parties? makes me think Midway for some reason...

Soralinkyuna

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> It's nice to see some competition in the industry.

I really don't see how having EA as the sole big name publisher could be anything positive for gamers. With companies like ActiBlizzard and Take2 on the field, there's at least reason for them to strive to make their games better.

I really dislike the idea of having Medal of Honor as the sole combat FPS series.

SolInvictus

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> he's fighting for a good cause. bravo

pharcotix

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @endaround:

EA's deal is the only public deal. We don't know about the private discussions with the other interested parties yet. So we don't know if EA's deal is the best one or not.

EA made this a hostile takeover because they did not want to wait until after GTA4 was released to start negotiations in private. That is what started this whole thing.

If EA really believed that its offer was superior and accurately reflected the value of Take Two then they would have waited. They don't want to wait because they know that after GTA4 is released Take Two is going to be worth more.

NullsRevenge

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> I <3 Leigh Alexander. Long almost-geeky business posts <33!!

Everyone saying "LOL TAKE-TWO HAS BEEN DOING GREAT IN THE LAST FEW YEARS ^___^" needs to realize EA does more than release new versions of games every year. They have ALOT of games that DON'T follow that formula, such as Burnout.

Honestly, I think people confuse EA and Activision.

TONY HAWK 10. GUITAR HERO: DS 2: ROCKS THE AEROSMITH DURING THE 80's.

Terance has Turrets

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> While I like the fact that Take 2 is trying to hold off the EA buy out, I'm throughly pissed at what Zelnick was able to get them to pass. That bump in his earnings, that is some bull shit. If I were an investor, regardless of how well the company is doing, his ass does not need to get that much more money.

Feed that into the company to stay out of the red.

TheAngryHeretic

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @ninjadan: Have you actually payed attention to the last couple years T2 has had?

bluesquareapple

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Reason i don't want EA to buy out Take-Two

there will be MORE GTA "Mods" aka Vice City, San Andreas a year.

2kSports Nuff Said.

and i don't want Bioshock anywhere near EA Developers.

Raziel Dune

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> And yes, to actually say something on this great post itself i agree with the take2 board people in their statement that EA´s per share offer is actually low when you don´t just look at the narrow price of the actual price of a share of take two right now but instead look at the broader picture of titles they have in the works or close to release and even way more when you consider that with take two sports gone EA would have a quasi monopole in the sports game market, that point alone is worth lots of money.

tomsamson

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> One could say a lot of negative things about things on the managment at take two in the past. But they did numerous things to reduce issues and even besides their problems they managed to keep some great teams together and get some wicked games out, so more power to them.
A takeover always *could* have positive results for all sides at the end (besides the usual common bunch that looses the job a while after the takeover..) but yeah,its more likely that the takeover will have more negative effects than positive ones on the taken over company and in these dimensions on the whole industry.
Also i think the big players in the indurstry like EA and ActiBlizzard are big enough as they are,i don´t see it as positive that it gets allowed that they suck up more and more other studios so i´m curious to see how that FTC thing pans out.

tomsamson

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @ZinkO: The Game (the kind you just lost): Yea, I can see that as well. I'm just somewhat optimistic that, in the end (after GTAIV release into the market), the shareholders will see it was better off for them to stay put. Although, who knows how it'll all pan out, which is why I look forward to the coming months.

Jest

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @Jest:
cake > cupcake.
I'm just seeing this as more of a play by T2's management than an actual good business move.

ZinkO: preferred the old theme AND comment system

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Good job, TakeTwo. The shareholders just need a to wait it out with a bit more patience, and they'll soon reap the rewards.

@ZinkO: The Game (the kind you just lost): Well, you didn't give the rationale for your sentiments, so what did you expect, cupcake?

Jest

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @IGoogledMurder:
well, they ain't no Atari, but they aren't exactly thriving, are they?
also, technically, Taft busted more trusts than Roosevelt. I get laughs imagining that as an anime move- "TRUSTU-BUSTERO GO!"

ZinkO: preferred the old theme AND comment system

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @vincevl: If you feel that way then buy stock. It's really easy and if you even buy ONE share you get a say in what that company is going to do. By buying shares in a company you trust you are making that company stronger. It is a risk and something that you may want to talk to someone first about but you never know. I bought Sony stock when I was 18 because I really liked what the company did with the PS2. It's paid off but maybe I got lucky. I didn't make a KILLING or anything but I have made a little cash. I'm holding on to it for a rainy day. Or when I can't afford the PS4.

Balance_In_Life

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> If I recall correctly, didn't Take-Two refuse to let EA take a look at their books? If so, then why are is management getting so upset about EA's low offer? If EA is undervaluing the company, why not let them get the information they need so they can make a better offer? Of course this is all moot if Take-Two's argument is bullshit and they just want to keep control of the company for their own benefit.
Oh and because I didn't get to say it before, welcome to Kotaku Leigh. I always enjoy your work and look forward to seeing more of it in the future.

Silent Predator

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @DigitalHero:

Wahahahahaahahahahahaahaahahahahahahahhhah......haaaaaaa......that was funny.

Jac21

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @IGoogledMurder:

Like I said a bit afterwards, there was sarcasm to my "stick it to the man" comment.

Communist_Gamer

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @endaround: Couldn't agree more. The current management is only looking out for themselves and not the shareholders. Expect them to take huge bonuses if GTA4 sells well.

aka Bitter

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> I get chills up my spine every time read the words "Take-Two" and "EA" in the same article.

Algebraic

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Oh, I just saw that you were being ironic, Communist_Gamer, and now I feel dumb. Lulz. :)

IGoogledMurder

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> How long now before someone gets an advance copy of GTAIV and post footage of it online? I give it 5 days or so.

Orionsaint

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> EA is greeeeeeedy!:P

weeoo

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Let's clear up some inaccuracies here!
@Communist_Gamer: Take-Two is hardly an underdog. Compared to EA, maybe, but in general? Are you serious?
@ZinkO: The Game (the kind you just lost): Take-Two is hardly in financial trouble. Perhaps you were thinking of Midway?

Still, I think this is all a matter of "when" and not "if." Is someone out there interested in building a time machine? We need to bring Teddy Roosevelt to the present to busts some trusts up.

IGoogledMurder

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @vincevl:

Welcome to my world. Comrade.

Communist_Gamer

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Isn't it a shame it's not the customers that matter most instead of the shareholders. I don't feel I get a fair price, or any price, for my loyalty and business.

vincevl

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Either way the hard working employees of Take Two get the short end of the stick.

Zelnick: "Thanks everyone for a stellar record breaking year. To celebrate I'd like to give you all a round of a applause, this pen of appreciation, and my self a raise. No need to thank me, you've earned!"

TaggarT6

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @endaround:

No.

Lets start, first in the event Take 2 was brought up that means A LOT of jobs would be lost, starting with the entire distribution network since EA already have one and a very fine one at that.

But hey, you get 26 bunks for share ... why give a damn for the people that will lost the job ... right?

Drakron

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> The stick it to the man thing @ZinkO: The Game (the kind you just lost): was actually a joke, considering that I hate the stock market. :P

Communist_Gamer

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Uh, I think they want to wait to see how well GTA does, then assess the company's value and re-negotiate.

Also, to the guy who said they need access to EA's cash - GTA is slated to make almost half a billion dollars in sales in the week. How much money do they really need access to?

terraform

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @ninjadan: I never thought Take-Two needed cleaning up as their games are great and they pay attention to what their fans are saying.

ocalot

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Why the hell did this hype me up even more for GTA IV?

RichardNixon

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Thanks for the read.This has been very informative.I think it's going to happen one way or the other.I think they will hold out till after GTA4's release,but EA is going to get the 51%.

enewtabie(Future LittleBigPlanet Master Creationist)

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> T2 isn't doing anything to help T2, its doing everything to help the management team. EA's bid is the highest because T2 is more valuable to EA than anyone else. But an EA takeover means less money for T2 management so T2 management is looking for another deal worse for teh stockholders but that would still allow a management payoff.

endaround

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @M. Lobo:
wow, you made an inaccurate statement about my emotional state from 1 line of text. Amazing.

ZinkO: preferred the old theme AND comment system

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Like I said, business types are worthless.

How much did this dbag have to do with getting GTA4 out the door?

balls187 upside yo head

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @ZinkO: The Game (the kind you just lost):

you must feel lonely...

M. Lobo

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Yes... stick it to the man, T2. Stick it to the company that can actually clean you up and maybe get some semblance of a decent production team in there.

Yeah, rebel for the sake of rebelling... or getting filthy stinking rich.

Whichever works for you.

ninjadan

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Hopefully GTAIV sells so well that EA cannot afford Take-Two.

DigitalHero

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> @Communist_Gamer:
yeah, I'd much rather see T2 crash and brun, taking GTA with them, than give them access to some actual economic force.

ZinkO: preferred the old theme AND comment system

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Gah, I want to know what was being is played over the riff; this whole fiasco is gamepolitics 101 to me and it is GREAT.

Fyren

]]> <![CDATA[Take-Two's Zelnick Goes All-Out In Annual Meeting]]> Well done Take-Two stick it to the man!

Communist_Gamer

]]>